A balance by Juan Guaidó

By: Pedro Corzo - 10/05/2023

Guest columnist.
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It has always been said that opposing a regime of force is particularly difficult, among other factors, due to the diversity of the members, interests and causes of those who confront the autocracy, however, Juan Guaidó and those who supported him, marked a milestone when the deputy, today, outside his country, was proclaimed, 2019, interim president of the Republic of Venezuela for his status as leader of the National Assembly in substitution of the ruler Nicolás Maduro.

A constitutional decision in a country where the opposition respects the Constitution much more than the government itself.

That was a milestone, although it was no more than a symbolic act, because there is no real power when you do not have the strength to implement decisions, however, everything seems to indicate that the followers of the proposal pinned hope on it and convinced themselves that the parallel government, by itself, would overthrow the dictatorship.

The important thing was that the interim government coexisted with despotism in the national territory itself, without locking itself in a protected sanctuary as has happened through the ages. That was a constant challenge to Maduro and his henchmen, which honored the genuine Venezuelan opposition, which has never tried to cohabit with its enemy.

The support, inside and outside the country, that this organized opposition generated, led the Castro Chavista autocrats to conclude that physically eliminating Guaidó and his supporters would have very onerous consequences for his mandate, and although the harassment and threats were never lacking. , the criminals knew how to contain themselves.

Guaidó always acted with great integrity and courage. I do not doubt that he made mistakes, but his conduct was an inspiration to many of us who have spent years opposing a totalitarian regime, which is why I particularly respect him, although more than one of his compatriots has told me that he lacked firmness to separate from the provisional government some climbers, always present where there are goods.

It is true that the results were not as desired, but his position during the humanitarian caravan that transported supplies from the Colombian to the Venezuelan border, with the support of President Iván Duque, was nothing like the actions of President Gustavo Petro who deported him from his country, determined that the former president recently said, “he sided with the dictatorship, not with the politically persecuted, with those who have violated human rights. And that is marked by his schedule: every time he has gone to Venezuela, and he has gone to Venezuela several times, he has not had a minute on the schedule to meet with, for example, indigenous people displaced by the destruction of the Amazon (...), has not had a minute on the agenda for victims of human rights",

The interim government achieved notable international recognition and until funds were transferred to it that would have ended up in the coffers of the dictatorship, an ingredient, according to some, that was disastrous for the interim government. Guaidó perhaps did little for his critics, but his actions determined that dozens of countries recognized him and even that he was able to appoint ambassadors in some of them, a situation that has few precedents, if they exist.

I remember that, along with a delegation of people committed to the fight for democracy in Cuba chaired by Orlando Gutiérrez, we were received by the ambassador appointed by Guaidó and the National Assembly, at the Caracas diplomatic headquarters in San José, Costa Rica. Several of the ambassadors appointed by the provisional government were recognized in different countries and even international organizations such as the Organization of American States accepted a representative opposed to the Castro Chavista regime.

The Venezuelan position has encrypted its expectations of change in electoral management, the most prudent, fair and appropriate, but from my perspective nothing viable due to the control exercised by the regime over the National Electoral Council, to which must be added the division of the opposition, a natural process in a formal democracy, but disastrous when fighting autocracy.

The departure of Juan Guaidó, like that of any other who would have taken his place, leaves a void in the popular imagination, which I believe is vital to attract the electorate to massively participate in the upcoming elections.

«The opinions published herein are the sole responsibility of its author».