Democracy Hugo Chavez-Style
EmailFor workers at Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, supporting Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez isn’t a choice; it’s a direct order. According to an internal memo obtained by ABC News, workers at Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) were recently instructed to support Chavez’s re-election campaign or else be terminated. The Oct. 18 memo to managers in the company outlines a 24-point directive designed to mobilize PDVSA’s resources and workforce to support Chavez’s campaign with both time and money, in advance of the country’s Dec. 3 vote. "We should be loyal and consistent with the President of the Republic," the memo emphasizes. It encourages the placement of "propaganda" on buildings and the posting of pro-Chavez material on official PDVSA vehicles. The memo also calls for a donation of 250 million Venezuelan Bolivares (over $116,000) to Chavez’s campaign organization, Comando Miranda, in the name of the PDVSA’s workers. The penalties for failing to comply with these new directives are severe. Workers are threatened with the loss of their jobs if they do not cooperate. One point, highlighted in capital letters, makes this crystal clear, saying "He who is not with Chavez should not be in PDVSA." It encourages workers to be vigilant of their colleagues and to turn in anyone who does not appear to be "identified with the process." Requests for comment from PDSVA and the Venezuelan Embassy in D.C. were not returned. Former Ambassador Roger Noriega, who was Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemispheres Affairs from 2003 to 2005, tells ABC News he is not surprised to see this kind of pressure being exerted in Venezuela. "It goes back years, this sort of harassment," he said. "There has been an ideological purge going through the Venezuelan government from PDVSA to the foreign ministry staff to the military." "We have had reports of people in military and foreign ministry classes having to receive lectures from Cuban revolutionaries," Noriega said, adding, "There were folks actually watching their body language to see who is responding, watching for people rolling their eyes or looking disinterested." The U.S. State Department refused to comment on the memo and what it means for the state of democracy in Venezuela. Noriega says that this memo is part of a larger "systematic" strategy by Chavez to maintain power by purging the government and country of those who oppose him. His ultimate goal, according to Noriega, is to stay in power. "He looks at Castro and says ‘Why not me?’" The PDVSA memo references the need to remove any opposition to Chavez’s power, saying, "This is the last opportunity to clean out the Electric Department and take out everyone that is not identified with (the movement)." Such efforts to ensure support for Chavez constitute voting irregularities and call into question the legitimacy of Chavez’s presidency, according to Noriega. "It is most assuredly using the resources of the state to aid your campaign because these people would lose their jobs and promotions," he said. The greatest effect of Chavez’s efforts at ideological consolidation may be on democracy itself in Venezuela. "It’s done its damage," Noriega said. "People are not confident that they’ll get a fair shake, that their vote will be counted," he added. Both the Organization of American States and the European Union plan on sending monitors for the election.
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Chavez even looks like a bully.
Posted by: mike jones | November 6, 2006, 8:42 pm 8:42 pm
This blog was posted by some people who are down there now. Take a look.
Posted by: Martin | November 6, 2006, 11:56 pm 11:56 pm
This blog was posted by some guys who are down there now. Take a look.
Posted by: Martin | November 6, 2006, 11:58 pm 11:58 pm
There has historically been a pattern by U.S. Government officials to place in as negative a light as possible any foreign government who does not toe the U.S. line. Hence, all this information, or is it disinformation, about Hugo Chavez seems contrived. We all need to take a step back and analyze all available information so we can make informed judgments.
Posted by: Thomas | November 7, 2006, 3:23 pm 3:23 pm
Thomas:
it doesn’t matter what (according to you) the US Government says about a Venezuelan Government that doesn’t toe the line.
THe important thing is the rights of the Venezuelan workers not to be forced to do political work for anyone. Wouldn’t you agree with that? Opposition to the US government doesn’t require any particular heroism these days, or ever. Opposing the US doesn’t give Chavez a right to oppress Venezuelan workers.
