Carlos Sanchez Berzain Abogado | Estadista | Político | Politólogo
March 6, 2017
*Carlos Sanchez Berzain
(Interamerican Institute for Democracy) Objective reality checks prove the dictatorial nature of governments and the absence of democracy in; Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Nicaragua, but the democratic governments of the Americas seem to be the only ones who don`t see this situation because they continue treating dictators as their equal, ignoring their criminal actions and maintaining normal relations. If the region`s democratic leaders who are Heads of State in their respective countries continue their tolerance policy “yielding normalcy to dictatorships” they will be accomplices of the suffering, oppression, and misery of the people. The time has come to ask for explanations, ask for specific outcomes, and label as shameful the indifference, the convenience, the fear, or the complicity of American presidents in regard to dictatorships.
The violations of human rights, the political prisoners and exiles, the use of justice as an instrument for repression, the disappearance of the rule of law, the inexistence of separation and independence in the branches of government, the corruption, the fraud, the commission of crimes by the State, the trafficking of narcotics, the abuse of power and the impunity in the regimes of Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Nicaragua are so evident that the citizenry of democracies ask themselves why their presidents, ministers of foreign affairs, and ambassadors say nothing. These citizens see their governments as indifferent, complacent, accomplices, or fearful of the dictatorial regimes of the 21st Century Socialism (SSXXI).
The high degree of incongruence with regard to the principles and values of democracy with which these presidents came to power is very noticeable, but worse yet not to understand or accept that the 21st Century Socialism‘s system is a real threat to the stability of each and all of the democratic governments is by far more alarming, or perhaps this may be the key to understand the tolerance exhibited because it may be that assessing the degree of harmfulness of the dictatorial cartel the presidents of democracies in the region prefer to maintain a “friendly” and subtle subordination that without any euphemisms would make them accomplices of the dictatorships.
In the decline and irreversible crises of the SSXXI there are important events such as; the regaining of democracy in Argentina with the defeat of Kirchner, the victory of the opposition and their subsequent control of the Venezuelan National Assembly, the change of government in Brazil, the democratic continuity in Peru, the defeat of Evo Morales in the Bolivian referendum of 21 February of 2016, the report on Venezuela by Mr. Almagro the Secretary of the Organization of American States (OAS) that activated the Interamerican Democratic Charter, the uncovering of corruption at the Sao Paolo Forum with the Odebrecht scandal, the triumph over electoral fraud that is taking Ecuadorean elections to a second round, and the meeting of the President of the United States Donald Trump with the wife of political prisoner Leopoldo Lopez, thus showing the world his knowledge and interest in the matter.
These accomplishments, however, are not enough and are incomplete because the region continues divided into “two Americas” one democratic and the other dictatorial. In order to regain democracy what is needed is for the original commitments made by President Macri and President Kuczynski and the expressions of interest shown by President Trump to free political prisoners and regain democracy in Venezuela to be pursued with the backing of all the Heads of State from the region and truly implementing the Interamerican Democratic Charter and showing support for the Secretary General of the OAS with a majority of votes. We need to understand that besides those from Venezuela there are political prisoners and exiles from Ecuador and Bolivia, we need to acknowledge that their so called judges have eliminated “the real opposition” and “the freedom of the press” in those countries and in Nicaragua. Most importantly, we need to acknowledge that the basis for the permanency in power by Castro, Maduro, Correa, Morales, and Ortega is a violation of the rule of law, the replacement of their countries’ constitutions, and the institutionalized violence put into practice through “infamous laws” with “infamous sentences” and with “henchmen judges” in a Castroist system that exerts social control and threats to instill fear.
The Cuban dictatorship must not continue in Latin America’s leadership role negotiating “stability in exchange for tolerance.” Petrocaribe’s countries cannot continue with the shameful practice of giving their votes, at the OAS and the UN, to the Castroist leadership in exchange for Venezuelan oil. The region must not continue to be flooded with cocaine increasing drug consumption and the criminal dangers resulting from narcotics trafficking or the formation and sustainment of gangs or the laundering of money through narco-friendly policies that are spearheaded by the governments of Venezuela, Bolivia and the FARC with the “mediation” of Cuba and the participation of Ecuador and Nicaragua. We must not accept the argument that in order not to have a guerrilla or a social, or armed, upraising organized by Castroist operators we have to tolerate the despicable governments in Venezuela, Cuba, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Nicaragua. It is no longer possible to keep dismissing the link of the 21st Century Socialism with Islamic terrorism.
There is an urgent need to ensure fairness in the second electoral round of Ecuador’s elections and investigate the fraud committed in the first round regarding the doubtful majority of votes garnered for their National Assembly by the government’s ruling party. The names of those involved in the “lava jato” scandal who received bribe moneys in Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Nicaragua, and Cuba from any of the 15 Brazilian companies –and not only from Odebrecht- must be revealed immediately. Secrecy for the sake of investigation shrouds democratic governments with a veil of suspicion. Dictators must know; the more they insist in arbitrarily staying in power they will get that much closer to get their just punishment. These and many other are the concrete and urgent actions that democratic presidents from American countries must take; they owe it to their people, their principles and the system that legitimizes their position in power.
*Attorney & Political Scientist. Director of the Interamerican Institute for Democracy.