Date: 30.07.04

Whether it is the ride you take to town in a tightly packed buseta full of vividly disputing passengers, your arepa con queso that gets stuck in your throat when eyescanning the newspaper headlines at lunch break, the conversation with friends or the brief chat that you have with a street artist at the traffic light, in these days, your every move, act, thought and word are all determined by the “magic date”, August 15th, 2004.

Chronos is merciless and has imposed another countdown on daily life in Venezuela, as the day of the famous presidential recall referendum is inexorably nearing - both hoped and feared for in equal measure for being completely unpredictable in terms of the concrete situation that Venezuela will be facing in barely two weeks from now, nevermind the outcome of this unique, electoral event in Venezuela´s history, that points to a categorical ratification of the president´s mandate by a vast majority of voters.

Predicting another round of severe, political trouble from mid-August on is pretty safe, however, it is in the outlining of detailed scenarios where the problem (and with it, its solution) lies. Diagnosing the ostentatiously democratic and constitutional recall referendum as nothing else but the continuation - clad in ever new clothes -,  of the notorious and by now already musty, eternal  “Plan B” of Venezuela´s rancid "opposition", with little if no prospect for success, is a commonly accepted political wisdom, foremostly by the very same “opposition”.

And this is basically the reason, why we have seen former, Miami-based Venezuelan president Carlos Andrés Pérez, the uncontested star democrat in the minds of the Venezuelan oligarchy, give this rancid "opposition" a sound, in his deeply democratical vocation rooting advice, namely to forget about the recall referendum because he considers it a predetermined failure for the "opposition" (- this is actually the first time the man speaks the plain truth-), and to take the violent way instead, because else, (¡uh, ah!) Chávez simply no se va.

So, while ordinary Venezuelans are breeding over their arepa con queso about how to most effectively get prepared for the August 15th electoral battle (and indeed, preparations are in full swing), la créme de la créme of Venezuelan society (however rancid and prófugos de la justicia) calls once again to the armed battle, as they consider violence and brutal repression the only viable way to reach their goal, the "De-Bolivarianization" of Venezuela, and with it, of Latin America - so they hope. Small surprise, that their very fondest, democratic wish, as expressed in Carlos Andrés Pérez´ own words, is, that president Chávez may preferably "die like a dog" instead of getting ratified in the August 15th recall referendum.

Such outspoken and cordial wishes, even if not necessarily shared by the vast majority of Venezuelans and Latinamericans, at least permit the deduction of a probable “opposition scenario” on referendum day: The desperately needed violence and the “ungovernability” that has to be shown to the world (so that the masters in Brainwashington will be able to rush to the final rescue), can only come about, if the “opposition”, with the help of the ineffable, private “mass media”, succeeds in giving preliminary results on referendum day, that point to Chávez’ defeat, calling on “opposition” supporters to take the streets to celebrate their “victory”. Second step in the script: place and blow up a few bombs at some strategical places (their own, private “media” studios for example), play the rioting game, and blame it all on Chávez and his “violent gangs” (the Bolivarian Circles, a social grass roots organization supportive of the government, is always a welcome scapegoat). Thus, and playing the card of the criminalization of the government and its supporters, “proven” to be fraudulent, clinging to power, authoritarian, violent and repressive, (you name it,) the international election watchdogs can happily cry “foul play” and activate the Democratic Charta against a Venezuelan government turned “illegal”.

This is just one, single, immediate “opposition scenario”, with many more thinkable ones, not only in the short, but also in the mid and long run, as  Venezuela´s Political Zombie Caste refuses to rest in peace. The one, imperative thing to be taken into consideration by Hugo Chávez, his government team and the millions of people, who see in it the materialization of the only future they have, that is, their present here and now, is, that their mere existence as a socially and politically progressive and transformative force in Latin America will draw the most aggressive response from the established, rotten powers - in all places, at all times. Eternal war on the new is what they think can guarantee their “peace” of the rotten.

From Venezuela, we say ¡No to the peace of the graves! ¡No to the Return of the Zombies!

BACK