Peru's Garcia voted decree powers

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Press TV

Peru's Garcia voted decree powers
Sun, 29 Apr 2007 06:19:50
Peru's Congress granted President Alan Garcia Perez the power to rule by decree for 60 days in the battle against cocaine production and smuggling.

Garcia thanked lawmakers for the measure and promised to take "a heavy hand" against drug gangs that have made the South American nation the world's second largest producer of cocaine, after Colombia.

Congress voted late Thursday 49-7 to give the Garcia the power issue and reform anti-drug and crime legislation for a 60-day period without requiring congressional approval. Twenty-two opposition lawmakers left the session before the vote to protest the measure.

"The war against violence involves everyone. A heavy hand is what the people want and we will do it legally," Garcia said Friday. Peru cannot have "legal voids so that drug trafficking, violent terrorism, corruption, money laundering and gang activity advances".



Read more: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=7873§ionid=3510207

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Peru OKs drug-fighting decree

By Edison Lopez
The Associated Press
Posted April 28 2007


LIMA, Peru · Congress granted Peru's president the power to rule by decree for 60 days on matters related to drug trafficking, terrorism and organized crime, strengthening his hand in the battle against cocaine production and smuggling.

President Alan Garcia thanked lawmakers for the measure and vowed to take "a heavy hand" against drug gangs that have made the South American nation the world's second-largest producer of cocaine, after Colombia.

Congress voted late Thursday 49-7 to give Garcia the power to issue and reform anti-drug and crime legislation for a 60-day period without requiring congressional approval. Twenty-two opposition lawmakers left the session before the vote to protest the measure.

"The war against violence involves everyone. A heavy hand is what the people want, and we will do it legally," Garcia said Friday. Peru cannot have "legal voids so that drug trafficking, violent terrorism, corruption, money laundering and gang activity advances."

More:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/caribbean/sfl-hperupres28apr28,0,913252.story?coll=sfla-news-caribbean

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When may we expect to see the first volleys of "dictator" launched at Alan Garcia, now that he has been given rule by decree? I'm certain the small peanut gallery which attends Latin America threads would want to be consistant in order to avoid being perceived as inconsistant.





President Alan Garcia

[Peace Patriot]

1. Too bad Garcia hasn't been granted power to rule by decree to eliminate poverty in Peru.

The "war on drugs"? What a corrupt crock of shit! He's just trying to get some of that filthy lucre (our tax dollars) that Bush is larding on the rightwing paramilitary drug traffickers and death squads in Colombia. Garcia's buds probably want some poor peasants removed from prime crop land, to make way for major cocaine production, and the elimination of pesky union organizers who oppose global corporate predator "trade deals."

The Venezuelans have a much better idea of what decree powers should be for. To stabilize food prices. To fight corruption. To wrestle the oil cartel to the ground on fair taxation and control of the country's main resource. To establish economic justice.

Significantly, all the truly representative governments in the Andes--Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador--oppose the murderous US "war on drugs." And the fascists (Uribe/Colombia) and corporatists (Garcia) think it's just great. It serves ONLY fascist and corporatist purposes.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

9. I knew it.

I absolutely knew it. Chavez getting decree power = good. Garcia getting decree power = bad. Accompanied by a lot of hand-wringing to explain away this logically absurd position.

[originalpckelly]

2. Absolutely insane, and I would not be surprised at all to see these powers abused.

In fact, I think that he likes Bush makes all the more likely he will abuse them. I ask how long until they are a dictatorship, they are a dictatorship now that this has been allowed.

Absolutism is not a legitimate form of government, it never is and it never will be.

[Bacchus39]

5. Chavez has decree powers too

how long until Venezuela is a dictatorship?

and to answer the original poster's question, yes I am against Garcia having decree powers.

[1932]

7. In what areas can Chavez rule by decree?

[Bacchus39]

13. here you go

try to keep up!!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6277379.stm

[1932]

14. Keep up with the question.

In what areas of the law can Chavez rule by decree?

[originalpckelly]

10. And I know that. I'm against anyone having these powers.

Hence the reason I have called Chavez a dictator or at least an authoritarian/absolutist.

[1932]

18. But if you're using the powers to increase democracy...?

One of Chavez's decree powers is the power to devolve federal power to local governments.

[Judi Lynn]

19. Speaking of Presidential power, 1932, take a look at this statement from Uribe I just found!

Mr. Uribe’s reaction to the scandal may have worsened his standing in the United States Congress since control passed to the Democrats. He has lashed out at domestic political opponents, saying he had placed opposition lawmakers who had met with Democratic leaders in Washington under surveillance.

