Tyrants seek to idiotize people, immerse them in ignorance, make them submissive to dogmatic propaganda and the cult of those who believe themselves to be demigods, illiterate but daring.
Alvin Toffler pointed it out with crystal clarity: “The illiterates of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.” In this process of permanent learning we have to know how to interpret the signs of the times, and in that sense, we can have no doubt that the Venezuelan people are incessantly searching for new democratic options and a leadership that embodies them. Until now, including Chavismo, the people have been nothing more than the expression of votes that increase or decrease in importance depending on the magnitude of the trap and the cost of buying consciences in a typical traffic of misery.
For the new democratic option, people must be like what we are, human beings with needs that aspire to be satisfied and hopes that must be fulfilled, materializing in achieving a better quality of life. The task is not easy but it is the demands of new and better times. Something is dying and something is being born in the country. They say that this is what births in history are like, painful and long, but until we know what we want, we don’t know what we need.
The current regime, thanks to Chávez and Maduro, in their militarist and totalitarian conception, have managed to advance in the achievement of their hegemonic and brutalizing objectives for four fundamental reasons: 1) They have confronted civil society with military strategies and tactics for which our society was unprepared after forty years of civilian-led democratic life. 2) The political leadership did not notice this situation clearly and in a timely manner and has wanted to confront it with traditional actions as if they were facing governments led by civilians with a democratic mentality. 3) Personal and group political ambitions have grown while political parties have shrunk due to their internal democratic errors. 4) the years of democratic life seem to have numbed the minds of the leadership and political leadership who seem to be waking up from their long, confused and lazy sleep.
Experience tells us that even great armies have been defeated by small unexpected details and ours in power will not be the exception nor is it a great army. However, despite their process of debasement, from their situational room they have been skillfully managing their distraction operations to confuse, surprises and threats to deter, and communications operations to disperse and deceive.
This last element has always been present in their scenarios, however, one detail took them by surprise as it was and has been the unity of their opponents around the candidacy of María Corina Machado, which has several strengths. The first is that it has managed to bring together around it the different factors and visions that struggled to prevail and represent democratic society; Secondly, the enthusiasm that her candidacy has managed to arouse, leaving behind the frustrations and disappointments of the past, including those who were around Chávez and today reject Maduro. She still needs to convince the small groups of political businessmen and certain personalities who believe they are predestined by certain divine forces, which always appear in the country’s important electoral events, and even more so, in the presidential elections. In any case, if they persist in their attitudes they will surely end up in the cemetery of hasty politicians.
I believe that there are sufficient reasons for the hope that has been awakened in the population and in the democratic spirit that encourages political leaders to continue growing, leading them to unlearn and learn again from the mistakes of the past, distancing themselves from the illiterates that Toffler points out. . María Corina embodies that new democratic option and that new leadership demanded by the Venezuelan democratic society that wants to demonstrate that living better is possible if we do not continue promoting decadent, backward and corrupt authoritarianism.
The dawn of each new year should prompt us to commit to continuous renewal, and with devotion and great faith, think about the bright future that should keep us united to continue fighting for peace, happiness and prosperity in our homes and in our hearts.
By Neuro Villalobos*
*Director of VenAmérica
