Chacao Mayor, Leopoldo Lopez has rejected the Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ) ruling on the inhabitation ban, which prevents him from running for the Caracas Metropolitan Mayor's Office in November. Speaking to a meeting of students, Lopez has slammed the ruling as "cowardly," stating that the magistrates are afraid of the people. The desperate political leader, who has spearheaded protests against the ban, complains that President Chavez is "using public institutions to prevent people from taking power." Primero Justicia (PJ) national coordinator, Julio Borges says he wants to see people putting pressure on the government against the 26 laws approved through the Enabling Law process. The leader accuses President Chavez of seeking his personal interests rather than improving the quality of life of Venezuelans. Like other opposition leaders, Borges accuses the President of re-introducing topics which were rejected by voters in the December constitutional reform referendum. What Chavez wants, Borges quips, is drip by drip Socialism, which is basically seeking more power over the Venezuelan people. Among the laws that Borges wants to see removed are: the defense of persons to access assets and services law, which, he insists, attacks private property and the public administration law article 70, which allows the President to appoint regional authorities over and above State Governors.
Education Minister, Hector Navarro has confirmed that enrolment fees for the new school year cannot pass the 15% benchmark set by government. Speaking during a visit to Zulia State, Minister Navarro says the Ministry has received 1,500 complaints about increases in enrolment fees. The State, Navarro maintains, is ready to dialogue with private schools to avoid slapping fines on them. Navarro has blamed Zulia State government for the fact that regional professors and teachers are still owed two months of salary and holiday bonus.
According to a report from the National Association of Alternative and Free Community Media, Yukpas Indians living in the Perija Sierra came under attack, as they took over the Kusare hacienda, which was built on lands belonging to the ethnic group. Trucks full of armed supporters of the hacienda owner fired on the Indians, forcing them to withdraw. There have been several attacks on Yukpa communities in the area, the last occurring several days ago when an elder was beaten to death. 200 peasants have been assassinated throughout Venezuela since the government started its agrarian reform program several years ago.
Pro-government media report that opposition student leader, Yon Goicoechea has threatened to burn the city of Caracas, if the Venezuelan State does not retract in its decision to recognize the political inhabitations as constitutional. The student leader has criticized what he calls government indolence ... "we just feel that the city of Caracas is full of garbage, deaths and blood ... people want to solve problems via the ballot box and peacefully ... what are they looking for? That people burn the city down?"
During the closing act of the second joint high command course, President Chavez has praised the recently promulgated Armed Force law, saying it has modernized the military structure. The President says he has created military regions as a new joint military organisation and will soon start appointing commanders. The formerly named " sub-officials" or NCOs will now be called technical officials and they could reach the rank of Brigadier General. something hitherto inaccessible. The President insists that the FAN is committed to the people and not to the treacherous and unpatriotic oligarchy. The armed force must clean its mind of ideas implanted by Washington, Chavez insists, and must be "libertarian, popular anti-imperialist and committed to its people ... that is how we were born and that is how we should be forever."
Former Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone has just stopped short of calling current Mayor Boris Johnson callous, as he comments on the end of the Caracas-London deal which he engineered. With oil prices rocketing sky-high, Livingstone forecasts that the ending of agreement will make it more difficult for poorer Londoners to save money. The London part of the deal is a subsidy to lower buses fares for people living on income support. Livingstone has told El Universal that Johnson's price-cutting measure will cost London a fortune. Livingstone also criticizes the Mayor's Office for readily supplying information to Venezuelan broadsheets rather than informing Londoners about the current status of the deal. One of the criticisms leveled against the former mayor and his Transport for London (TfL) commissioner, Peter Hendy concerns the little information forthcoming about the TfL's office in Caracas and the status of London's commitment in assessing Caracas in garbage, traffic and security control.
Patrick J. O'Donoghue
patrick.vheadline@gmail.com
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Venezuela is facing the most difficult period of its history with honest reporters crippled by sectarianism on top of rampant corruption within the administration and beyond, aided and abetted by criminal forces in the US and Spanish governments which cannot accept the sovereignty of the Venezuelan people to decide over their own future.
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