To: Isilio Arriaga
Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2007 12:55 PM
Subject: Gov. Romney on Venezuela
Dear Friend,
As you may probably know, I have been supporting Gov. Mitt Romney in his bid for the U.S presidency. As part of his National Hispanic Advisory Board, I work providing opinion and analysis on US policy towards Latin-America. Am also a Venezuelan-American deeply concerned with the recent developments in my native country.
Respecting you individual position and political point of view, I wanted to share Mitt’s commitment to freedom and democracy in Venezuela. He is the only candidate, in either party, that has expressed such direct and compelling point of view on the Chavez regime.
Sincere regards,
Isilio Arriaga
305.335.4967
isar1@bellsouth.net
Don’t let freedom die in Venezuela
Governor Mitt Romney
In recent weeks, we have seen chaos erupt yet again in the United States’ own backyard of Latin America. After years of chipping away at Venezuela’s democratic institutions, Hugo Chavez now seems poised to consolidate his dictatorship when a series of constitutional reforms are voted on in a December 2 referendum.
Among other aims, these reforms would empower authorities to detain citizens without charges, censor the media during a “state of emergency” that could be imposed wantonly by the government, end central bank autonomy and facilitate the confiscation of private property. Two other reforms would increase presidential terms to seven years and eliminate presidential term limits altogether. Following in the footsteps of his mentor Fidel Castro, Chavez would be able to serve as Venezuela’s president for life.
By pushing through these reforms, the government is essentially sending the message to foreign investors that they are persona non grata in Venezuela. This would be a troubling development as it would impede development and prosperity. More tragically, however, is that Chavez is sending the message to Venezuela’s citizens that their freedom is also no longer welcome at home. His government’s response to manifestations of freedom has made this increasingly clear.
Recently, several university students were killed by masked gunmen in Caracas. Many more have been beaten and intimidated by pro-Chavez thugs. Rather than promote a society of vigorous debate, Chavez has chosen to stand by as a wave of violence consumes the nation and threatens the lives and safety of the citizens who oppose his anti-democratic agenda.
With the price of oil hovering around $100 per barrel, it would seem that Chavez’s intoxication with power and petrodollars would make his desired outcome inevitable. And yet, those who embrace democracy in Venezuela have valiantly raised their voices to challenge him in the hopes of stopping his continued march towards misery and the destruction of a once grand nation.
In recent weeks, students and other Venezuelans have exercised their right to assemble and demonstrate against the government’s plans. Raul Baduel, a former defense minister and longtime Chavez ally, announced his opposition to the reform plan saying “it seizes away power from the people.” Even one of the authors of the 1999 Chavez-engineered Constitution has joined his voice to the chorus of citizens demanding that liberty be protected.
If Hugo Chavez were the democrat he claims to be, he would condemn the attacks on protesters, use his resources to protect their rights, and scrap the radical constitutional changes that are designed to usurp absolute power for him and his cronies. Instead, he continues to push Venezuela to the brink of despair.
Especially during this difficult period, the United States must stand with those men and women of good will who step up to secure their God-given liberty in Venezuela. The future of freedom and democracy in our Hemisphere also requires the friends of freedom in Latin America and around the world to speak clearly and forcefully to defend liberty, democracy and human rights. Venezuela’s security forces must be held accountable for crimes committed against citizens who are exercising their God-given rights and defending freedom from Chavez’s dictatorial aims.
Venezuela’s people deserve our admiration and support as they reject policies that move to consolidate power, limit dissent and revert to failed socialist policies. Socialism has already provided the world with spectacular failures like Lenin and Castro. We cannot sit idly by as December 2 approaches and Chavez seeks to join their ranks at the expense of democracy in Venezuela.
