The people of Tachira once again demonstrated their civility and desire to recover freedom in Venezuela. Despite the innumerable obstacles by Chavismo officials and the persecution of citizens in the northern areas and in the high mountain ‘páramos’ (highlandas) of this Andean state, these obstructive actions were not an impediment for the people to go out en masse this Thursday to receive national political leader, María Corina Machado (MCM).
By Luz Dary Depablos / Correspondent lapatilla.com
After 2:00 pm, under an inclement sun in the town of La Tendida, in the Samuel Darío Maldonado Municipality, on the border with Mérida State, María Corina with a black cap that said Táchira, delivered her first words. And between flags, banners, whistles and tricolor balloons, hundreds of citizens warmly welcomed her.
“These two days we are going to show the world what Táchira is determined to do (…). In 31 days we are going to win,” said the “Iron Lady.”
At the end of her visit to this town, thousands of motorcyclists and dozens of private vehicles immediately joined in a long caravan to accompany her to the town of La Fría, in the García de Hevia Municipality.
The crowd was so overwhelming that they managed to crowd the two lanes of the road (many were driving the wrong way) and at both of the military checkpoints, as well as at the Isaías Medina Angarita toll, military and police officials had no choice but to make room for the caravan and let it pass.
In all the communities located along the route, people came out with flags and banners with messages of love and hope addressed to MCM, while others showed off the name of their ‘Comanditos’ (little political action committees) at the doors of their homes.
Chavista sabotage
It should be noted that in the morning, officials from the Road Institute of the Táchira government (IVT) dug a huge trench across the road in the Quebrada Negra sector, between the towns of Seboruco and Las Mesas, supposedly to repair an edge fault that had never been fixed in the last two decades, but mysteriously they began “repair works” even on a part of the road that was not deteriorated. All to prevent citizens from driving down from La Grita and Seboruco and accompanying María Corina in La Fría.
However, after having left the Jáuregui and Seboruco Municipalities incommunicado with Antonio Rómulo Costa to hinder the arrival of these citizens to La Fría, just moved hundreds of residents to go around a very steep and remote mountain in the Santa Clara sector, to leave for the San Judas Tadeo Municipality and thus be able to reach the García de Hevia municipality, a route that required an additional hour of travel, but they came.
Violent actions in La Fría
A group of Chavistas led by a relative of Willintong Vivas, a Mayor who has held that position for almost 20 years (5 consecutive terms), in the company of at least three hooded men, placed a poster on the walkway at the entrance to the town in the that read “we don’t want you (here)” and several banners with a photo of Hugo Chávez and various very offensive messages against María Corina.
Likewise, these violent men were observed at the top of the industrial zone of La Fría and pelted with boxes of eggs the first vehicles of the caravan, among them, the vehicle where the opposition leader was traveling, as well as activists from Vente Táchira.
In La Fría, in front of the town church, and enduring a temperature of 43°C (109 °F), María Corina once again addressed the citizens, this time wearing a straw hat.
It was a tremendous concentration that the Chavista local authorities tried to prevent through arbitrary actions for several days but that did not prevent the residents of the municipalities of the northern zone and high mountains from reaching that town to get to the meeting.
Overcoming obstacles
The journey continued along the highway towards Colón, Ayacucho Municipality, where some subjects threw nails on the road, which caused a front tire of the SUV where María Corina Machado was traveling to explode.
For a moment there was a lot of confusion, several of her companions believed that they had not let her pass, but when they confirmed that it was JUST an incident with the SUV’s tire, they got off their motorcycles and cars to help.
It took only a few minutes to change the tire and continue the route through San Félix until they all reached Colón, where a heavy downpour flooded all the streets of the town in a few minutes and the people followed the caravan without worrying about getting wet.
As night fell, the tour continued towards Guásimos. Despite the rain, the people of Tachira stayed out waiting to see her pass, and right in front of the Copa de Oro Military checkpoint, hundreds of citizens stood and received her with much excitement.
The first day tour of María Corina in Táchira covered seven municipalities (Samuel Darío Maldonado, San Judas Tadeo, Panamericano, García de Hevia, Ayacucho, Lobatera and Guásimos) and today the visit is expected to close at 5th Avenue of San Cristobal.
It was unofficially known that in the afternoon Nicolás Maduro will attend the Basilica of Táriba in the Cárdenas Municipality, accompanied by Delcy Rodríguez, just where it had been announced for several days that María Corina would visit the Virgin of La Consolación de Táriba.