Arias Cardenas: opposition should be prepared to make concessions

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Tuesday, May 06, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

Continuing his lonely crusade, Lt. Colonel Francisco Arias Cardenas says the challenger should be more interested in the fight than the champion and the only opposition candidate to date is the recall referendum which has a guaranteed 70% following. 

"It's wrong for the opposition to renege on the referendum and it should be prepared to make concessions provided that the fight will not be cancelled." 

"Does the government want a second round? OK. Does it want a word included? Let us see whether it expresses the same and advance from there. Let us clear up the matter of the signatures now. If we have to go to the Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ) to see if the signatures are valid or not, let us do so." 

The Lt. Colonel thinks it would be better to set public opinion buzzing again by starting another signature campaign.

The former Zulia State Governor says that the ruler will attempt to do what every ruler has done before him, stay in power. "Here we won't be seeing the heroic generosity of Bolivar but the sad spectacle of people holding on to the booty. We should not be scandalized by electoral traps, vote-rigging, last minute enrollments ... we have seen it all before ... we should be convinced that this government is repeating past vices with greater."

The recall referendum, Arias Cardenas says, is checkmate to the revolution that never was ... the coronation of opposition moves, despite all its mistakes. "We should give the sick man what he wants, taking care that he doesn't kick the chair of constitutitional play from under us."