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Bolivarian Answers in Times of Recession

by Pablo on February 16, 2009

By Nicolas Lopez*

Mass organizing and mobilizing are the order of the day in the Bolivarian Republic

Mass organizing and mobilizing are the order of the day in the Bolivarian Republic

10 years ago, Venezuela was a country struggling with neoliberal policies that had impoverished 75% of people and held 22% under extreme poverty. To run for elections in 1998, Hugo Chavez formed MVR (Movement Vth Republic), a party based on a set of principles and guidelines known as Bolivarianism (inspired by Simon Bolivar, XIXth century liberator of 5 South American nations and Panama). MVR was the continuation of what had been a clandestine movement since 1983, aiming at developing true patriotic sentiment within the Armed Forces.

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After a failed coup in 1992, Chavez remained in the memory of the people for his brave public acceptance of the failure of the military uprising and taking personal responsibility for it. The young rebel spent a couple of years imprisoned in Yare, and then another couple years secretly travelling around the country trying to understand peoples’ needs. Patience and hard work paid off and after announcing his intention to participate in the country’s democratic life, Chavez was elected President of the Republic. His party MVR leading the way into a National Constitutional Assembly that officially marked the beginning of a new republic.In 2001 President Chavez made use of his power to legislate through an “enabling law”, applying it as a way to fast-track recovery of oil production for the nation and reducing the profit share for transnational corporations. By any account these were ‘baby steps’ towards establishing one of Chavez’ platforms of achieving greater economic sovereignty for Venezuela. These measures caused an immediate reaction from the upper class, who backed by George W. Bush’s oil-hungry administration and a few other international allies, desperately tried to stop short a process rapidly empowering the poor majority. A decisive moment in the Bolivarian Revolution occurred in April 2002 when a coup d’etat was orchaestrated with the active support of various media outlets. The audacious maneouver which attempted to suspend the constitution and place the head of the Chamber of Commerce as President was reversed in 48 hours by members of the armed forces who refused to recognize a Chavez-less government, as well as the pressure of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan people who demanded the return of their leader. Later that year courageous and hopeful Venezuelans withstood an even harder test: the lock-out of State-owned PDVSA (Petroleum of Venezuela). The strike lasted over 2 months and the economic woes extended through 2003, but allowed for the definitive recuperation of this strategic industry.

Since resurging from these very dark days Venezuela has displayed sustained economic growth for half a decade, gradually diversifying the production of goods other than petroleum and improving distribution of wealth. Additionally, it has consolidated social programs that now guarantee health, education and food security across the country. None of this would have been possible without the political inclusion of millions of citizens that have participated in 15 electoral events since 1999. Attempting to take changes a step forward in December 2007 Venezuelans voted to reform 69 articles of the 1999 Constitution. The reform fell 2 percentage points short of passing, suggesting that the ‘road toward socialism’ still needed plenty discussion among the people. Constitutional reform included modifications of different kinds, particularly in state structure and transferring power to grassroots based community counsels (consejos comunales), but was rejected by little more than half the people who voted.

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Aware of the necessity to organize people in a mass party able to set the ground for socialism, MVR and several other pro-Chavez parties dissolved and the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) was created in 2007. After the municipal and regional elections in November 2008, the political landscape in the country changed, as PSUV candidates obtained over 5 million votes and 70% of regional Governments. Opposition parties were however victorious in the most populated states (Zulia, Miranda, Carabobo), and the three main cities (Caracas, Maracaibo and Valencia). Additionally, opposition candidates were elected in Zulia and Táchira, along the border with Colombia, through which thousands of paramilitaries have entered during the past 5 years, contributing to high levels of violent crime across the country. On Sunday February 15th, Venezuelans go to the polls again, this time to vote on the possibility of removing limits to the number of terms for any elected official, including the President. Rejecting this proposal would mean Chavez could not run again in 2012 and socialists would have to rely on new electoral leadership. Given that there is no person in Venezuela even nearly as popular as Chavez, this could imply slowing down the pace of changes underway.

President Hugo Chavez at Mision Mercal, a social program providing affordable food

President Hugo Chavez at Mision Mercal, a social program providing affordable food

Under the current international economic crisis, stakes are set quite high and the world needs leaders like Chavez who put first the needs of common people. Losing Chavez would not be a setback for Venezuelans only but for others beyond its borders, including many urban poor in the United States who have benefit by low-cost heating oil during the winter. Venezuelan foreign policy has garnered the admiration of millions of people worldwide because of its proved political will to favour disadvantaged countries. The thrust toward Latin American and Caribbean integration includes PETROCARIBE, a regional agreement that provides countries with weaker economies with tools to recover their productive capacity or at least attain some autonomy, by offering fuel at preferential price. Venezuela’s main achievement in its efforts to build unity within the region has been the establishment of ALBA (Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas) a strategic alliance based on principles of cooperation, not competition. In February 2009 along with Bolivia, Cuba, Dominica, Honduras and Nicaragua ALBA agreed to create of a multi-national food enterprise and released statements of its intention to create a common currency.

