Minister of Communication of Information (Minci) William Lara proposed recently the National Executive a plan for official spokespersons.

The minister explained that according to the initiative, all senior officials, including ministers, vice-ministers and heads of autonomous institutes, along with their press offices should hold an interview with a TV channel, radio station or nationwide newspaper at least once in a month.

The draft provision includes monthly press conferences at Miraflores presidential palace, and every 15 days for ministries and stand-alone agencies, Lara told private TV channel Venevisión during an interview quoted by official news agency ABN.

The proposal came one day after President Hugo Chávez chided government officials during his TV and radio show "Aló, Presidente" for their failure to reply to "the media attacks."

"I tell my ministers, the vice-president -get out, give your face, speak to the country, explain, say, answer. Many times, we are squashed to such an extent that many people end by thinking that I have some secret plan (…) in order to, by means of Marxism-Leninism, establish here the Soviet model," Chávez reasoned on that occasion.