From eluniversal.com (one of the jineteros of Venezuela):
Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa labeled President Hugo Chávez as "a
very dangerous person" who, besides destroying Venezuela, has become an
example of a populist leader who must be vanquished in a "cultural war."
Vargas Llosa took part in a conference on democracy and leadership
challenges in Latin America, an event organized by Inter-American
Dialogue, a Washington-based think tank.
"Chávez is a very dangerous person, not only because he is destroying
Venezuela, but also because he is creating a kind of model that under
certain circumstances could become popular in the rest of Latin America,"
he said.
"This is a cultural war," added Vargas Llosa. "We must fight and win if we
do not want get back to the populist era, which has been so tragic in our
history."
Venezuela is "evolving increasingly towards a totalitarian system", he said.
"Fortunately, the press and mass media have not yet been taken over, but
it is something that you could envisage in the near future, unless
something happens," he added.
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Michael A. Lebowitz
Professor Emeritus
Economics Department
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby, B.C., Canada V5A 1S6
Office Fax: (604) 291-5944
Home: Phone (604) 689-9510
