Two weeks ago I talked in one of my passion blogs about the recent sanctions that President Obama placed on seven Venezuelan officials accused of violating human rights, and how his actions might have caused increased tensions between the U.S., Venezuela and Cuba. As of today, these sanctions remain in place and do not seem to be going anywhere; however, President Maduro seems to be doing everything in his power to change that.
Maduro declared recently that he will take with him to the Summit of the Americas, a gathering that was rumored to also seal the reconciliation between the U.S. and Cuba, a list of ten million signatures of the Venezuelan people “condemning” the sanctions of Obama as an act of imperialism. So far, they claim to have obtained four million signatures already, and that they will definitely reach their goal before the summit on the tenth and the eleventh in Panama.
Now, you guys might think that four million signatures are actually a pretty decent ammount, and that it might show some support for the President and the government. But let me explain to you exactly how the government has been getting their signatures.
Their main tactic is to offer food in exchange for a signature. As I have mentioned before, scarcity is one of the most troubling problems that the country faces at this time, and even basic necessities and staple foods are difficult to find. In many signing booths all through the nation you can find a sign that says ” two liters of milk for a signature.” In Petares, the most populated street in all of Caracas, they are offering ” One chicken in exchange for a signature.” Needles to say, everyone gets in line to sign; politics and justice go out the window when your family is starving.
There is an even bigger reason why the population is signing this list however, and that is to not be put in the other list. In 2003 and 2004, the opposition started collecting signatures to demand the resignation of Hugo Chavez as president. Every single person who gave their signature in this campaign was put in a list, called “The Tascon List.” Every person on this list was fired from their job or expelled from their university. They were denied job opportunities and scholarships, being on the list caused a huge amount of stigma which lead to threats and harassment. With the apparition of Maduro’s list the Tascon list has come back to life as well, and in a time when the economy is worse than it has ever been, nobody can afford to lose their job.
The government continues to invest all their time, money and energy on this project. Their signature teams are scattered all over the country, going door by door in every single state to collect signatures. Prisoners are being translated to their local municipal buildings to give their signatures. (not all prisoners of course, because political prisoners do not seem to be considered as Venezuelan anymore. However, as someone who deeply admires political prisoners like Leopoldo Lopez, I have faith in the fact that they would rather die than sign that paper in the first place.) As the harassment in the streets from signature team members and the never-ending propaganda in all media continues, it seems like Maduro will likely get the ten million signatures he wants after all; however, I highly doubt that President Obama will consider taking out the sanctions. What Maduro’s plan could cause, is a polarization of the nations inside the summit.
Wilson Noah Mazile says
I have just to learn what political polarization means, I have come to realize that it unhealthy method in a democracy. Of course, people should agree with a party in most of the issues, but when it turns into a coalition, there becomes a gridlock and politics stops becoming politics. It can divide a country, and it can cause multination wars. Great post!