Breathe
By Maria Teresa Arnal
This is the question I have been asked the most in the last few days.
If there is one thing that is clear to me, it is that we cannot give up, falter or resign ourselves, no matter how much fatigue weighs on us. This is #HastaElFinal. Our leader, María Corina Machado (MCM), never said it would be easy; and few people are as congruent and courageous as she is. Psychological warfare and discouragement towards the Venezuelan people are part of the strategy of a dictatorial regime that today is clearly established in the country, we cannot let them win when we are in the last mile.
We should not doubt that there is a plan. Until today, MCM has demonstrated its capacity and intelligence for strategy and tactics, guiding every step that has brought us to this point. Secrecy is part of the plan: you can't tell the devil how you will attack him.
As she told us in a conversation with the group Women for Democracy a couple of months ago: "Chess is played in silence".
The relevance of Maduro's swearing-in lies in the legitimization of the dictator as part of the plan. Until January 9, Maduro was considered president-elect, with all the traps and obstacles faced by the opposition (note "president" with lower case). Like it or not, he was recognized as such by the international community. All previous efforts to prove electoral fraud in the last 12 years failed. Since 2013, when the regime "won" by a minimal 1.49% against Henrique Capriles, it was not possible to prove fraud, despite irregularities and the presence of the Carter Center. In the 2018 elections, the participation of the main opposition candidates was banned and all democratic guarantees were violated, bringing Maduro back to power. An attempt was made through setting up a parallel government led by Juan Guaidó, President of the National Assembly, appealing to the articles of the Constitution that justify this figure in the face of a power vacuum. However, that did not get us much further either.
All this has eroded the spirit of the Venezuelan people, who yearn for freedom and have continuously risked their lives in the streets and in prisons. This crisis has forced more than a quarter of the population (more than 7 million people!) to migrate to other countries, many times risking their lives.
It is understandable that our spirits may waver and that we may feel hopeless. It is the most human thing in the world. Many people also felt that downturn in MCM in his message after his quick kidnapping on Thursday, January 9, an event that, paradoxically, evidenced the fracture and weakness of the regime. This is the level of his congruence and his leadership (this is enough for another article on the evolution of his leadership).
This process has been in the making for a long time and has been intelligently avoiding obstacles. From the primaries in October 2023 where MCM was prohibited from running for the Presidency, the election of Edmundo Gonzalez as candidate (someone politically unknown and who made the regime confident), the brilliant execution to safeguard the minutes and the popular vote on July 28, to the handling of international relations and the growing international pressure. The clarity and congruence of MCM and Edmundo Gonzalez
have been consistent. Although some moves may seem "weird", as I was told on Friday, it is all part of a carefully thought-out plan. This plan also evolves as events unfold. There is no room for poor improvisation here; what we see is impeccable strategic and tactical work, even if sometimes we don't understand the whole scheme.
It is striking the magical thinking of some who believed that a criminal regime would leave power on January 10, that we would wake up with a new government and a new Venezuela as if the last 25 years had not passed. We are dealing with a narco-state, with unscrupulous criminals. This is not about ideologies - neither left nor right. They know very well where they will end up when the end comes.
We must also understand that, once these people are no longer in power, the recovery of Venezuela will be an arduous road, but one full of opportunities and dignity for its people. We will have to continue to put our chest out to rebuild it, but we will do so from a place of freedom and dignity for all.
We are getting closer and closer. Even if we are overcome by hopelessness and ignorance, it is not the time to give up, as we say in Mexico: "it is not the time to fold our hands". It is time to stick out our chests, to stand firm as Venezuelan people, to take to the streets and to demand that international pressure moves from words to concrete action and a real accountability with democratic commitment and the expression of the popular will.
As MCM demonstrated on Thursday: he went out on the street with his jeans, his T-shirt and his rosary hanging. That's taking a gamble.
So when I'm asked "What's next for Venezuela?" It's hard to explain with certainty, but this is #HastaElFinal. Nobody said the end was January 10. Let's remember: chess is played in silence. So let's move forward, trusting our leaders, with patience and with a lot of faith.
*Maria Teresa Arnal is a prominent leader in innovation and technology with nearly 30 years of experience, former director of Microsoft, Google and Stripe. Today she is an independent advisor and consultant in innovation, scaling and digital transformation in global companies, Latin America and Mexico.
The opinions expressed are the responsibility of the authors and are absolutely independent of the position and editorial line of the company. Opinion 51.
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