INTERVIEW | Carlos Ocariz, Sucre Mayor
"Thinking differently is like having a criminal record"
"The arrests of Scarano and Ceballos are an outrage, a manipulation of the judicial system"
EL UNIVERSAL
Saturday March 29, 2014
Amidst a wave of discontent throughout the main cities of the country, Caracas' Sucre Municipality seems to have controlled the violence that has marred peaceful protests.
Mayor Carlos Ocariz, reelected during the municipal elections held last December 8, explains that the formula for doing so is to engage in ongoing dialogue with communities, reminding them that the democratic exit must be channeled through peaceful protests.
- In contrast to Chacao and other municipalities, protests in Sucre are non-violent and streets have not been barricaded; how did you manage to do this?
- In Sucre we have not subdued protests because there are many reasons behind peaceful protests, but we have managed to control barricades and blocked-off streets through social leadership and by speaking to the people. As peaceful protests take place, the community has voiced its discontent to us. We have met repeatedly with residents to let them know that we do not oppose protests, but we do stress that those protests need to be peaceful. We have divided the municipality into 46 zones, and based on that distribution we hold ongoing conversations with the population.
- What is your take on the panorama in neighboring Chacao Municipality?
- With regards to Chacao, illegal groups are pursuing ulterior motives and spurring on violence.
- What do you think about the arrests of the mayors of San Cristóbal and San Diego?
-Unexplainable. Those mayors were only recently elected. Enzo Scarano has been elected to his third term, and Daniel Ceballos has been a great leader in San Cristóbal. Scarano was hastily processed and stood down as mayor while Ceballos was arrested without a warrant. We condemn those actions as they denote an evident manipulation of the national judicial system.
- What do you think is the government's intention?
- It seems as though thinking differently is like having a criminal record. This applies to mayors and to anyone whose views disagree with those of the official sector. The truth of the matter is that the government is wrong in thinking that repression will appease the population's discontent. Repression does not appease protests; instead, it fosters them on.
- What is the stance of opposition mayors?
- We have been very emphatic that our position is to hold sincere dialogue through the Unified Democratic Panel to address the issues ailing the country. We cannot afford to have parallel agendas amongst ourselves. That is the reason why we created the Mayor's Association of Venezuela, which is aimed at voicing the concerns of the people.
-Are the country's widespread protests justified?
- Of course they are. People's discontent over economic issues has boiled over. Their income is not enough, and they cannot find the products for their everyday needs. Those reasons, along with high crime rates, are the cause of gross discontent in the streets.
Translated by Félix Rojas
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