Doubts Emerge on Embalming Chavez
HAVANA TIMES – The interim president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, said today that there are difficulties with embalming the body of the late president Hugo Chavez, and that the initial plan to putting him on display at a museum may be abandoned, reported dpa news.
Maduro said that although the opinion of Russian and German scientists is that it will be difficult to carry out the process, the idea of embalming him and putting him on display in a glass coffin is still not completely ruled out.
“We have received top level scientists, the world’s best, from Russia and Germany, and their first opinions say it will be quite difficult to embalm him,” said Maduro in the opening ceremony of a Book Fair in Caracas.
He added that the decision should be taken “long before,” noting that the body has been a week in chapel, following the announcement of his death on March 5.
According to the initial announcement, the plan was to embalm Chavez and put his body on permanent display at the Military Museum, like the founder of the Soviet Union, Vladimir Lenin, or the leader of the Chinese revolution, Mao Tse-Tung.
The idea of embalming and displaying him “forever”–although well intentioned, I’m sure–was bad from the beginning. Perhaps now more reasonable heads will discard it.
My thought was that his body might be cremated, and his ashes treated appropriately. But it’s not so important, is it!
What a ‘mickey mouse’ operation! These guys control the world’s largest oil reserves? I hate to admit it but I may actually end up missing Chavez after all.