Despots never forgive those who challenge them
14ymedio, Pedro Corzo, Miami, 7 July 2024 — A paragraph from the Venezuelan national anthem exhorts citizens to follow the example of commitment to freedom that “Caracas gave,” a sign that is repeated today by the massiveness and spontaneity with which the population, from all corners of the country, supports the leader María Corina Machado in her effort to remove Nicolas Maduro and his front men from government.
I feel very proud when I see hundreds of thousands of citizens ignoring the limitations imposed on the electoral campaign by the autocracy of Maduro and Diosdado Cabello. These men and women know that they are being identified and can be victims of repression, just like those who call them to action. Despots never forgive those who challenge them.
On the other hand, it must be acknowledged with no less pride that Venezuelans have found inspiration in Maria Corina Machado. The work of the opposition is very complicated, especially when it faces despotism, which is why, establishing a leadership that represents a committed majority willing to fulfill the task at all costs is a luxury of power that very few people have been able to afford.
It is easy to see how these regimes share information and techniques of social control through the similarities in their repressive practices and legislation.
This woman’s commitment to freedom and democracy is hard to find in history, and although, as journalist Alexis Ortiz states, “María Corina will be the president of all Venezuelans by popular election at some point i