In his reply to Maduro’s address to the National Assembly yesterday, National Assembly President Henry Ramos Allup decried the fact that the military has become a partisan institution headed by officers who are openly pro-PSUV.
Today, Minister of Defense Vladimir Padrino Lopez responded to Allup’s comment, and defended the partisan nature of the country’s military. In a series of tweets, Padrino Lopez said:
The NAF [National Armed Forces] are BOLIVARIAN because the republic is fundamentally tied to Simon Bolivar’s doctrine, our liberator.
The NAF are BOLIVARIAN because it is made up of El Libertador‘s [Simon Bolivar’s] doctrine. which it takes as inspiration for its independent and anti-imperialist nature.
Us soldiers are proud of being, of feeling and of calling ourselves BOLIVARIAN…
Article 328 of the Constitution is explicitly clear regarding the apolitical nature of the country’s military:
Article 328. The National Armed Forces are an essentially professional institution that is not partisan and is organized by the State to guarantee the independence and sovereignty of the nation, and to secure its geographic space through military defense, cooperating with the maintenance of internal order and the active participation of national development in accordance with this Constitution and the law.
For Padrino Lopez, the words “not partisan” do not mean that the army has to be “apolitical”, and argued that the army has a key role to play in the “deliberation” of state policies. Padrino Lopez also said that the idea of an apolitical army “is history”.
Citing Aristotle, Padrino Lopez argued that if man is an inherently political animal, then so are the soldiers that make up Venezuela’s army:
Are the [National Bolivarian Armed Forces] not part of society? Are we irrational? This institution has weapons, but it loves democracy and liberty.
Economy Shrinks 7.1% in Last 4 Months of 2015
The Banco Central de Venezuela (BCV) announced yesterday that the Venezuelan economy shrank by 7.1% in the last four months of 2015 alone compared to the same period in 2014, making it the worst trimester for the country’s economy in 25 years.
The BCV conceded that an increasing lack of foreign currency has made it virtually impossible for the private sector to operate successfully, and was largely to blame for the contraction.
The same report revealed that the construction industry suffered the most in the last trimester of 2015, as activity in the sector decreased by 20.2% due to “difficulties in accessing basic necessities such as cement and steel products”.
Allup Swarmed by Fans in Caracas Supermarket
National Assembly President Henry Ramos Allup has been enjoying a tremendous rise in popularity given his colourful oratory and the fiery passion with which he conducts business in the legislature.
The video below shows Allup shopping for groceries at a supermarket in El Hatillo, Caracas while admirers swarm to him to take pictures and voice their support:
As Allup smiles and stops for pictures with the shoppers, a woman off-screen can be heard speaking starting at around 0:15. She says:
Woman: This is how we have to be – happy! We should be happy. Not like Diosdado [Cabello], with his venomous face.
Allup has gained the respect of many Caracas residents, as he continues to go grocery shopping in local supermarkets without security escorts.
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