OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT CARTER
José Toro Hardy

Mr. President,

I am writing this letter to you, because you won the highest possible prize for those who serve promoting the peace, The Nobel Prize.

Mr. President, in Venezuela we are desperately seeking peace and we are grateful for the efforts that you and the OAS General Secretary - Mr. Cesar Gaviria’s - are doing in this matter. For that reason I would like to express the anguish of many Venezuelans.

Venezuela is going trough the worst crisis of its history. This country used to be one of the most pacific of the world. We didn’t have a war in the last 100 years. We had a civil war in the middle of the 19th Century, where some displeased personalities awakened racial hates and conducted the country into a deadly confrontation where 20 % of the population deceased. Since that moment we learned to dissipate our hates and differences. Our society became open and equalitarian based on unprecedented social mobility. Our society had room for frustrations but not for hate.

Things changed. Our president has retaken the same line of hate and social confrontation than those displeased personalities from the 19th Century. That is why we need you and the international community.

In your willingness for help, you presented two ways to solve the crisis, constitutional amendment or revocatory referendum in August 19. You clearly warned us, “no tricks”.

At the National Assembly and in front of all the accredited foreign ambassadors in our country, our president announced in January that he accepted the procedure for the constitutional amendment if the opposition could collect the supporting signatures. The opposition accomplished their task. Then the Electoral section of the Supreme Court made the first “trick” and ruled against the validity of the process.

Please understand Mr. President that we are not talking about a Supreme Court like the one that you have in your country. In Venezuela, we have lost the necessary equilibrium between political powers that Montesquieu referred to. The government has overseen the separation of powers and the control mechanisms to validate them. Democracy ends when citizens stop believing in justice.

Mr. Chavez said that he will accept the revocatory if the opposition collected the signatures. The opposition made its part. The president changed his mind and he does not accept that option now. He affirms that the signatures are not valid. When he said so, he is instructing the Supreme Court to rule as he says. To reassure the obedience of the Supreme Court he is willing to increase the number of judges. Mr. Chavez’ simple majority in the Parliament will select the new Supreme Court members. You warned us, “no tricks” but Mr. Chavez is the King of Tricks. He is not going to sing any agreement at the negotiation table. He does not want the Group of friend to act as referendum guarantors because he is willing to cheat and he does not want witnesses neither guarantors. He uses territorial and nationality reasons and the country’s self-determination to elude his previous compromises. Self-determination only exists when countries are free enough to choose their destiny. By making tricks, he is taking away the country’s freedom to choose and we might be in the edge of autocracy. He, along with Castro, will like to destabilize the Latin American region. Remember, President Carter, that old political expression “the enemies of my enemies are my friends”. It is very clear that the US is Chavez enemy. We, the Venezuelan, are contacting you, the OAS and the UN to save the future of our children. We are appealing to the international community. We need your help to save the democracy and the peace, not only in Venezuela but also in the region.