Venezuelan opposition ploy to claim scarcities of basic foods and medicines
<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Sunday, May 11, 2003 By: David Coleman
President Hugo Chavez Frias has denounced a fresh attempt to destabilize his government in an opposition ploy to claim scarcities of basic foods and medicines ... he says it's complete and utter rubbish, they are trying to make out that because we have a foreign exchange control regime that it is suddenly impossible to maintain food and medical supplies. "Of course, there are difficulties, nobody is going to deny that ... but it is mostly down the fact of unscrupulous businessmen who have been hoarding massive food supplies in warehouse that are presently bursting at the seams!"
Venezuela's abortive national strike/stoppage December thru January didn't help the supply situation any, but President Chavez Frias says strong legal measures will be taken against hoarders and points to last week's successful action by the consumer protection agency INDECU to seize more than 100 tonnes of frozen chicken from a warehouse in Valencia (Carabobo). Similar illegal cases of illegally hoarded foodstuffs are being detected daily as INDECU officials comb the country, following up complaints from worried consumers.
"The opposition wants to cause as many problems as possible and to attempt to show that the government has lost control of the country," Chavez Frias says. "But they will not succeed!" He says the opposition should abandon its policy of government sabotage and concentrate on dealing with the political-economic situation by democratic means. "The government is dealing with a rash of economic problems ... all with the commonality that the problems were caused by those personalities in the opposition who have not fled the country leaving decent hard-working Venezuelans behind to face the dilemma they caused by their criminal acts."
The President was referring to Confederation of Venezuelan Trade Unions (CTV) union boss Carlos Ortega (who fled the country to political asylum in Costa Rica) and Fedecamaras business leader Carlos Fernandez, who escaped to the United States after being released from luxury house arrest on the pretext of seeking medical attention for a heart condition. Fernandez' predecessor as president of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce & Industry (Fedecamaras), Pedro Carmona Estanga had illegally assumed the Presidency of the Republic after the USA-abetted coup d'etat against democratically-elected President Hugo Chavez Frias in April 2002. Carmona Estanga had also fled the country and is now enjoying political asylum in Bogota (Colombia) where he has extensive business interests.
Chavez Frias has foiled the latest destabilization attempts by entering into a strategic alliance with neighboring Brazil which, besides a cross-border joint venture between both nations' oil companies (PDVSA and Petrobras) will ensure critical food supplies during any upcoming crisis period. Brazil's new President, Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva is due to visit Caracas in July to ink bilateral agreements already entered into last April 25 when he (Chavez) visited Brazil.