People around the world have not yet become desperate about the global recession, but as explanations are demanded from the wealthier nations’ Governments no clear answers are given. These may be times of great confusion and as markets keep diving despite futile efforts to save banks from bankruptcy, it is worth looking at alternative initiatives around the world. Certainly, Venezuela’s revolution may be an example worth examining, and cooperative agreements such as ALBA possible solutions to overcome the devastating effects of market-driven policies that have skyrocketed global inequality. That, as long as we are able to look closely through the eyes of people whose life it’s changed and we don’t let ourselves be fooled by mass media, manipulative snake charmers able to induce people into worshipping the oppressors and detesting the oppressed.

*Nicolas Lopez is a Political Scientist from York University. He is involved in different solidarity initiatives with Latin America during the past decade. Nicolas is currently participating in grassroot activities within the Latin American community including the coordination of a weekly radio show in Radio Voces Latinas.

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  • Christopher

    Chavez is a thug in training. Check out oil production since he stole all the foreign oil companies assets and investment in the country and gave the refinery jobs to party cronies. Good thing he visiited Iran, soon people in this oil producing country won’t be able make or extract enough gasoline even for themselves, just like Iran. Chavez is running a big anti-american theme party on $140 oil. Have fun with oil at 31. Apparently reading Marx doesn’t qualify you to run a world class catalytic cracking facility.

    - C

    PS. Down with CITIGO and the Chavez Thieves

    • http://www.alternavox.net Mikhail

      A thug in training? most interesting considering Hugo Chavez has been a democratically elected leader several times already, “stealing” foreign oil company assets is rather laughable for two reasons, one they are foreign companies that got in there and had been stealing the wealth of Venezuela for decades and another because countries, believe it or not, actually have a SOVEREIGN right to decide who should stay or not. Furthermore for centuries now foreign transnationals made a joke of investment which only went to secure the most corrupted minority in Venezuela. Now I won’t comment too much on the sad fact that if you think the only policy Chavez is running on is Anti-Americanism (which he has plenty of reason to spouse considering the not so subtle attempts by successive US administrations to topple him) , well then you should do some reading, and the article should certainly illuminate you a bit on that. Further for a post that shamelessly parrots the more antediluvian aspects of George Bush’s foreign policy quoting Karl Marx sounds a wee bit cheap, kinda like oil…
      By the way its called Citgo, who being such a bunch of thieves are the only oil corporation that actually sells cheap oil in the United States to poor people, the horror!:)
      But worry not my friend I will allow you the right that you don’t have to like him, but you will have to forgive those unruly Venezuelans for not agreeing with your north-centric worldview.

  • John Bustamante

    Mikhail, have u been on Venezuela?????

    I´ll give u the rite 2 like Chavez´s Philosophy, but u must live in MY country to understand what´s really happening here. Trust me.

    Maybe u dont know about this, but last sunday, we were called to voted (like again and again and again) for a modification in laws. The thing is that if u crush the paper that u use after voting, u must be busted by the authorities. Well, a gobernator from the MVR crush it in front of tv cameras, along with other functionary in another city. They were both from the MVR, and no one was busted.

    but then, an oppositor gobernator (from Tachira) did the same, and even the CNE (the elections authority) is now talking about throwing him to jail, they didn´t respond about the last two guys. (search for it, so u can watch it with yer own eyes…. The lady at the CNE didn´t want to respond last sunday, but yesterday she declared that the Tachira guy must be in jail).

    Is that a revolution? at least a democratic one? and worst things are happening here everyday, so now i realize that some people must live here to understand the situation.

    For example, why do u think it would be logic to listen to Chavez talking about blaming the last goverments for what´s happening, saying things like “they will not come back, their time is over”, when he has been for 11 years there and wants some more (he said here that it would be forever at the media, even now is saying that that was not what he was trying to say? of course we dont want the old goverment, but he must understand that his time has passed away too.

