GRUPO 400+ DE
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mail: g400mas.Venezuela@gmail.com
Caracas, 2007.09.27
Mr. José Miguel Insulza
Secretary General of the Organization of American States
Messrs. Ambassadors, Permanent Representatives of the Members States to the OAS
Washington DC
Mr. Secretary General,
On 15 August the president of Venezuela, Lieutenant Colonel Hugo Chávez,
submitted to the National Assembly a proposal to modify the National
Constitution. The objective of the proposal is clearly to eliminate
representative democracy as a political system and to concentrate all the power
of the state in the President of the Republic by establishing a totalitarian and
militaristic regime. Additionally, by establishing a militaristic political
model, the proposed constitutional change would also openly violate article 2 of
the Constitution in force, which defines Venezuela as a democratic and social
state of law and justice.
This initiative constitutes a fraud to the present Constitution, as it searches
to radically transform the fundamental principles and structures of the
Venezuelan State in order to turn it into a copy of the Cuban Marxist state.
Furthermore, the procedure chosen to ensure the approval of the proposed changes
is also in violation of the present Constitution, which requires the convening
of a Constituent Assembly for changes of such substantive nature. This was the
case, it will be recalled, when President Chavez ensured the approval of the
present constitution in 1999, benefiting as he did at that time from the
prevailing rule of law. The procedure chosen to impose these changes is
exclusive in its nature and brazenly partial, and would constitute an imposition
on a large number of Venezuelans. The Constitution possibly resulting from such
a process can only be qualified as non-democratic, and would lack all
legitimacy.
As you well know, Mr. Secretary General, the institutions designated to ensure
the free and fair development of a democratic system are no longer allowed to
freely function in Venezuela. You have yourself, Mr. Secretary General, as a
militant defender of democracy in your own country, lived through a personal
experience that should make you acutely conscious of what it means to defend
freedom in a militaristic and authoritarian regime.
Mr. Secretary General,
President Chavez has publicly declared that he is not prepared to risk the
survival of his militaristic project by convening a pluralistic Constituent
Assembly, and you are also well aware that the reform procedure is but a
short-cut designed to ensure the accelerated approval of his proposed changes by
means of a referendum next December. You are also fully cognizant of how all
state branches have become completely subservient to the head of state. It also
cannot have escaped your knowledge that the Judiciary, the electoral authority,
the Armed Forces and all state enterprises, including the national oil industry,
have been separated from their
institutional functions and subordinated to the personal authority of the
President of the Republic. It is a cause of the gravest concern that these Armed
Forces, which today constitute the main pillar of support of the regime,
ironically, play an important role as “guarantor” of the impartiality of
Venezuelan elections and referenda, while simultaneously constituting a very
important factor of intimidation upon the electorate.
The proposed “changes” to the Constitution by President Chavez also gravely
undermine the democratic and electoral basis of sovereignty and electoral
legitimacy by concentrating such sovereignty in an unelected “poder popular”,
very much as in the Constitution of Cuba (article 136 of the presidential
proposal). Political participation would only be allowed in the context of
building socialism (articles 70 and 158 of the text proposed by the president).
Private property is further redefined in an extremely restrictive fashion, and
the independence of the Central Bank is cancelled as it is directly put under
the authority of the President of the Republic. Lastly, the proposal of
re-electing the President of the Republic indefinitely acquires in these
circumstances a particularly ominous connotation.
Mr. Secretary General,
We are
fully aware that is behooves on us, Venezuelans, to prevent this militarist,
totalitarian attempt from materializing itself. Nevertheless, the governments
and peoples of the democratic countries of the world, especially those from our
own region, should also be aware of the impact and consequences that the
constitutional changes president Chavez pretends to impose will have on the
international environment.
All Venezuelans yearning for living in freedom and democracy demand that you,
the OAS and its member states not shirk your responsibilities in acting
decisively in the face of this latest and very grave violation of the
Interamerican Democratic Charta by the regime of President Chavez.
