Wednesday, December 07, 2005

The caring revolution part II The Minister of Science and Technology decided (needs password) that personnel at all of the institutions that are part of it should receive a bonus of 35% of six months salary for the following (also needs password, I can't get in) employees: administrative, ranking and "high level", the "high level" will receive an additional bonuses of 100% of six months, which applies in the case of IVIC to the Director and Vice-Director on top of the 35% already described. Additionally, the members of the Board of IVIC will receive Bs. 180,000 or roughly half a minimum monthly salary for each weekly meeting they attend.(This includews the two gusy who got the 135% too) What about the "obreros", the laborers who drive, clean, garden, do maintanance, carpentry, plumbing and the like at IVIC? Well, in the caring revolution, they get nothing, zilch, zero, no bonus as the new and encroached Bolivarian oligarchy can only think of themselves. Whatever happened to distributing the wealth in the revolution? 10:48:56 PM    comment []

The caring revolution part I So next week's meeting of the World Trade Organization in Hong Kong poses a real problem for a Government that has little faith in free trade. But no matter, the caring revolution will send at last count 106 delegates to the meeting, of which maybe three or four according to my sources actually speak English. While at the plenary sessions there will be translations, the technical sessions are in English and that is where the real work and progress is made in negotiations. Contrast this delegation with the US one, composed of no more than three dozen diplomats, experts in the subject. I must speak well of the Minister though, the original delegation topped 130, which he has been relentlessly trimming to the current level.. Thus, the caring "boliborgeois", go around the world as tourists in their role as the new oligarchs, while the poor are still where they were seven years ago. 10:36:32 PM    comment []

The Dictator in Caracas in the WSJ Wal Street Journal Editorial today: The Dictator in Caracas After last week's editorial about his oil-for-influence campaign aimed at the U.S. Congress, several readers objected to our description of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez as a "dictator." Let's hope these forgiving souls paid attention to Sunday's congressional elections in that country. Mr. Chávez's party or parties sympathetic to his Bolivarian revolution won all 167 seats in the country's unicameral congress. Every single seat. But that Saddam-like sweep was only possible because most Venezuelans decided not to participate. Even the government admits to an abstention rate of greater than 75%. While it's true the opposition boycotted, it did so knowing how the government had cheated to win the August 2004 recall referendum. The Chávez transgressions in 2004 included the use of voting machines in which software was not reviewed, refusal to allow auditing of the voting registry, not guaranteeing the secrecy of the vote, and using the list of Venezuelans who had signed the recall petition to threaten the livelihoods of government employees and contractors. Overseeing it all was a government-appointed electoral council, which did what it could to outlaw competition. The European Union was so appalled that it refused even to monitor the 2004 vote.The EU and Organization of American States did show up this weekend. But suspicions were heightened before Sunday's vote when a technician showed foreign monitors that the fingerprint tracking machines used at the polls could be used to identify how individuals voted. In a country where the government owns the means of production (mostly oil), Venezuelans fear that voting wrong could cost them their jobs. The government agreed to pull the fingerprint scanners, but the damage was done. Venezuelans went on electoral strike. Mr. Chávez demanded that government workers go to the polls, but to little avail. Venezuelans seem to think they live in a dictatorship. The only issue is whether the rest of the world, especially the OAS, will have the nerve to admit it. 7:41:06 PM    comment []

Bloggers tonight on Open Source So tonight at 7 PM EST (I think) you will get to hear me and Daniel Duquenal follow the Venezuelan Ambassador to the US and Prof. Daniel Hellinger discuss Venezuelan politics. Not many of you will see this or be able to tune in, but I thought I would keep you posted. I undersatnd you can listen to it here. 7:35:49 PM    comment []

Devil and vcrisis nominated to 2005 Weblog Awards In the next couple of days I will figure out how to put the ad in this page, but this blog together with vcrisis has been nominated for the 2005 Weblog Awards in the Best Latino, Caribbean, or South American Blog category. Daniel won last year, he will not be eligible this year, making life easier for Alek and me this time around. Thanks to whoever nominated us and hopefully you will feel it is worthwhile to go and and vote in this particular election, where there is no CNE involvement :-) 2:41:30 AM    comment []

