Caracas Chronicles

Venezuelans tend to have short-term historical memory, so reminders are necessary from time to time. Case in point: before his 2016’s answer to Maduro’s speech as National Assembly Speaker made him an unlikely hero, National Assembly deputy and Acción Democrática’s eternal President, Henry Ramos Allup, was one of the most despised politicians in Venezuela.

For many, he symbolized the decadence of the cuarta república that lead us to our current conundrum, his history as operator of the adeca machinery that killed the CAP II reforms, his role in the disastrous opposition withdrawal of 2005, his self-appointed reign over AD leadership, his bolichico in-laws, his arrogance and lack of remorse, his refusal to take responsibility in creating chavismo, and how his power over the opposition gave credence to the worst stereotypes about escuálidos. All of that was forgotten when he said that “things around here have changed” last year. And everyone believed him.

Well, he just reminded us of his toxic influence in our festering political wounds.

Beyond the flamboyant speeches, his tenure as National Assembly’s Speaker was marked by the gradual stripping of powers by the Supreme Tribunal, without national or international repercussions for chavismo and these out of touch pieces about his clueless wife.

His reaction is to blame the voters, the same voters he had to convince in the first place, and to insult our greatest ally abroad for stating the obvious.

During the 2017 protest movement, he showed little support or compassion for the hundreds of persons killed, injured and jailed, and in a ridiculous fit of arrogance, announced that AD was participating in the regional elections the same day that the CNE’s software provider certified the occurrence a massive fraud in the Constituent Assembly Elections.

When all of this blew up in MUD’s face and the decision to run in an election without a coherent message or the means to prove a fraud while facing a ruthless dictatorship resulted in a shattering loss, his reaction is to blame the voters, the same voters he had to convince in the first place, and to insult our greatest ally abroad for stating the obvious.

This is all part of his deluded obsession of becoming president one day, which has already caused so much harm to the country. Thus, I tell you it’s okay to despise the guy again, as everyone did before 2016, and it’s our duty to demand a new opposition leadership whose only purpose is to take the country back from the criminals who hold it hostage.

Because we certainly don’t need the leadership of a narcissist who only wants democracy if he can have it for himself.