Danger
signs in Venezuela
Newsday
Port
Spain
Petroleumworldtt.com
06 04 07
OUR
local socialists will most likely stay silent
or even try to defend him,
but Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s closure
of the privately-owned Radio Caracas Television
is an ill omen.
It
is a central paradox of populist leaders that,
while they always claim to stand for “the
people”, the first thing they do when they
get power is try to suppress freedom of speech.
Their standard argument is that the free press
does not reflect the voice of “the people”,
but of entrenched interests. Even when that is
true, however, it is the State under such leaders
which always becomes the most entrenched interest,
usually to the detriment of ordinary citizens and
the country as a whole.
Last week, Radio Caracas Television was forced
to close after Mr Chavez refused to renew its licence.
His ostensible reason was that the TV station was
trying to undermine him. But Mr Chavez did not
say how the station was doing this. Was it through
negative commentary and skewed news reporting?
Or was it through actual plotting with, say, military
forces opposed to the Chavez regime?
If it was the former, then a truly democratic
leader would have grinned and borne it. If it was
the latter, then the Venezuelan government would
have had legal avenues to take action, which would
not have included closing down the station and
replacing it with a government-run entity. But
it is a fundamental tenet of totalitarian systems
stifling criticism is crucial to getting support.
What
complicates the situation is that Mr Chavez is
not entirely wrong about his country’s
media. The Venezuelan media is extremely partisan,
being either staunch supporters or dogged critics
of the Chavez regime. In other words, the media
in Venezuela, to a great extent, do not adhere
to the highest standards of the profession, which
requires impartiality, objectivity, and accuracy.
Indeed, it may even be fair to say that the deficiencies
of the media reflect the deficiencies of wider
society of Venezuela.
It
is those deficiencies which have thrown up Hugo
Chavez, who despite his early promise has
turned out to be cast in the mould of all standard
dictators. So, earlier this year, Mr Chavez had
Venezuela’s National Assembly pass a law
which allows him to enact laws by decree till the
middle of 2008 – at which time he will no
doubt renew the law. Amongst his immediate goals
is the nationalisation of the country’s telecommunications
and oil and gas sectors. He also wants to enact
political, social, security, and economic changes
by decree. In other words, Chavez is laying the
foundation for setting up a standard South American
dictatorship.
The
closure of the TV station is just one step in
this programme. And we in Trinidad and Tobago
must be concerned about what happens in our South
American neighbour a mere eight miles across the
sea. History tells us exactly what will happen
if Mr Chavez continues along his present path – growing
economic instability as business persons are driven
out, clampdowns on ordinary citizens as they are
deprived of their human rights, and more and more
violence as the opposition forces start looking
to a military instead of a political solution.
This has happened before with our South American
neighbour, but with the present geopolitical situation,
especially the concern of the United States over
oil and gas reserves, it is not inconceivable that
TT could become a pawn in any conflict within the
Venezuelan borders.
Newsday
Sunday, June 3 2007
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©2007 Newsday. All Rights Reserved.