Observers blast electoral process, cite numerous illegalities It is quite hard to win an argument with the Chavistas. After the recall vote they would always resort to the argument that the international observers had given their approval to the process and thus all charges of cheating and treachery were simply sour grapes on the part of the opposition. This time around, not only was it discovered that the voting machines did something they were not supposed to do, raising questions about the secrecy of the votes in the recall vote, but both the OAS and the EU, question even the legality of the process and the reaction is typical: While the Head of the National Assembly called the observers drunks, the President of the CNE graciously called them liars, while the Foreign Minister questioned why the bombs the day before the election were not mentioned in the reports, forgetting that every single bomb in the last seven years has been blamed on the opposition, but not one case has been proven, despite the fact that most of the explosives found are typically military and as far as we know the opposition is as far removed form the military as anyone can be. In fact, the Head of the Electoral Board continued acting in the same partial way that the observers accused him of today, as Mr. Rodriguez saw his job in possible jeopardy by the recommendation of both observer groups, saying he would not twist his arm, not understanding that he was suppsoed to be fair and balanced to both sides and not the one sided bias he always exhibited. In fact the EU suggest the new CNE should have “professionals of prestige and independence, that may enjoy the trust of all sectors”, a dramatically strong critique of Mr. Rodríguez and his cohorts. I would leave some details of the statements and comments by the EU and OAS to others here and here, so as not to extend myself too much, but one thing is clear: The usual diplomatic observers noted quite a number of irregularities and illegalities in the process, questioning its validity even if they later used the word transparency and tried to praise the CNE in its accommodations to the opposition complaints. The fact is, that each and every one of the “concessions” of the CNE were requested by the opposition from the beginning, via the technical recommendations of Sumate. But even in the end, and as ratified by the observers, for example, the agreements and the law that says that polling stations close at 4 PM if no voters were present were violated in flagrant fashion by the CNE. And this was only one of many illegalities committed in the process that in any country with the rule of law would imply that the Courts would force the Electoral Board to repeat the elections under better conditions. The EU observers noted, among many different things the following: -Wide sectors of Venezuelan society simply do not trust the CNE -The legal framework is inconsistent and even contradictory -The Government created a mechanism of fear in the Maisanta database -The Government used public transportation to mobilize voters -Government officials campaigned in violation of the law -The possibility of compromising the secrecy of the vote was found, the EU thins its remote, but it used to be impossible two weeks ago. -It questioned the legality of the Electoral Board and the contradictions in naming it -It questions the violation the spirit of the Constitution with the use of the morochas or twins. -It accuses media on both sides of being partisan, but it acknowledges that state media does not give access to all citizens, while private media gave more access to pro-Government views! -Voter assistance questions the secrecy of the vote during the voting process -There was illegal campaign by Government forces near voting centers -Some people were coerced into signing and stamping their fingerprint as “proof” that they had voted and for whom. -Voting hours were extended illegally! -The Electoral Registry should be independently audited (Another forgotten promise) The OAS is equally drastic, while shorter, as detailed by Daniel and PMBcomments. What is clear to me is that both groups of observers without explicitly saying it were questioning the legality of the vote that took place on Sunday, from illegal abuse of power, to extended hours, to a questionable CNE board; the observers basically said this process doe not fit the expected standards for an electoral process. So far Chavez, has not attacked the observers, but even if he questioned abstention, he seemed to gloating once again about his damaged popularity and once again promised the failed mirage of his 10 million voters. If he fails to note what happened on Sunday, he may not even get 10% of that. The opposition did not score a victory at the illegal elections on Sunday, but Chavismo certainly suffered a defeat and the reports by the observers underscore that this happened despite the numerous violations of the law by the Government and the use of massive state resources. 1:40:19 AM    comment []