Otter Hates Hugo Chavez

CARACAS: Many Venezuelans shrug off President Hugo Chavez's calls to create a new man through socialist revolution.

But a decree limiting alcohol sales for much of Holy Week has got their attention.

"Don't Mess With My Hooch!" blared the main headline in yesterday's El Nuevo Pais tabloid.

The Chavez Government says the law is necessary to diminish the fatalities from drink-driving, but that hasn't stopped the protests.

On Margarita Island, revellers and liquor store owners painted car windshields with the words "No to the Dry Law".

The sharp reactions to the alcohol curb is in stark contrast to the lack of interest that greeted corruption scandals over attempts by Venezualan Supreme Court judges to avoid paying income tax on their bonuses, and claims government officials illegally siphoned off millions from state infrastructure deals with Iran.

"I've been in this country 40 years, and this is the first time I've seen this," said Antonio Gouveia, 54, a Portuguese immigrant who owns a bar.

"Holy Week is the best week of the year because people don't work, they go out and spend."

Mr Gouveia described the curb on alcohol sales as "something for madmen".

Mr Chavez, a teetotaller, appears to have touched a nerve with the decree, which initially confused many people and caught them off-guard.

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