Nobel Laureate Saramago Warns of Danger After Bush Reelection

Humberto Márquez, Inter Press Service

CARACAS — U.S. politics over the next four years will be
rooted in patriotism and religion, an 'explosive combination'
that will require Latin Americans to 'arm themselves with
strength, courage and bravery,' according to Portuguese
writer José Samamago, winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize for
Literature.Saramago spoke to writers and journalists this week in
Caracas, and used the occasion to express his views on what a
second term under U.S. President George W. Bush will mean for
the region.

'Things will undoubtedly be very bad for Latin America,' the
writer predicted. 'You only have to consider the ambitions
and the doctrines of the empire, which regards this region as
its backyard,' he said.

At an earlier speaking engagement in Bogotá, Colombia,
Saramago called Bush 'the biggest liar on the planet.' He
added that if the U.S. president ever decides to focus on the
region, Latin America should tremble with fear. 'I could say
the same about Africa, but I don't want to create an
international panic,' he joked.

Turning his attention to the rest of the world, Saramago told
his audience in Caracas that the United States will never
leave Iraq, 'because it needs to control the Middle East, the
gateway to Asia. It already has military installations in
Uzbekistan.'

He also predicted, however, that the situation will become
more complex when new competitors emerge to challenge U.S.
power, such as China, India and perhaps Brazil.

'I am a person with leftist convictions, and always have
been,' said the 82-year-old writer, adding that whenever he
addresses the subject of international politics, 'I always
ask two questions, and only two: How many countries have
military bases in the United States? And in how many
countries does the United States not have military bases?'

But he asked the journalists in Caracas a third question, to
illustrate his point. 'Can you just imagine what Bush would
say if someone like (Venezuelan) President Hugo Chávez asked
him for a little piece of land to install a military base,
even if it was way off in Alaska, and he only wanted to plant
a Venezuelan flag there?' The question provoked an outburst
of laughter from his audience.

Saramago was in Venezuela ahead of an international congress
that will be held next month, a gathering of intellectuals in
solidarity with the process of political and social reforms
being undertaken by Chávez, which the president refers to as
a peaceful 'social revolution'.

'It's not that I'm pro-Chávez, nor do I believe in strongmen
or messiahs, but Hugo Chávez is someone who wants to make
changes, and he has found the way to reach straight into the
hearts and minds of the Venezuelan people,' he stated.

Saramago also had harsh words of criticism for the Venezuelan
opposition. 'For someone like me, it is difficult to
understand these people who democratically take part in
elections and a referendum, but are then incapable of
democratically accepting the will of the people. It is an
insult to common sense, and I personally cannot comprehend
it.'

The writer recalled that Chávez and his associates have won a
majority of votes in eight elections over the last six years
in Venezuela. These include the presidential recall
referendum on Aug. 15, when voter turnout was exceptionally
high and 59 percent of those who cast their ballots wanted
Chávez to remain as president of their country.

Venezuela 'has had a highly troubled recent history,' noted
Saramago, adding that he hoped Chávez would be able to bring
'this unique experience' to a successful conclusion, despite
the fact that Latin America and the Caribbean are now facing
'four complicated years, which will be marked by tensions and
neo-colonial aspirations.'

Chávez was unable to meet with Saramago, as he is on a
presidential tour to Russia and the Middle East. However,
Venezuelan public television provided viewers with a unique
interview with the Nobel laureate conducted by Vice President
José Vicente Rangel, formerly a prominent investigative
journalist.

Saramago, who had just been in Rosario, Argentina to take
part in the 3rd International Congress on the Spanish
Language, emphasised that he speaks about politics 'willingly
and deliberately.' He also noted that his most recent novel,
Lucidity, is 'openly political, unlike the previous ones,'
which include Baltasar and Blimunda, The Gospel According to
Jesus Christ, and The Caves.

Lucidity is about an imaginary city (the same one in which
his 1995 novel Blindness was set) where the majority of
voters decide to cast blank ballots. Saramago stressed that
he isn't promoting this kind of political stance, but he does
believe in the need for a 'regeneration' of democracy.

Currently, 'it is economic power that determines political
power, and governments become the political functionaries of
economic power,' he maintained.

What can writers do to confront this situation? 'Not much
more than any other citizen, because if they could change
things, they would have already done so. Personally, what I
try to do when I write is to get people thinking,' he said.

'I wouldn't like to leave this life without at least knowing
that I tried to do something,' he added.

As to what should be done, 'I don't think there is anything
more effective than demanding and keeping a vigilant watch
over rigorous respect for human rights.'

(c) Copyright 2004 IPS - Inter Press Service