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Dear Editor,
I am appalled at your gloating response to the short-lived, undemocratic ouster of President Hugo Chavez (SN 14/04/02). Mr. Chavez' bellicose attitude towards Guyana notwithstanding, I fully expected so-called democratic forces in Guyana to reject the notion that a democratically elected government should be overthrown because its opponents, local or foreign, disagree with its programs, which do not include the murder or disappearance of its citizens, and which were made known to the electorate during the election campaign. You ought to be ashamed of yourself.
I shall, Editor, in the future regard your talk in favor of democracy as empty bombast- much like that of the so-called bastion of democracy, the United States, which, rather than condemn the undemocratic action, blamed Mr. Chavez for creating the conditions for his ouster.
Thank goodness you and those of your ilk have apparently been forced to eat your words and your wishes. Democracy lives !!
Yours faithfully,
Carl Franklin
Editor's note
There was no "gloating" tone in the editorial. It simply explored a few of the implications of President Chavez' ouster, particularly as these related to Guyana. In fact, the editorial specifically said: "However good the intentions of the interim administration, it will inevitably find itself in contradictions because its legal grip on power is fundamentally flawed." Furthermore, the possibility was raised that some portions of Venezuelan society would not accept President Chavez' removal, and there would be turmoil.