Posts tagged ‘Opposition’
Venezuela’s Long Fight for Freedom
Credit: NTN24
In a scene reminiscent of the slaughter at Tiananmen Square, last Tuesday, a Venezuela National Guard vehicle ran over a group of protestors who were supportive of opposition leader Juan Guaidó, after he called upon members of that nation’s military to rise up against President Nicolás Maduro. Nicholas Casey reported on the situation for The New York Times:
It was the boldest move yet by Juan Guaidó, Venezuela’s opposition leader: at sunrise, he stood flanked by soldiers at an air force base in the heart of the capital, saying rebellion was at hand …
In the streets, anti-government demonstrators clashed with forces loyal to the president amid reports of live fire, rubber bullets and tear gas. A health clinic in Caracas took in 69 people injured during the day. An armored vehicle rammed protesters, but it was not immediately clear how many people were hurt …
Since January, Mr. Guaidó has run what amounts to a parallel government, counting on support from more than 50 countries, including the United States, even as Mr. Maduro remains the country’s leader. Despite Mr. Maduro’s low popularity, however, the opposition’s momentum has been sapped as Mr. Guaidó has failed to depose the president or solve the shortages of food, medicine, water and power that plague the country’s 30 million people.
Venezuela is in trouble. And anyone who has been watching knows that Venezuela has been in trouble for a very long time.
President Trump has been a strong supporter of Mr. Guaidó’s opposition movement, decrying Mr. Maduro’s authoritarian rule. As news of the protests broke, the president tweeted:
I am monitoring the situation in Venezuela very closely. The United States stands with the People of Venezuela and their Freedom!
The freedom of the Venezuelan people is indeed critical. How to attain such a freedom, however, is complicated. When President Maduro first came to power in Venezuela in 2013, some people saw him as a national savior, following the disastrous presidency of Hugo Chávez. They were most certainly wrong. His crimes against his people are many and well-documented as he has continued his predecessor’s legacy of economic and humanitarian oppression. As is often the case, politicians who promise to save a nation often only wind up becoming authoritarian and crooked. To use the famed axiom of Lord Acton, “Power tends to corrupt.”
Ultimately, freedom cannot be given by any man, whether that man be Nicolás Maduro or Juan Guaidó, for freedom is not the property of any man. But freedom can be celebrated and protected by every man. This is why the framers of our Constitution were not so interested in enumerating the powers of our government as they were in limiting the powers of our government.
Venezuela’s struggles remain. And it will take humble people who hold power lightly – instead of dictators who wield power recklessly – to begin to truly address the country’s ills. The exercise of power must yield to the practice of compassion. Venezuelan lives depend on it.
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