STUDENT MOVEMENT STRUGGLES UNDER WEIGHT OF PUBLIC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CARACAS 000781 SIPDIS HQSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD DEPARTMENT PASS TO AID/OTI (RPORTER) E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/02/2029 TAGS: PGOV KDEM VE SUBJECT: STUDENT MOVEMENT STRUGGLES UNDER WEIGHT OF PUBLIC EXPECTATIONS REF: CARACAS 00760 CARACAS 00000781 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR FRANCISCO FERNANDEZ, FOR REASON 1.4(D) ¶1. (C) Summary: Student leaders are expressing frustration with mounting political pressure and the high expectations placed on them as one of the few credible groups in Venezuela who can counter President Chavez's increasing authoritarianism. Less than a week after the June 13 death of a student activist during an opposition protest (reftel), arsonists destroyed the student federation building at the Central University of Venezuela (UCV). Amid this violence, most students are beginning their summer vacations this month and some political observers predict that the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (GBRV) will enact its most controversial measures in coming weeks to avoid a student-led backlash. End Summary. -------------- VIOLENCE ESCALATES AT UCV -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Unidentified persons burned down the building that houses UCV's student federation in the early morning hours of June 18. According to the federation's president, student leader Ricardo Sanchez, a "commando" group carrying weapons entered the offices and provoked the fire, destroying files, computers, and furniture. Sanchez blamed the fire on Minister of Justice Tarek El Aissami and Attorney General Luisa Ortega Diaz for their "omission of responsibility" which he says created an environment of impunity for violent acts. El Aissami pointed the finger at UCV's rector, Cecilia Garcia, for being "complicit in the violence" and called for her resignation if she cannot maintain control over the security of the university premises. He rejected Garcia's calls for a meeting with his ministry, pointing out that he had sought a meeting in the past with her and said she had canceled it and "showed disrespect toward the authorities." ¶3. (C) UCV has been embroiled in ongoing conflict between pro-government and opposition supporters for the past month. Students complained to PAS staff last week that Garcia has not taken a strong enough stance against Chavista agitators on campus. They noted that the rector at the University of Carabobo cracked down after several opposition students were killed in a confrontation with Chavista students in March 2009, resulting in arrests and some retaliatory violence. Nevertheless, according to the students, the university has been quiet and orderly since. -------------- STUDENTS FEEL THE PRESSURE -------------- ¶4. (C) Students remain the group with the most credibility in Venezuela, polling higher even than the Catholic Church. Youth activists themselves have attributed this legitimacy to their reluctance to publicly align closely with specific parties, preferring to rally behind issues or broad concepts such as democracy. They also have solid and credible grassroots connections. Due to relatively inexpensive tuition at public universities, students from across the country and from varying backgrounds are able to attend, many of them on scholarship. Even in poor barrios, many Venezuelans have at least one family member at a university, making their experiences -- and any state-sponsored repression -- intimately felt by members all along the political spectrum. Ricardo Sanchez told Poloffs June 4 that a student-led protest generated 20,000 people on May 20, compared to a much smaller turn-out for the opposition-sponsored protest on May 1. He called for greater international support for the student movement, contending that parties feel threatened by youth activists and are reluctant to help them. ¶5. (C) Nevertheless, student leaders have complained to Poloffs that they feel overburdened by their role as the guardians of democracy in Venezuela. Youth activist David Smolansky, from the private Andres Bello Catholic University (UCAB),told Poloffs June 5 that he felt frustrated by the expectations placed on the student movement to confront Chavez, noting that "we can't do it all by ourselves." He complained that student activists held constant meetings that were uncoordinated and had no formal decisionmaking mechanism. He said he has no time to relax and "read a book CARACAS 00000781 002.2 OF 002 in peace." Smolansky nevertheless expressed some interest in remaining involved in politics after his graduation in July and said he had received offers from opposition parties to join. He acknowledged that while opposition parties are discredited in Venezuela, they are also the underpinnings of democracy. Smolansky added that some student leaders were planning to run in upcoming elections, but commented that "a 24-year-old can't be president!" ¶6. (C) Student leaders have also long confided their concerns to Poloffs about their personal safety. Youth activists often engage in repeated confrontations with poorly-trained police who are controlled by local Chavista governments. Particularly in crime-ridden Caracas, it is difficult to discern between criminal and political violence. Student leaders have had their cars set on fire, tires slashed, and been kidnapped and killed. While it is unlikely that this violence has been directly sanctioned by the GBRV, each incident feeds to a sense of paranoia about state-sponsored intimidation. Following the April arrest of former Minister of Defense Raul Baduel, a student leader told Poloff that for the first time he was avoiding protests for fear of being arrested. -------------- POLITICS ON CAMPUS -------------- ¶7. (C) Public universities' elected student federations have considerable budgetary and decisionmaking authority, and their leaders often act as spokesmen for the highly-publicized student movement. Some observers have noted that these relatively powerful positions incur problems, such as corruption, like any other public office. Given Venezuela's politicized and depressed labor market, many students continue to pursue degree after degree for years -- entrenching some in campus politics. Sanchez, who has been elected twice to the UCV federation presidency, said he planned to put off graduation. Student leaders who have graduated -- including Freddy Guevara, Yon Goicochea, and Stalin Gonzalez -- have joined political parties and sought public office, but must contend with the heavy-handed leadership of the party heavyweights. ¶8. (C) Sanchez had warned Polcouns in late 2008 that opposition-oriented student leaders might lose control of their campuses within the next few years. Following the student-led defeat of Chavez's constitutional referendum in December 2007, the GBRV pushed to lower the rigorous acceptance standards for public universities -- apparently an attempt to increase the number of students with Chavista inclinations, and thus the politics of their elected student officials. Observers note that within the University of the Andes (ULA),half of the professional schools are now controlled by Chavista student representatives. A staffer for the National Assembly told POLOFF June 16 that Chavez would wait to pass controversial education legislation until August, when most students and teachers would be on vacation. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶9. (C) Since erupting on the scene following the 2007 closure of Radio Caracas TV, the student movement has become the darling of the media and the political opposition. It is not uncommon to hear opposition politicians refer to student leaders as the "hope" for Venezuela's future. Although their credibility is unparalleled, students face tremendous pressure to recreate their original successes -- a role that is unrealistic particularly for a group mostly comprised of people under the age of 25. While Chavez cannot directly confront students without risking public backlash, the GBRV has been using more indirect methods to undercut their universities, a political tact that may also diminish the quality of institutions that have enjoyed a solid academic reputation. End Comment. CAULFIELD