The control exercised by fear is inconceivable in a society in which what is not expressly allowed is a crime
14ymedio, Pedro Corzo, Miami, 15 September 2024 — During my almost twelve years of residence in Venezuela, I had opportunities that I never enjoyed in my longed-for Cuba. There were problems, some very serious, but the framework of rights and freedoms that we all enjoyed generated spaces for rectification.
What I liked the most was freedom of the press and open discussions in a framework of cordiality and respect. Coming from the absolute social control existing in my country to an environment of tolerance without fanaticism was an invaluable change
There was no censorship, let alone self-censorship. Each scribe said what he had in mind, including those who warned of a disastrous future and were considered prophets of doom.
With the passage of time, I learned how politely inclusive Venezuelan society was. I met old guerrillas, people who had been allied with Fidel Castro to destroy national democracy, and, when they realized what that guy would bring to their country, broke with the tyrant.
Each scribe said what he thought, including those who warned of a disastrous future and were considered prophets of doom
Most were eminent leaders, such as Américo Martin and Teodoro Petkoff, among others, who did not take long to denounce and oppose Hugo Chávez’s proposal to castrate Venezuela.
There were sympathizers and allies of Castroism in the news media and many organizations. However, my journalistic collaborations were never censored, although I cannot say the same for other entities, such as the Ateneo de Caracas, where Dr. Silvia Meso was told that a documentary critical of Fidel and the Revolution would never be screened there.
There were newspapers and television stations that did not like to spread the news that the exiled Cuban community was proclaiming, and personalities who canonized Fidel Castro in life.
There were Castro supporters even in the Armed Forces, as indicated in the WLRN Opinions program by retired general Carlos Peñaloza. Hugo Chávez, said the high-ranking officer, was protected by other superior soldiers; consequently, there were few moles.
Unfortunately for Venezuelans and the hemisphere, those who warned about the fifth column of the enemies of democracy were not wrong.
Hugo Chávez, said the high-ranking officer, was protected by other superior military personnel; consequently, there were few moles
Venezuela’s present is much more chaotic than predicted, and I warn that it can be even more serious if the president-elect, Edmundo González, a refugee in Spain, does not assume the position for which he was elected by the majority of the people.
Nicolas Maduro, Diosdado Cabello and the rest of the Janissaries* will be forced to change all the government and state paraphernalia, imposing “real socialism” – the Cuban kind – as the only method that will relatively guarantee them the preservation of power.
There are few countries that have suffered a totalitarian regime with the type of real socialism established by the Soviets from 1917, even fewer than those crushed by the Castro variant, one of the cruelest that can be considered, similar to North Korea or the Albania of Enver Hoxha, another bloodthirsty tyrant who ruled his country for 41 years, almost as long as Fidel Castro at 49 years.
Totalitarianism extinguishes the most elementary notion of justice and proscribes the enjoyment of freedoms, in such a way that the most complacent and ignorant subject realizes that everything has changed after it establishes itself. I emphasize this because many citizens do not understand, until they lose them, the invaluable greatness of the insignificant spaces they enjoy – the “little things,” as Joan Manuel Serrat would say.
Totalitarianism extinguishes the most elementary notion of justice and proscribes the enjoyment of freedoms
Sectarianism and intolerance will lead society to a state of perpetual tension. Civil society organizations, including trade unions, professional groups and other associations will become part of the gigantic transmission belt that will move the new state.
Economic activity depends on political interests. The owners will become the proletariat. Repression will be a part of the new state. The control exercised by fear is inconceivable in a society in which what is not expressly allowed is a crime.
Political parties will be declared illegal; there will be no elections, but there will be votes. Education will become a weapon of intimidation and control when private and religious schools disappear, assuming the characteristics of a State theocracy, since its leaders are now the new gods.
*Translator’s note: The Janissaries were the troops who protected the Sultan in Ottoman Turkey. The term also means “devoted allies and followers.”
Translated by Regina Anavy
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