Cristobal
Posted by: Cristobal | November 7, 2006, 10:16 pm 10:16 pm
Thomas should consider how he would feel if his job directly depended on actively supporting President Bush, and that if his bosses didn’t see him actually campaigning enthusiastically for Bush, he would be fired. I think it was Thomas Jefferson who once said something like, “Compelling a man to make contributions of money to support causes he disbelieves and abhors is tyranny and morally repugnant.” Compelled contributions of labor are little different. THAT’s the issue here.
Posted by: Robert | November 8, 2006, 12:39 pm 12:39 pm
Cristobal and Robert,
Thank you for your insight, but you have already accepted, as factual, the negative portrayal of Mr. Chavez’ government. Is it not possible this is disinformation? Unless, the two of you have personally witnessed this…And, I totally disagree: it takes quite a bit of courage to go against the only super power, one which has treated your entire region as “it’s backyard”.
Posted by: Thomas | November 8, 2006, 3:44 pm 3:44 pm
What Thomas seems to be saying is that ABC News is now an arm of the Bush Administration. I doubt that more than three other Chavez lovers in the world would agree with that absurd premise. Simply put, the Hate America Firsters like Thomas refuse to recognize that terrorists and tyrants are bad — so long as they “go against the only super power”. We enjoy more freedom here than anywhere else in the world — but a little free heating oil and attackes on the USA make Chavez a hero to Thomas and the other folks who don’t like their country.
Posted by: Mike | November 8, 2006, 6:17 pm 6:17 pm
How can anyone support socialism.That is like living with your “mommy and daddy” for your entire life.Grow up and move out of your parents house and get a real job!
Posted by: drumpusher | November 8, 2006, 8:22 pm 8:22 pm
Anyone who uses intimidation or pressure to infringe on the rights of others is wrong, in this case as much as any other. The problem is that information coming out of Venezuela is often shaped or selected to promote an agenda, in this case anti-Chavez. A few years ago I took a closer look at the stories constantly coming out of Venezuela, and found they were very one-sided. The Venezuelan media, business interests, and the middle and upper classes in general overwhelmingly back the political opposition. They claim Chavez is undemocratic, but he won two internationally-supervised elections, and even his enemies admit he has a large base of genuine public support among the “common people”. Meanwhile the opposition showed its own lack of democratic credentials when it cooperated with military officers and tried to take power through the short-lived coup.
I recall the oil company was the focus of a major struggle – with opposition supporters going on strike and shutting down production to bring down Chavez. They failed and I guess there were a lot of repercussions, which could be responsible for the news above. I don’t have enough knowledge of events in Venezuela to take a stand, and I’m open-minded to criticism of the Chavez government, but I don’t want to be manipulated by one-sided news and propaganda
Posted by: Jed Weber | November 9, 2006, 12:15 am 12:15 am
You have every right to your opinion. So do Venezuelans. Including the millions who voted for Chavez twice.
Posted by: Jed Weber | November 9, 2006, 12:18 am 12:18 am
To Mike,
Why is it that people of your apparent ilk ALWAYS resort to denigrating anyone who disagrees with our government as being haters of America? If you have a family and you critque something a particular family member does, do you hate that family member or are you only attempting to provide direction or make an objection?
Several years ago a study found that 80% of ALL news information comes from conservative entities, so while I do not believe ABC News – along with the so-called “liberal” media are necessarily arms of the government, there does seem to be TOO much “embedding” as we witnessed with journalists who “reported” from Iraq.
What, in God’s name is terrorism? Would you be more afraid of someone who packs some dynamite around their body or an F-16 Jet? Many people are terrorized and for different reasons and to different levels. Yes, even the good guys have terrorized, believe it or not.
We used to enjoy freedoms but if any more people like Mike continue to be silent and allow government powers to infringe any further upon our freedoms, we will all like Mr. Chavez and be envious of their freedoms.
Posted by: Thomas | November 9, 2006, 11:37 am 11:37 am
in the 70″s a president was impeached for less than what this administration has done..i don”t see the u.s.residents calling for it..dennis
Posted by: dennis | November 9, 2006, 3:06 pm 3:06 pm