Chávez announced the great battle for unity and socialism

ABN 25/06/2008
Valencia, Carabobo

Valencia, June 24. ABN.- The President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez Frías, said at the end of the civic-military parade to mark the 187th anniversary of the Battle of Carabobo (key battle for the independence of Venezuela) and the Army's Day, “let's take this opportunity to vindicate and seal for good the great battle for national unity, socialism, and independence.”

President Chávez reminded that, when he was a cadet, some people talked to him about socialism “but as a wrong thing. They said it was a threat; that it was the path to peoples' destruction. Every single instructor from United States came to say the same thing. They scared us. They indoctrinated us against socialism.”

“Nowadays, things are getting their right place, the capitalism is the true peoples' threat. Through capitalism, peoples are destroyed, the imperialism finishes off their nations, independence, and sovereignty”, Chávez held.

In this regard, President Chávez stated that unity has to be strengthened, adversaries “try to divide us, weaken us, and sometimes they damage us.”

Moreover, he mentioned some examples: “precisely, on June 24, some years ago, at this right same place, an Army's Commander cried when, in front of the whole country, I announced his promotion to General-in-Chief, because I considered he deserved it; however, I was wrong. He did not. He became a traitor and he is around making everybody feel sorry for him.”

“As Christ said once, let the dead bury their dead. We go for life, for motherland, everybody has to choose its path. Those choosing treason and a moral political dead, just go for it (...) that is an example of the constant work of the enemy”, he added.

Furthermore, he also talked about the Governor of Carabobo State, Luis Felipe Acosta Carlez: “the enemy will not rest in its attempt to weaken us. Another example of it is the Governor of this State (Carabobo), this is sad, but it is another sorrowful example. This responsibility was too much
for him, I say it with too much pain. It hurts but has to be said.”

Regarding a casino that was operating illegally in this state, President Chávez addressed to one of the generals of Venezuelan Army, “you have suffered attacks from the City Hall, General Alcalá. I remember a day when Alcalá looked at me and told me: President, look what I have found. A casino. I told him close it down. He then told me, Ok I will close it, but some people is going to protest from the City Hall because they control it.”

“A casino? Did you come here for that? Well you are going to go out by the back door because, sadly, you chose it that way. I say this like a soldier and it hurts me, most of all in some cases like this one. It hurts a lot but it is the truth”, Chávez added.

In this regard, Chávez held that Acosta Carlez is “a governor that lost the path. I told him dozens of times, hundreds of times i talked to him, trying to make him reflect, but he lost his whole capability of reflection and rectification and I can say that the (Bolivarian) revolution lost him.”

“But it does not matter. What we can not lose is Carabobo: these people, this state, this region that is so important for the country and for the revolution.”

Translated by Ernesto Aguilera