Crapulent distribution of the relief effort in Venezuela
By Daniel Duquenal | Venezuela News and Views
17.02.05 | This posts deserves a subtitle: "How help for the victims of the Vargas 2 disaster and the floods in the Andes is distributed as long as it favors the political interests of Chavez and his minions".
Tal Cual makes a very serious accusation in its editorial today, an accusation that anyone who watches the current TV reports on the disasters that are besotting our country can make: the government, be it at the national level or at the local level, is trying to politically benefit from the relief effort. Immorally should I say, but let me translate part of the editorial. The full one in Spanish can be read here.
When in one of the reception centers in Petare people bringing packages for help are forced to accept that these packages are labeled with the logo of the MVR, before sending them to the victims (if not, "take your shit away"), we are in the presence of charity with claws [Venezuelan expression that means interested charity, that is giving hoping for some benefit which of course annuls the purpose of the charity]. When in an official institute in Merida state the dispatch of relief material is delayed several hours because we are waiting for the governor to have his photo op that we surely will see in some political campaign as street posters, we are in front of charity with claws. When the National Guard [Nazional Guard] forbids in places distribution of relief help by whomever is not dressed with a red shirt or an equally colored beret, we are in front of charity with claws. When the state TV,VTV, broadcasts several times a day an add where victims thank "President Chavez" for the received help, we are in front of charity with claws. The incidents keep accumulating in our newspaper editing office.
The cheap political benefit from solidarity, the abuse that is to confiscate the generosity of all for the benefit of a political party in office and its office holders, the impudent use of state institutions with sectarian aims of political proselytism during moments in which the recipients of help go through the enormous calamity of having lost house, possessions and lives from relatives or neighbors constitute a behavior outrightly despicable, completely immoral, that can only feel anyone with indignation. The last thing that remains is for the help to be distributed along the infamous list of assemblyman Tascon [the one that made a list of all those who signed for the recall election, a list used extensively to deny jobs, passports, when not firing the public workers who dared to have a personal opinion].
In a gloriously infamous revolution, so rich in such moments were morality, decency and plain human rights are simply ignored or attacked out of sheer pleasure from the authorities, or so it seems at times, these new incidents will occupy a rather prominent place.
There is that myth that only the political left love people. Again, reality tells us otherwise. We can see that sycophants never love people. And their inspiration probably not much either.
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