[News] Venezuela: Well people are finally speaking up

[News at freedomarchives.org]

Well, well, well 
 people are finally speaking up, more and more and more...

<http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=23255>http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=23255

VHeadline.com commentarist Oscar Heck writes: One of my friends from the 
barrios in Caracas was operated a few weeks ago at a public hospital. 
During her short stay at the hospital, she received many visitors ... 
mostly family members. She likes Chavez ... but she would not necessarily 
be considered a chavista (pro-Chavez person).

One of her visitors was another lady I know from another barrio. This lady 
had told me over and over that she does not trust Chavez ... or any other 
politician.

However, after her visit to the hospital, she said something very 
interesting ... something I would have never expected her to say ... 
because she does not like Chavez (she says he talks too much). “People at 
the hospital were telling us that Pena, the anti-Chavez Caracas mayor, is 
stealing the money that is supposed to get to the hospitals. What he does 
is that he takes the money that is supposed to go directly to the 
hospitals, withholds it, puts it into a bank account, makes huge amounts of 
interest on it and then later, liberates the original funds, which get 
partially taken by his friends. Pena pockets the interest.”

This scam was described by someone who dislikes Chavez and who, until a few 
weeks ago, talked against him. For the last 5 years, Chavez has been 
talking (and talking and talking) against such scams ... and she had 
refused to listen to him. Today she believes it because she heard it 
directly from the hospital people who have almost-first-hand knowledge of 
such scams ... and it sounds like she is also starting to believe Chavez.
    * She used to say that Chavez talked too much about things that should 
be left alone and that he talked too much about “traditional” scams such as 
the one that Pena is apparently involved in.

What is it that has brought about such a change-in-heart in my lady friend?

Is it the fact that my friend who got operated had to buy her own bandages 
and bring her own blanket to the hospital? (All hospital material are 
supposed to be free!)

Who is taking the money?

Why are the hospitals lacking in materials?

Where are the materials?

(Remember that, in general, it is only the 80% poorer majority that uses 
public hospitals!)

I don’t personally know Pena, but from what I heard coming out of his 
dragon-mouth during the 2002-03 sabotage of the Venezuelan economy, he is 
no saint. I am quite certain that he is doing what my friends were told 
that he is doing ... and I am convinced that he is doing it ruthlessly and 
heartlessly ... like Enrique Mendoza, Carlos Ortega, Carlos Fernandez, Juan 
Fernandez, Albis Munoz, Pedro Carmona, Maria Corina Machado ... and many 
more anti-Chavez (anti-Venezuela) criminals. Quienes son los mas vivos?

The time will come to bring these people to court for questioning. Many of 
them have already left Venezuela, mostly to Miami, for fear of being 
prosecuted.

Did they also take the money with them?

Hummm ... I wonder.

The time will come ... correction, the time has begun...

Machado faces the Venezuelan courts on November 2, 2004 ... in my view, she 
may be acquitted because it is apparently still common practice for wealthy 
Venezuelans to pay-off judges (or do them favors). Oh ... and just a little 
note about this Machado character. She had the gall a few days ago (while 
in the USA) to state that she never disagreed with the referendum results 
... which is a complete lie (but yet probably believed by Washington ... 
for the sake of convenience ... especially since it is Washington which 
financially partially-backed Machado in her anti-Chavez, anti-democratic 
campaign).

She also has the audacity (or the *****) to state that she was not involved 
in the coup against Chavez in April 2002. Apparently, there is film footage 
of her being there and of her signing the dictatorial decree dissolving the 
Chavez government, the democratically-elected National Assembly, the reform 
laws, and more.

I wonder if she will show up to court? Or will the hearing be deferred ... 
so as to give her enough time to escape?

Or will she suddenly disappear like Pedro Carmona, Carlos Fernandez, Carlos 
Ortega and some of the military personnel who were involved in the coup?

Few, if any of the people that were involved in the April 2002 coup have 
been taken to court even for questioning.

Whatever happens to her, or wherever she goes .. one good thing is 
happening. All the talk coming from Chavez for the last 5 years is being 
taken more seriously ... by people such as Machado .. and by people like my 
friends who went to the hospital in Caracas.

As it stands today, 3 out of every 5 Venezuelans voted for Chavez in the 
recent referendum.

If more people like my friends begin to listen to Chavez and begin to 
realize that what Chavez is saying is usually true and real, will they vote 
for Chavez in the next elections?

Probably ... if they keep on witnessing and experiencing the corruption in 
the hospitals (the corruption which President Chavez has always spoken 
against) ... will they also start to speak up instead of keeping quiet?

Perhaps. This means that in the next elections, Chavez will win again ... 
especially if the clampdown (by the courts) on corruption accelerates.

Many anti-Chavez people will have to choose between permanent vacations 
abroad or potentially short-term vacations in Venezuelan jails ... yes ... 
Venezuelan jails where “whiter” Venezuelans from the 20% never have had the 
opportunity to lodge.

Of course, this will only really begin to happen if the chronically 
disheveled and turtle-paced Venezuelan justice system decides to get their 
act together ... something that Chavez has also been talking against for 
the last 5 years (talk about patience!).

My prediction is that more and more anti-Chavez-movement leaders will begin 
to leave Venezuela in the next several months. There are apparently about 
400 people on a list of people that need to be taken to court for their 
involvement in the April 2002 coup.

Furthermore, I am quite sure that government investigators are preparing a 
much longer list of all the people who are involved in scams like Pena’s 
scam ... and there are plenty of these people ... regardless of political 
affiliation!

All this to say that Venezuela is heading in a positive direction.

Poor people (the ones who use public hospitals) should not go without 
hospital materials while wealthy Venezuelans such as Pena fill their 
pockets with more and more and more and more and more and more...

Oscar Heck
<mailto:oscar at vheadline.com>oscar at vheadline.com

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