From defiance to global recognition, Venezuela’s Maria Machado stands unshaken
The Nobel Peace Prize, one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of the Swedish armaments manufacturer, Alfred Nobel is being awarded since 1901. The prestigious honour is annually presented – with some exceptions – to people who have “done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.”
Right from the first winners of this prize at the beginning of the last century – Henry Dunant from Switzerland and Frederic Passy from France – to the recent winner, the Venezuelan opposition leader, María Corina Machado, there have been countless Nobel Laureates in this category. And there have been equal number of controversies too, like say the biggest apostle of peace, Mahatma Gandhi not awarded the prize on technical ground, or a member of the Nobel Committee resigning after the 1994 prize went to Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres, and Yitzhak Rabin for their efforts to create peace in the Middle East, citing “Arafat’s sponsorship of terrorism through the Palestine Liberation Organization.” This year’s prize too had its share of controversies. Machado, who was awarded the prize for her tireless work of promoting democratic rights, had to ‘battle’ with none other than the US President Donald Trump. In fact, it was no secret that Trump had been openly eyeing the honour since his return to the White House in January, earlier this year. He tried to promote himself as peacemaker, insisting that he had ended eight wars, including claims of brokering a peace deal between Israel and Hamas and defusing tensions between India and Pakistan following their brief military flare-up during the summer, a claim which India firmly rejected.
The failure to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, on one side prompted disappointment among Trump loyalists, while on the other unleashed a barrage of jokes and memes on social media against the US President. Unfortunately, this frivolous diversion took away a part of focus on Machado. The global media now needs to forget Trump, as far as the prize is concerned, and give undivided attention to the winner and more importantly her work.
Machado was barred from running in last year’s presidential election in her country, which was won by President Nicolas Maduro. The polls were widely dismissed internationally as neither free nor fair. Despite the ban, she managed to attract huge crowds in Caracas to rally for their chosen candidate, Edmundo Gonzale. Furthermore, she refused to leave Venezuela even though the Maduro government threatened her with arrest. Machado is one of the most extraordinary examples of civilian courage in Latin America in recent times, with the backdrop of the decline of Venezuela’s democratic institutions. There should be no doubt about her worthiness for the honour.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee should be commended for its decision because the lead-up to this year’s Nobel Peace Prize announcement was dominated by Trump’s intense public campaign supported by some world leaders. The committee chairman, Jorgen Watne Frydnes reacting to the panel’s decision said that, “We base our decision only on the work and the will of Alfred Nobel.” It was indeed a noble decision. Machado, since 2013 has been at the forefront of many anti-government protests against Maduro. And she did pay a heavy price for her opposition, from facing criminal charges to intimidation, and even the threat of physical violence by Maduro’s allies. Described as the ‘Iron Lady’ of Venezuela, Machado has finally been recognised at the global level for her crusade against authoritarian regimes.
