VENEZUELA: Chavez pulled the plug on a hard-hitting publicity campaign against proposed changes to property legislation

Record ID: 345407

  • Title: VENEZUELA: Chavez pulled the plug on a hard-hitting publicity campaign against proposed changes to property legislation
  • Date: 4th July 2009
  • Summary: NEWSPAPER FEATURING POSTER THAT HAS BEEN CENSURED AND READS: "The Social Property Law takes away what's yours. No to the Cuban Law.") ("La ley de propiedad social te quita lo tuyo, no a la ley Cubana") NEWSPAPER FEATURING POSTER THAT HAS BEEN CENSURED AND READS: "CEDICE Liberty. For a country of owners. Log on to youtube and inter 'country of owners.'"
  • Embargoed: 19th July 2009 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA6OT1TJXQUZPF1U13ZQA3SZSNM
  • Story Text: The government of Venezuela's left-wing President Hugo Chavez on Friday (July 3) pulled the plug on a hard-hitting publicity campaign against proposed changes to property legislation that critics dub "the Cuban law."
    Diosdado Cabello, a senior official who heads the OPEC-nation's broadcasting watchdog, ordered conservative think-tank Cedice to withdraw a series of adverts that include depictions of naked pregnant women along with the slogan "the social property law takes away what's yours."
    Venezuelan newspapers were covering the seizure order, and were featuring some of Cedice's posters, which also read, "No to the Cuban Law."
    "We are assuming full responsibility from here, the Ministry, of the publicity through Conatel. We hereby order the administrative processing and immediate seizure in all the mediums of communication the immediate form of distributing the campaign in its respective version or in any similar forms,"said Cabello, an influential Chavez confidant who also heads the sprawling public works and housing ministry.
    Venezuela's national assembly is currently discussing a bill that would introduce "social property" alongside private property. Critics claim the new rules will allow the government to easily expropriate homes and businesses.
    Cabello went on to explain the rationale of the seizure order.
    "And in this case, the minds of the Venezuelan people are being manipulated by this campaign. I repeat, when the campaign of The Center for Disclosure of Economic Knowledge for Liberty (Cedice Libertad) is brought into a full light, it's not clear where so much money comes from to pay for this campaign. Well, the leaders of Cedice are going to have to make clear to the country where the money is coming from to pay for a campaign currently being spread on radio, television as well as in newspapers everyday," the Venezuelan official said.
    A close ally of Cuba's Castro brothers, Chavez has nationalized most of Venezuela's major industries including oil, steel, power and telecoms.
    However, the former soldier denies he is opposed to private property and points out his government has given thousands of householders and small farmers deeds making them property owners.
    Cabello said television and radio stations that do not follow the order and keep broadcasting Cedice's publicity do so at there own risk.
    Cedice is Venezuelan group that promotes economic freedom and property rights and holds conferences critical of Chavez's concept of "21st century socialism."
    The Venezuelan government considers itself engaged in a "media war" against privately-owned news organizations it accuses of distorting the truth. The government now control a wide range of newspapers and television and radio stations.
    Chavez sparked widespread criticism from freedom of expression activists when he refused to renew the concession of the country's favorite television station RCTV in 2007.
    He is now threatening to push the virulent opposition station Globovision off the air and onto cable, even though it reaches less than 10 percent of viewers.
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