The
names of those signing the letter
follow:
|
1 |
.- |
Agena |
|
Maritza |
|
MBA Marketing & European Commerce,
www.11abril.com |
|
2 |
.- |
Aguiar |
|
Asdrúbal |
|
ex
Ministro de la Secretaría y Relaciones Interiores, ex Juez de la CIDH,
co-redactor del proyecto de Declaración Universal de la UNESCO sobre el
Derecho Humano a la Paz |
|
3 |
.- |
Aguilar |
|
Juan Gonzalo |
|
Coronel Ejercito (R) Miembro de la Comisión Organizadora de Un Nuevo
Tiempo en Aragua |
|
4 |
.- |
Ahumada L. |
|
Yoyiana |
|
Periodista y Escritora |
|
5 |
.- |
Alarcón |
|
Benigno |
|
Abogado |
|
6 |
.- |
Albujas Dorta |
|
Miguel Eduardo |
|
Profesor-investigador del Instituto de Filosofía de la UCV |
|
7 |
.- |
Alcalay |
|
Milos |
|
Embajador, en la ONU, ex Vicecanciller |
|
8 |
.- |
Alcalay Cors |
|
Mariana |
|
Internacionalista y Especialista en Derechos Humanos |
|
9 |
.- |
Alcántara |
|
Pedro Pablo |
|
ex
Diputado en la Asamblea Nacional |
|
10 |
.- |
Alegrett |
|
Silvia |
|
Periodista, Coordinadora General de Expresión Libre, Comunicadores por
la Paz y la Democracia |
|
11 |
.- |
Alfonso |
|
Rafael |
|
Miembro de la Mesa de Negociación y Acuerdos |
|
12 |
.- |
Almosny Pulido |
|
Moisés |
|
Administrador, Asegurador |
|
13 |
.- |
Alonso |
|
Miguel |
|
Profesor Universitario |
|
14 |
.- |
Alvarenga |
|
Ernesto |
|
ex
Diputado a la Asamblea Nacional |
|
15 |
.- |
Alvarez |
|
Miguel |
|
. |
|
16 |
.- |
Alvarez |
|
Tulio |
|
Abogado, Presidente de Federación Verdad Venezuela |
|
17 |
.- |
Alvarez |
|
Freddy |
|
Embajador, ex Viceministro de Energía y Minas |
|
18 |
.- |
Alvarez Paz |
|
Oswaldo |
|
ex
Gobernador del Estado Zulia, ex Presidente Cámara Diputados Congreso
Nacional |
|
19 |
.- |
Alzuru |
|
Maria Luisa |
|
. |
|
20 |
.- |
Anasagasti |
|
Iñaki |
|
Senador en las Cortes Generales del Reino de España por el Partido
Nacionalista Vasco
|
|
21 |
.- |
Andrade |
|
Patricia |
|
Venezuela Awareness Foundation |
|
22 |
.- |
Anez T. |
|
Rafael A. |
|
Consultor Gerencial |
|
23 |
.- |
Angeli |
|
Sonia de |
|
Arquitecta |
|
24 |
.- |
Armas |
|
Aixa |
|
. |
|
25 |
.- |
Arreaza Urdaneta |
|
Liliana Margarita |
|
Abogado. Dirección General de Desarrollo Social, Gobernación del Estado
Zulia. |
|
26 |
.- |
Arria |
|
Humberto |
|
. |
|
27 |
.- |
Arria |
|
Diego |
|
Académico Visitante de Columbia University, Embajador, en la ONU,
ex Gobernador de Caracas |
|
28 |
.- |
Arria |
|
Magdalena |
|
Galerista de Arte |
|
29 |
.- |
Arrieta Cuevas |
|
Raúl |
|
Profesor Coordinador del Post-Grado de Derecho Internacional Económico y
de la Integración Facultad de Ciencias Jurídicas y Políticas de la UCV
|
|
30 |
.- |
Atencio Atencio |
|
Alvaro |
|
Abogado, Empresario |
|
31 |
.- |
Attianese |
|
Maria Inés |
|
Médico |
|
32 |
.- |
Avendaño |
|
Astrid |
|
Historiadora |
|
33 |
.- |
Azparren Giménez |
|
Leonardo |
|
Profesor de la UCV |
|
34 |
.- |
Azpurua de Pulido |
|
Carmen |
|
. |
|
35 |
.- |
Baratta |
|
Carla |
|
Químico, Italia |
|
36 |
.- |
Barrios O. |
|
Adriana M. |
|
Internacionalista |
|
37 |
.- |
Bastardo Hahm |
|
Yajaira |
|
Farmacéutico |
|
38 |
.- |
Bastardo Hahm |
|
Carlos |
|
Sociólogo, Ecuador |
|
39 |
.- |
Becker |
|
Yvonne |
|
Gente del Petróleo |
|
40 |
.- |
Becker Becker |
|
Erik |
|
ex
Embajador en Alemania y Bulgaria, ex Concejal y Vicepresidente del
Ayuntamiento del Distrito Sucre, Caracas, Presidente de la Federación de
Psicólogos de Venezuela |
|
41 |
.- |
Beech |
|
Alexandra |
|
Escritora, Dramaturga, Blog Alex Beech |
|
42 |
.- |
Belandia Ruiz Pineda |
|
Alexandra |
|
Movimiento CAMBIO, Lic. en Comunicación del Discurso |
|
43 |
.- |
Bello |
|
Ricardo |
|
Director de Fedeagro en el Estado Carabobo, columnista de El Nacional y
Notitarde |
|
44 |
.- |
Benshimol |
|
Levy |
|
Presidente del Colegio de Periodistas |
|
45 |
.- |
Beretta de Villarroel |
|
Delia |
|
ex
Presidenta del Colegio de Profesores de Venezuela |
|
46 |
.- |
Bertorelli |
|
Josefina |
|
. |
|
47 |
.- |
Bertorelli |
|
Mario |
|
. |
|
48 |
.- |
Bessone |
|
Bárbara |
|
Decoradora, Red Venezuela-Italia |
|
49 |
.- |
Blanco |
|
Carlos |
|
ex
Ministro Para la Reforma del Estado, Profesor de Harvard University |
|
50 |
.- |
Blanco Rincón |
|
Mercedes |
|
Consultora en Comunicación, París, Francia |
|
51 |
.- |
Bocaranda Sardi |
|
Nelson |
|
Periodista, Diario El Universal, Venevisión, Unión Radio |
|
52 |
.- |
Boccheciampe Crovati |
|
Elsa |
|
Embajador en las Republicas de Haití, El Salvador y Paraguay |
|
53 |
.- |
Boersner |
|
Demetrio |
|
Profesor Titular de Historia Diplomática UCV y UCAB, ex Embajador de
Venezuela en Bucarest, Estocolmo y Viena, ex Director General de
Política Internacional del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores,
Periodista de Opinión, Autor de Libros
|
|
54 |
.- |
Boord |
|
Leonard |
|
Empresario |
|
55 |