Ruben Blades demands Maduro prove his 'triumph': 'Being leftist does not mean accepting the repression of the people'

Panamanian singer-songwriter Ruben Blades has demanded that Nicolas Maduro’s government prove its “triumph” in Sunday’s presidential election.

In a series of posts, he said that “even the little bird that talks to Maduro doesn’t believe that it’s 51% to 44%,” referring to the election result that took place on Sunday night.

The author of Pedro Navaja has spent a long time arguing that being abandoned does not mean covering up government abuses.

Blades recalled that he himself has been called a “communist” for his stance, and repeated his criticism of figures like Donald Trump, whom he called “the worst example of a human being and politician that exists in North America.”

Here is Ruben Blades’ full reflection on Tuesday, July 30:

A note for those disappointed by my refusal to support dictator Maduro and his cabal of scoundrels:

I consider myself a humanitarian who supports all efforts to improve the social, economic and political conditions of our society, especially those that help to correct and/or eliminate the hardships faced by those who have less or no access to better quality of life opportunities.

I was called a “communist” because I objected to the philosophy, opinions and actions those who produce and maintain their happiness only at the expense of the misfortune of others.

I am not aware of any social benefits created by this right in its administrative, civil or military manifestation.

It was the left, through its movements and actions, that achieved the establishment of a minimum wage, the right to holidays, public schools and universities, social health insurance, the creation of unions and workers’ associations, etc., and paid a price for it…: it was slandered, persecuted, imprisoned and killed. Given this historical reality, I define myself as a leftist in all cases where we agree with the rationale of an approach aimed at correcting injustice. However, within what is called the “left” there are different components and trends, a fact that is ignored by those who absurdly consider it monolithic and tattoo it with a common epithet: “communist”.

For the misinformed or ignorant, I repeat: being left does not mean accepting the repression of the people, it does not mean supporting those who obstruct freedom of expression, or those who obstruct or ignore the right to democratically exercise one’s voice. Lula, Boric and Petro represent governments considered “left” and together they criticized what happened in the recent elections in Venezuela. These three countries are governing countries after winning democratic elections, something that did not exist in dictatorships such as Cuba or Nicaragua. So these presidents are right to draw our attention to Venezuela.

Some comments on my opinion express anger and/or pain at what they see as betrayals of my previous position, and cite my songs as examples of a non-existent contradiction. What does my anti-imperialist song “Jaws” have to do with the ignorance of the popular will on the part of governments that call themselves “leftists” while disrespecting and repressing their populations? Do those who defend communist ideology still not understand that the misrule in countries like Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela is maintained only through intimidation? That their dictators are afraid to give the population a free opportunity to decide whether they want his rule or not? Isn’t his refusal to guarantee free elections a clear manifestation of administrative and political failure?

The love of the people is earned, it is not imposed by threats or violence. These false governments, called “leftists”, are daily distorted, their speeches and pamphlet rhetoric are fed by the perversion of the social ideal and exist in conditions of continuous contradiction.

Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela calls himself an “anti-imperialist,” but his government sells oil to gringos even though it helps support the capitalist system he claims to oppose. Isn’t that contradictory?

For defenders of communist dictatorships, “anti-imperialism” is limited to opposing the existence of the United States while simultaneously defending and justifying clear evidence of imperialism, such as the invasions of Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Tibet, and the recent invasion of Ukraine, all carried out under dictatorships or communist governments.

These actions were as imperialistic as the gringo invasions of the Dominican Republic or Panama.

We must all denounce the negative things that are happening to us in America, regardless of our nationality and place of residence. This is the only way we have to peacefully correct the mistakes and present proposals that will allow us to solve common needs. The problems of each Latin American country are practically a copy of the problems that exist in other sister republics. Common plans and solutions must be born from our solidarity and comments. In this civic exercise, we will find the answer to our ongoing search for America. I believe that this is possible and I practice it.

My criticism is not limited to Cuba, Venezuela or Nicaragua. From the United States, I have expressed my opinions and spoken out against actions that seem wrong to me at the national or international level. Condemning Donald Trump as the worst example of a man and politician existing in North America and in most of the world does not make me an enemy of the people of the United States. Criticizing Nicolás Maduro and his dictatorship does not make me an enemy of the people of Venezuela; on the contrary, it makes me identify with the voices that demand respect for the national will expressed in the elections.

By obeying and respecting the principle of parrhesia that I have found, I find and will find difficulties that I could avoid by being hypocritical, by remaining silent or by agreeing to join extreme approaches defined by their stupidity and an ideology discredited by its obsolescence. I continue to believe in the need to try to educate through impartial comments supported by facts and realities, without paying attention to the dictates of fascism, communism or opportunism demonstrated by those who fight scandals, contradictions and the misfortune of others in order to obtain selfish satisfaction.

We are waiting for a detailed report from the government of the failed Nicolás Maduro, table by table, region by region, which proves that it has received the supposed 51% of the votes in the country, although the wait is tantamount to dreaming about pregnant birds!

Thank you for your comments. They help improve the perspective and better consider the issues under discussion.

Ruben Blades

July 30, 2024

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Source: Aristegui Noticias

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