Chavez Frias says big surprise in store for clandestine conspiring opposition saboteurs
www.vheadline.com Posted: Sunday, March 16, 2003 By: Roy S. Carson
President Hugo Chavez Frias says a big surprise is in store for adversaries who are still conspiring against his government in continuing clandestine meetings despite the failure of their 2-month stoppage and last April's abortive coup d'etat. Speaking on his weekly 'Alo Presidente' broadcast, Chavez Frias said security services have reported a string of covert meetings by parties interested in destabilizing the government. "I can promise them a big surprise ... they will be neutralized!"
Chavez Frias says the right-wing opposition is now "acting out of desperation, behaving like crazy people rather than to face up to the fact that they're losers!" He says he fully expects to continue as Head of State for the full period of his mandate until January 10, 2007 ... even with a mid-term revocatory referendum which he fully expects to win by a clear margin. "There are 1,390 days left until a successive revolutionary government comes to power ... my government has already made significant advances but they are modest compared with what is still to come. We have targets set in education and public health and we are putting our shoulders to the grindstone with 1.3 billion bolivares investments in health despite the setbacks we have seen in the attempted coup d'etat and more than $4 billion the losses produced by the opposition sabotage of Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA)."
Chavez Frias says that according to year's end 2002 statistics, infant mortality has been reduced from 2.16% to 1.73% since he assumed the Presidency in 1999. Health Minister Maria Urbaneja says that even the opposition has been forced to admit the achievement although the President says "it is not time to rest on one's laurels but to attack endemic social problems with renewed efforts ... we have increased investment in the treatment of cancer by 84% and in education we have invested an average of 4.053 billion bolivares per year over the last four years, representing an increase of 215%."
Medical volunteers are to kick-start a national Special Plan for Health for Everyone organized by the Armed Services Unified Command (CUFAN) and the Ministry of Health & Social Development (MSDS). CUFAN C-i-C, General Benito Verde Graterol says 10 billion bolivares have already been assigned to the project which will see medical volunteers take key positions around Venezuela. The plan also includes an accelerated clearance process for imported medicines and to boost domestic production of essential medicaments and materials for public health services.
Education Minister Aristobulo Isturiz says that for the first time, more than one million children have been able to attend regular schooling and that a further 600,000 are to be incorporated into the school system at the earliest opportunity.
Rounding up his Sunday talk show, President Chavez Frias said he sincerely regrets that opposition deputy Timoteo Zambrano attempted to drag the First Lady, Marisabel Rodriguez de Chavez into the political fray in a truly irresponsible manner when, last week, he called on the International Red Cross to investigate the alleged "disappearance" of Mrs. Chavez,, who was immediately found shopping in a Barquisimeto (Lara) shoe shop. "It is just this kind of irresponsible thing that makes fodder for the worst elements in the opposition media ... they too easily pick up malicious comments from people who have no respect for anyone."