Caracas Chronicles

For Friday, September 9, 2016. Translated by Javier Liendo.

The pollster Datincorp revealed this Thursday in a study, that the amount of Venezuelans who want to leave the country increases. Between August 2015 and August 2016, there’s a difference of 12%, which means that more than half of the country (57%) wants to emigrate, with a special emphasis on young adults (69%.) The impact of both current and potential diaspora mixes in with the destruction of the Rule of Law, expressed this time in the persecution of public employees and the dismissal of 126 employees of Banco Bicentenario for “disloyalty to the revolution,” a reason that isn’t established in the Framework Law of Labor, but which is pertinent to solidify apartheid as an instrument for the regime to remain in power.

Apartheid’s mirror

Nicolás went back to his staged audiences, the only scenario where he can speak about chavismo as the country’s future. “The people defeated you in the street (…) you’re a failure, surrender,” he said, and although that seems like a line he could say while looking in a mirror, he was referring to the National Assembly’s Speaker, Ramos Allup. He announced an integral plan to strengthen the Local Committees of Supply and Distribution (CLAP,) remarking that he wants to boost their ranks from 14,000 members to 21,000, without explaining how or with what products he’s planning them to fill the bags, which are distributed with strict political discretion. He also announced the creation of a weekly magazine to sum up the CLAP’s achievements (it’s going to be a hit for readers) and ordered it to be printed everywhere, demanding food bags to reach homes every 15 days.

Even though he tried to explain why the opposition didn’t carry out their coup on either September 1st or this Wednesday, he failed. According to him, the previous Assembly was productive and efficient, and the new opposition majority destroyed it, claiming that the opposition won only by “the strength of our democracy,” that he granted them the chance to be lawmakers. He said that everything ends -only to assert that Parliament’s time will come soon-, but a little later, he called them to join efforts with the government to improve the country’s production, which he himself destroyed. The best phrase in the cadena was: “Things are done properly or not at all! That’s the revolution!.” Villa Rosa traumatized him so much, that his people dedicated a song to him, mocking cacerolazos.

The monster of violence

None of chavismo’s authorities issued any statements regarding this Wednesday’s events in Margarita’s airport. None. Governor Henrique Capriles said that it was unacceptable for armed gangs to surround the place to prevent his visit: “We’ve never seen a situation like this. The government is well aware that I didn’t come here for any political event (…) how does the government allow armed gangs to enter the airport’s security area?,” he asked before condemning the event and saying that the government’s feeding the monster of violence and they’ll regret it. He asked foreign ambassadors invited for the Non Aligned Countries Summit not to be a part of the show with which the government’s attempting to clear its international reputation.

The narconephews’ hearing

The 6-hour hearing for Cilia Flores’s nephews, Efraín Campo Flores and Francisco Flores de Freitas, was held yesterday in the federal court of Manhattan. The defense lawyers repeated the argument that the nephews gave some information in their confessions to save their lives, because those responsible for their arrest wore masks and their uniforms showed no clear police identification, besides their high-caliber rifles, circumstances that made them suspect that they were being kidnapped. They also claimed that the DEA’s informants were drunks, liars, unreliable, that they used and trafficked drugs and hired prostitutes.

Meanwhile, the prosecution called an Haitian police officer and a DEA special agent to challenge the defense’s allegations and presented a chronological description of the arrest and the flight to New York. Sandalio González, a DEA agent who testified in the hearing, admitted that at least one of the informants was unreliable, but he also described the Venezuelan government as protector or accomplice of drug trafficking activities, identifying the nephews as high-ranking traffickers, who claimed that they could move airplanes loaded with drugs from the presidential ramp. González said that the defendants tried to explain themselves voluntarily, that they were informed of their rights and that they even laughed with the agents in several occasions. This outrageous story goes on.

The coup

This time it was Táchira state governor, José Gregorio Vielma Mora, who claimed that Voluntad Popular has terrorist plans prepared for September 14th to 18th -he specified- to prevent the date for the 20% Signature Collection Drive to be announced. That must be why officers from the Bolivarian Intelligence Service (SEBIN) entered El Hatillo mayor’s office with rifles, an action denounced by mayor David Smolansky, only to give him a summons to go to El Helicoide today at 11:00 a.m., accusing him of violating the Constitution.

Lack of vocabulary

Delcy Rodríguez needs an update for her insults. She could’ve labeled United States vice-president Joe Biden, as arrogant, disrespectful, petulant, rude, a braggart or a fool, but she used insolent and interventionist again, remarking that his statements: “incite violent and extreme factors to carry out actions to disturb Venezuela’s peace and stability.” She got a response from Henry Ramos Allup: “Delcy tries to make us believe that the country, the people and her narco-corrupt regime are the same. Stop soiling our country and our people.”

From the PNB to the Summit

Interior minister Néstor Reverol, fulfilled the order Nicolás yelled at him and announced a restructuring committee for the National Police. They will review: “the academic area (…) the area of discipline, and we’ll also review performance protocols, legal disciplines and police operation rules,” he read. Additionally, he announced that from September 10th to 19th, carrying firearms is forbidden due to the Non Aligned Countries Summit. Sadly, malandros at the airport are oblivious to his words. But relax, according to him, they’ve confiscated 18,294 weapons in 2016 and on September 21st, international day of peace, he will unveil a monument for disarmament in Caracas and destroy 17,000 more weapons. Beautiful.