From:

Colombian Seeks to Persuade Congress to Continue Aid
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/30/world/americas/30uribe.html?_r=1&ref=world&oref=slogin

This right-wingding must believe he's got it made as the Colombian President if he feels safe in telling the world he surveils his opponents! You'd think he'd want to take it easy these days, wouldn't you?

Sorry to change the subject briefly, but wanted to make sure you saw this.

[1932]

20. Reminds me of that story that came out of Utah

Students who protested Cheney are being blacklisted by local business people.

It just proves how much these people realize how little persuasive power their ideas have. They know they're wrong about everything so they have to rely on threats and coercion.

[Judi Lynn]

21. That reminds me of hearing David Halberstam (re-run, of course) on C-SPAN Book tv last night.

He said that the Republican Party started realizing, from poling, during Truman's presidency, that the Republicans weren't attracting the large numbers of voters as were the Democrats, with whom all the working people identied, by a vast majority, and that's around the time they started working on the "communists in the government" angle, and worked it up into the Joe McCarthy red scare, which launched them as red baiters (even though Joe McCarthy lost "big time" and drank himself to death like the loser scum he was).



Republican Senator Joe McCarthy

He (Halberstam) implied that that has been their permanent position ever since: total attack mode, and smear campaigns to degrade and impugn their opposition, as they seriously can't attract anyone without that advantage, as desperate and dirty as it is.

[originalpckelly]

3. I k'd and r'd this sucker!

[Flanker]

4. Garcia also shut down around 6 "ilegal" stations that broadcasted criticism

The corporate media is solidly behind him, not a peep from the NGOs that claim to protect freedom of speech, wonder why? because he tows the line.

http://www.larepublica.com.pe/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=153345&Itemid=0

[originalpckelly]

11. Of course they don't cover it, Chavez has been targeted because he's a lefty...

but on the other hand, it doesn't mean Chavez isn't doing something wrong. And just because it has been reported enough, it doesn't mean that Garcia isn't doing something wrong as well.

[Flanker]

17. The obvious point is that Free speech NGOs lose credibility

not just the media, RSF is not reporting this as if their reputation were not more shattered.

As for Chavez, I support the move in particular, it is the only way to remove the corporate domination of the media. It is up to the workers now to see if the frequency will retain the same editorial line after the right wing owner moves to cable or whatever.

Still the practical dynamics is different Garcia has the entire media in his pocket, Chavez not so much.

[conspirator]

6. Governments dont like drugs because they cannot control it.

I bet Alan Gracia himself exports cocaine, he is just trying to get rid of the competition, so he can control the prices.

[Barrett808]

15. Au contraire -- governments control drugs to a surprising degree

And welcome to DU, conspirator!

:hi:

[otherlander]

8. The guy who wanted to bomb the Amazon?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6520863.stm
The Peruvian President, Alan Garcia, has ordered the use of warplanes to destroy clandestine airstrips and drug laboratories in the Amazon jungle.

In a characteristically dramatic speech, Mr Garcia said Peru must do away with every last jungle drug factory and secret airstrip by either bombing or machine-gunning them.

[Judi Lynn]

12. Isn't this bizarre? I had to do a mental double take reading it the first time.

You know you've encountered a very strange President when you see one who openly discusses bombing his own people, and machine gunning the ones who don't respond to bombing.

What a sick, filthy monster. I'm sure he thinks he'll have 100% backing from the clown to his north, and he undoubtedly will in his surge for domination.

From Associated Press:

April 27. 2007 7:08PM

Peru Congress Grants Garcia Decree Power
By EDISON LOPEZ
Associated Press Writer

Congress granted Peru's president the power to rule by decree for 60 days on matters related to drug trafficking, terrorism and organized crime, strengthening his hand in the battle against cocaine production and smuggling.

President Alan Garcia thanked lawmakers for the measure and vowed to take "a heavy hand" against drug gangs that have made the South American nation the world's second largest producer of cocaine, after Colombia.

Congress voted late Thursday 49-7 to give the Garcia the power issue and reform anti-drug and crime legislation for a 60-day period without requiring congressional approval. Twenty-two opposition lawmakers left the session before the vote to protest the measure.

"The war against violence involves everyone. A heavy hand is what the people want and we will do it legally," Garcia said Friday. Peru cannot have "legal voids so that drug trafficking, violent terrorism, corruption, money laundering and gang activity advances."
(snip/...)

http://www.the-dispatch.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070427/API/704271223&cachetime=5

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I hope time will prove to these clowns that the people are finished with "heavy hannded" dictators doing the will of right-wing assholes in Washington in Latin America.

[Barrett808]

16. "We will spray and spray" said Uribe

Peru will have similar success.