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Senator Kerry, You Are Wrong on Venezuela

U.S. Senator John Kerry's statement on Venezuela is not only highly misplaced, but also demonstrates how truly uninformed he is about the situation in Venezuela

March 22, 2004

Senator John Kerry
John Kerry for President, Inc.
901 15th Street, NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20005
202-712-3001 (fax)
[email protected]

RE: Your Recent Statement on Venezuela

Dear Senator Kerry:

As a registered democrat who supports major changes to current U.S. governance, I must express my utmost disappointment and disillusionment with your March 19, 2004 Statement on Venezuela. I am a U.S. citizen of Venezuelan origin. I have voted on the democratic bill since I was first legally permitted to vote many years ago. Along with many other residents and citizens in this country, I believe the current U.S. administration has acted in ways contrary to my beliefs and perceptions of democracy and progress, and has betrayed notions of what the United States of America should truly represent and pursue in the world community.

Up until Friday’s statement, I had hope that you, as a presidential candidate, could offer the American people a true alternative and change from the brutal, insensitive and interventionist government we have had during the past four years. As a Venezuelan-American, I must tell you that your statement on Venezuela is not only highly misplaced, but also demonstrates how truly uninformed you are about the situation in Venezuela. It also leads me to believe that you have been influenced by interested parties insisting you take a stand on this issue in their favor.

You declare that international pressure should bear on President Chávez to allow the referendum to proceed, which clearly demonstrates your ignorance of the referendum process in Venezuela. As per the Venezuelan Constitution, certain procedures must first be completed before a recall referendum can be held on President Chávez’s mandate, and those clamoring for the referendum have yet to fulfill the necessary requirements that would permit such a vote to take place. It may be easy for you to make a statement on an issue you do not fully understand or care about, merely to acquire approval from a targeted voting pool, yet I would warn you to not make such whimsical declarations without first examining the entire situation.

You, as others in the current administration and Congress, may feel as though President Chávez is somehow interfering in the referendum process. But, Mr. Kerry, I suggest you seek out other news and information sources than those currently serving you, because a more accurate report of the events in Venezuela would demonstrate to you that President Chávez has taken no steps whatsoever to impede a recall referendum. Venezuela’s Electoral Council and Supreme Court are currently determining whether hundreds of thousands of potentially fraudulent signatures are subject to further review and certification. Determining whether substantial numbers of signatures on a very important petition is an issue, which I hope, you would consider worthy of scrutiny and absolute certainty. Or would you permit such a situation to occur in your own election and just let potentially fraudulent votes against you be counted without any further verification or review?

In Venezuela, it is not President Chávez, but rather the Venezuelan people who voted for him in 1998 and 1999 and still strongly support him today, who have demanded the petitions be free from fraud and corruption and have insisted the appropriate overseeing bodies ensure a fair, true and honest electoral process.

You also mention in your March 19th Statement that President Chávez has “repeatedly undermined democratic institutions using extra-legal means, including politically motivated incarcerations, to consolidate power”. Honestly, Mr. Kerry, are you speaking of the same President Chávez who has been democratically governing Venezuela since 1998, has implemented one of the most progressive constitutions in the world in the area of human rights, has developed successful social programs that are benefiting millions of Venezuelans in the areas of health care, education, housing and jobs, and has brought more Venezuelans into the political process than any government in the nation’s history? The same President Chávez who survived a coup d’etat in April 2002 by an opposition movement that violently ousted him from his democratically elected post and then proceeded to dissolve all of Venezuela’s most treasured institutions, such as the Supreme Court, the National Assembly, the Constitution, the Public Defender and the Attorney General?

Prior to President Chávez’s administration, there were hosts of political prisoners in Venezuela. Yet since Chávez has been in office, there have been no political prisoners. This is a fact documented by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, and even the U.S. State Department’s Country Report on Venezuela. And more power is in the hands of the Venezuelan people than ever before. Finally, under Chávez’s governance, more Venezuelans actually have a say in their government and feel a part of their country’s progress, development and political process.

I would also ask you, Mr. Kerry, to verify just what exactly you mean by “Chávez’s policies have been detrimental to our interests…” Such a statement is not supported by fact. Under Chávez, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has been revitalized and the oil industry has surged in production and growth. This has benefited U.S. investors, companies and refineries substantially. Venezuela has paid off a substantial portion of its foreign debt and its own domestic industries are growing. Chávez has supported legislation in the area of indigenous rights and anti-discrimination laws, and has implemented education and social welfare policies that are far more advanced than those of the United States. If anything, Venezuela has become a world leader in socially humane governance.

As to your statements regarding President Chávez’s relationship with Fidel Castro, all I can say is: give it up. Cuba is no longer any type of threat to the United States and has much to offer in the area of science, health and education. Did you know that illiteracy was eradicated in Cuba years ago? I don’t think the U.S. could boast nearly the same. In any event, most countries in Latin America and Europe maintain a diplomatic and economic relationship with Cuba. U.S. policy on Cuba is outdated and infantile.

Mr. Kerry, I wonder what the millions of Venezuelans receiving free education and health care, who are finally permitted to participate in their political processes, and who support a government that actually works in the interests of its people, would respond to your March 19th statement. Probably the same way that I would if they could vote in the U.S. presidential elections this year: by not voting for you.

You can count on me as one less democrat who will vote for you, Mr. Kerry. Your understanding of democracy is clearly as stilted as that of Mr. Bush.

Sincerely,

Eva Golinger, Esq.
Brooklyn, NY USA

Please visit www.venezuelafoia.info and www.venezuelanalysis.com for accurate information about developments in Venezuela.


Kerry Statement on Venezuela

http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/releases/pr_2004_0319d.html

March  19,  2004

With the future of the democratic process at a critical juncture in Venezuela, we should work to bring all possible international pressure to bear on President Chavez to allow the referendum to proceed. The Administration should demonstrate its true commitment to democracy in Latin America by showing determined leadership now, while a peaceful resolution can still be achieved.

Throughout his time in office, President Chavez has repeatedly undermined democratic institutions by using extra-legal means, including politically motivated incarcerations, to consolidate power.  In fact, his close relationship with Fidel Castro has raised serious questions about his commitment to leading a truly democratic government.
Moreover, President Chavez’s policies have been detrimental to our interests and those of his neighbors.  He has compromised efforts to eradicate drug cultivation by allowing Venezuela to become a haven for narco-terrorists, and sowed instability in the region by supporting anti-government insurgents in Colombia.

The referendum has given the people of Venezuela the opportunity to express their views on his presidency through constitutionally legitimate means.  The international community cannot allow President Chavez to subvert this process, as he has attempted to do thus far.  He must be pressured to comply with the agreements he made with the OAS and the Carter Center to allow the referendum to proceed, respect the exercise of free expression, and release political prisoners.

Too often in the past, this Administration has sent mixed signals by supporting undemocratic processes in our own hemisphere — including in Venezuela, where they acquiesced to a failed coup attempt against President Chavez.  Having just allowed the democratically elected leader to be cast aside in Haiti, they should make a strong statement now by leading the effort to preserve the fragile democracy in Venezuela.