Venezuela opposition decries appointment of Cuban official
President Hugo Chávez's naming of a heavyweight Cuban official to help
fix Venezuela's electricity crisis has fired up his opponents at a
politically volatile time for the South American nation.
After days of protests last week in which two male students died,
thousands of government and opposition supporters again rallied, the
18th anniversary of a failed coup by Chávez that launched his political
career.
The controversial Venezuelan leader said this week that Cuban
vice-president Ramiro Valdés, who has been a close ally of Fidel Castro
dating back to his 1959 revolution, would head a committee to tackle
Venezuela's power shortages.
"The Cubans have had very serious electricity problems," Chávez said.
"So here with us to lead this technical commission is one of the heroes
of the Cuban revolution."
Power rationing since late 2009 has emerged as a major problem for the
OPEC member nation of nearly 29 million people, threatening its ability
to pull out of recession and weighing on Chávez's popularity ahead of a
September legislative poll.
The government blames a drought and soaring demand for electricity after
five years of growth. But the opposition says it is evidence of the
incompetence of Chávez's government, which earlier this week celebrated
11 years in power.
Chávez wore a red army beret and drove past hundreds of supporters and
soldiers on Thursday at a Caracas military base to mark another
anniversary -- 18 years since he tried to take power in a coup that
failed but ignited his political career.
'NOT A DAY OF CELEBRATION'
Across town, police blocked hundreds of students from marching to the
National Assembly where they had hoped to hand over a proposal to tackle
the energy crisis.
"We came to demonstrate and tell the national government that today is
not a day of celebration. ... There are many problems and the government
is not attending to them," student leader Roderick Navarro said.
The appointment of 77-year-old Valdés, who is also Cuba's information
and communications minister, to an electricity committee has incensed
Chávez foes. They have long decried the "Cubanization" of Venezuela,
accusing the president of ruining their country by trying to copy
Castro's communism.
"Now Cuba, which has lived through so many decades of blackouts ...
sends us one of their top experts in how to destroy a country," mocked
opposition local newspaper.
Opposition leaders complained that Valdés, who was with Fidel Castro
when he first took up arms in 1953, had more experience at censoring
information than fixing power grids.
Valdés's portfolio, however, includes supervising the Basic Industry
ministry, which covers electricity.
Already, thousands of Cubans live and work in Venezuela at the state's
invitation, many as doctors and social workers in poor neighbourhoods,
others advising the Chavez government. For Chávez die-hards, they
symbolize a spirit of cooperation and self-sacrifice that only socialist
governments can espouse.
But for the opposition, which is sensing a window of opportunity to cut
Chávez's majority in the National Assembly, the Cubans put a face on
their worst fears for Venezuela.
Chávez, who recently declared himself a Marxist, loves to taunt his
foes, wondering aloud this week if he could extend his 11-year rule to
22 years or even 33. "That would be a bit too long, what do you think?"
he said in one speech.
But opposition leaders and students have been having fun at Chávez's
expense, too, coming up with one slogan -- "Chávez, you've struck out!"
-- that has spread quickly among anti-government circles in the
baseball-loving nation.
Most analysts expect Chávez, whose popularity level is hovering around
50 percent, to keep his majority in the September election, though with
a reduced number of seats.
Buenos Aires Herald (4 February 2010)
http://www.buenosairesherald.com/BreakingNews/View/24402
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