General Paez and Governor Marino Deny Entry of Tax Collectors

 

---

~ ::: La Gaceta de ::: ~

: ~ : C O L O M B I A : ~ :

~ 9th April, 1828 ~ Publication #17 ~ Ocana, New Grenada

---

General Paez and Governor Marino Deny Entry of Tax Collectors

Recently, another egregious act of mutiny has been done by Intendente y Comandante General Antonio Paez and Santiago Mariño. Though they may both heroes for the War of Independence, their status, success and power all originate from the trust President Bolivar has placed on them, a trust that they have shamelessly betrayed. In the past month, the tax collectors of the Central government ran a regular collection of funds to Caracas, but Paez’s men have stopped their entry, citing “organisational issues of the treasury.”  Despite the collectors’ professional expertise and insistence to help, they have kept them out the region and, when the collectors stood their ground, they have violently chased them away. Further, any correspondence afterwards have been met with either silence or excuses. The same's Marino's region of Cumana.

During this trying childhood of our new-born nation, not only are they rejecting to provide their rightful contributions, more than that, they are stamping on the dignity of our Union.  Further, the following recent “anonymous” statement that has been printed in local pamphlets and posters has been traced to General Paez:

"Dear Venezuelans, for a long time our country has been in the clutches of imperialists, and Gran Colombia is no different. We have simply replaced one dictator with another, this must come to an end if we wish to have independence and control over our lands. Dear Venezuelans, I plead you to stand up once more against this tyranny for the future of our beautiful nation. "

He pretends to act for Venezuela, but all he is looking for is to strengthen his already exorbitant power. Do not take his mock patriotism to heart. With all hopes, the centralists at the upcoming Congress would be able to topple their power and their supporters, showing them once and for all that the strength of Gran Columbia comes from our unity.