Venezuela and subversive democracy
By Jesús Arboleya Cervera
Published by Progreso Weekly, 12/15/05
In the belief that they had seized power, the Venezuelan putschists in April 2002 proceeded at once to dismantle the democratic system of that country. They not only imprisoned President Hugo Chávez and persecuted his supporters but also dissolved Congress, abolished the Constitution and even reneged the Bolivarian nature of the republic. Evidently, that wasn't the kind of democracy they wanted.
Never mind that Chávez has won more elections than anyone else; the issue is not form but content. He is a "populist dictator" and the people have no right to impose a dictatorship on the oligarchy. Dictatorship is the patrimony of the oligarchy and, in the best of cases, democracy consists of packaging dictatorship in gift-wrapping paper.
Published by Progreso Weekly, 12/15/05
In the belief that they had seized power, the Venezuelan putschists in April 2002 proceeded at once to dismantle the democratic system of that country. They not only imprisoned President Hugo Chávez and persecuted his supporters but also dissolved Congress, abolished the Constitution and even reneged the Bolivarian nature of the republic. Evidently, that wasn't the kind of democracy they wanted.
Never mind that Chávez has won more elections than anyone else; the issue is not form but content. He is a "populist dictator" and the people have no right to impose a dictatorship on the oligarchy. Dictatorship is the patrimony of the oligarchy and, in the best of cases, democracy consists of packaging dictatorship in gift-wrapping paper.
posted 1:57 PM
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