Even by the standards of Latin America’s relatively volatile politics, there seem to be few parallels in recent memory to the brutally authoritarian rule of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who has plunged a prosperous nation into complete paralysis. But Mr. Maduro seems in no mood to mend his ways, even after the controversial move in March to nullify the popularly elected Parliament drew strong rebuke from regional allies as well as the international community. Of course, few believed then that such condemnation of the Supreme Court’s aborted dissolution of the nation’s highest democratic institution would result in a rethink on Mr. Maduro’s overall approach. In a coldly calculated move, the government in April disqualified Henrique Capriles, seen to be a key contender for the 2018 presidential election, from holding public office for 15 years. The move was reminiscent of the bar on another opposition politician by former President Hugo Chávez. The current regime, unfazed by the groundswell of resistance against its dictatorial rule, has persisted in deploying the security forces to unleash violence and terrorise protesters. Any number of broken families have been witness to the horrors of routine abduction of young activists and murder of opposition leaders in the last few years. Instances are legion of Mr. Maduro’s contempt for the rule of law and the will of the people since the victory of the Opposition-dominated National Assembly in the December 2015 general elections.
In fact, a month after those polls, an economic emergency was declared, concentrating powers in the President’s office. Mr. Maduro’s policy of a ruthless clampdown touched a low when a signature campaign to exercise the citizens’ constitutionally enshrined right to recall the President was crushed. He then packed the judiciary with party loyalists, culminating in the unsavoury episode of an attempt to dismiss the legislature. A 700% rate of inflation and chronic shortages of food and medicines spotlight ruinous economic governance. But corrective measures to counteract the effects of the collapse in oil prices have been long overdue. It is ironical that the nation with the world’s largest oil reserves finds itself in deepening civil unrest, with its people struggling to get essential commodities. Amid all this turmoil, Mr. Maduro seems determined to brazen it out. Signs of further intransigence emerged when Caracas recently threatened to pull out of the Organisation of American States. The OAS, which monitors democratic and human rights standards among member-states, has been unequivocal in its criticism of Mr. Maduro’s autocratic style. Such defiance risks further global isolation and chaos at home. Venezuela needs an immediate end to its one-man rule. Only then will the nation see a semblance of normality return to the lives of its citizens.
Published - May 26, 2017 12:05 am IST