    • http://www.alternavox.net Mikhail

      Well waddaya know, not only I have been there but also I happen to have family and friends there. One of the dirtiest tactics, the most tiresome tactics of those who presume to lecture you on the “real” Venezuela, almost ALWAYS use hearsay added to a lack of verifiable, uncontested facts, and the odd genuine error by the government or its supporters. The, “have you ever been to Venezuela” angle has been used to death and betrays an attempt to muzzle those who do not share your particular perspective. Well you see if that was even the beginning of a fair argument then you could even believe Pinochet supporters in Chile who would tell you EXACTLY the same thing as Pinochet goons ran amok. As well the other tactic that is used is this constant “me” angle, where people say, “My neighbor spoke to such and such person, and they did this horrible stuff to me” all almost nearly impossible to verify independently, but great fodder for places with the ability to post comments. Now what kills me about the previous rant and this post is the same thing, you almost seem indignant at the revolution for not being revolutionary enough, which inevitably always brings a chuckle to me since I have been in this world long enough to know that those who are so indignant don’t have an ounce of revolutionary in them.

      To not completely dismiss this post yet another step in the endless campaign to demonize a democratically elected government, I will grant you this, no revolution is perfect, and so I invite you to make it better. Further, Chavez has EVERY reason to blame the endless parade of clowns and US puppets that came before him as they kept a very large majority of the population in genuine poverty. You see not surprisingly a lot of people think history happens in a vacuum, what you may want to ask yourself is why so many poor people, the majority in Venezuela, support Chavez.

      By the way before Chavez “understands” his time has passed away too, my take is that it should be the voters of Venezuela who decide that not the old elites nor a manipulative post.

  • Chris

    Well you’ve left my post up which is more honorable than what Chavez does to his opponents which is to silence them (take away their boradcast licence or use the tax system to target them) or physically intimidate them.
    If Chavez was strictly focusing on fighting for a fair share of oil revenues and spending the money on direct aid, education and support for the poor and middle class of Venezuela he’d have my support (managed ownership of an underlying asset if you will for the benefit of the people).
    But as his “revolution” is evolving it has become about confiscation and destruction of wealth and the wealth creating aspects of society. Socialism in this extreme guise is nothing less than theft. It is stealing from those who create to give to to those who don’t and are simply are jealous of those who do create.
    And justifying something as morally right because you got a “majority” vote of some kind, is fragile logic. Mature societies have insitutional checks and balances of personal rights that are intended to protect the whim of a simple majority.
    Also you comparing me to Bush is completely off the page. I’ve never advocated occupying Iraq, and I’ve awarded no haliburton contracts as of late. I’m also reasonably proficent in English. Try another insult.

    - Chris

    PS. as for the spelling of CITIGO, it doesn’t matter, the assets of this pirate corporation are being siezed per EXXONS claim one state at a time. I’m sure the sinage will be updated soon, although I do feel sorry for the managers and workers who woke up and found them selves working for a clown and and the demand that they swear political loyalty to said clown.

    • http://www.alternavox.net Mikhail

      You see being in journalism and generally speaking forces me to check my sources. First of all just to give you some numbers, for such a blatant tyrant Chavez sure lets them speak a lot. According to the “observatorio de medios” there was a 71% favorable coverage of the No(opposition) option and a mere 27% for the Yes(Chavez supporters) vote. Further the main television networks including VTV, Venevisión, RCTV Internacional, Televen y Globovisión gave an incredible 73% support for no option, with Televen and Venevision being the more balanced ones. Anyone who has bothered to spend the most basic time watching TV in Venezuela would know instinctively.

      Also once AGAIN a rather tired bit in relation to RCTV’s having their broadcast concession revoked, now and not surprisingly you conveniently forget the open role RCTV played in the illegal and violent coup against Chavez years ago. There is not a country in the world who would just sit idly by as these characters engaged in open sedition. Further part of the reasoning the government gave was that there was no reason why a PRIVATE station should own public broadcast space. Most of the press in Venezuela is STILL in the hands of the opposition, even if, as election after election Chavez has proved they are a minority.

      Well again you will have to forgive Chavez and the Venezuelan people if they don’t quite buy into your idea of “fair” which coming from Northamerica is ,generally speaking, always a joke. He has confiscated those industries that were directly conspiring against his government of those that he found, as it is his right and duty as the elected ruler of Venezuela, to be in the strategic interests of the people of Venezuela, not the elites. Not that much different from a very capitalist country like Iceland who was forced to intervene and nationalize 3 big private banks because, guess what? the people who ran those banks were REAL thieves.

      You may rant and critique at will Chavez supposed “Socialism in this extreme guise” but its really none of your business. That is a choice a sovereign country like Venezuela and its duly elected leader and institutions can make. As per you saying my logic is fragile by actually saying that having a majority actually gives him a mandate, well my friend you better start spending some time criticizing the rest of the world where that logic is usually applied, like say here in Canada with majority governments. The problem you fail to see is that what is happening in Venezuela is a revolution, not a whim. Again you can say what you will about it, but what right do you have to attempt to overturn the will of the people? A will parroted to no end by westerns powers as the ultimate measure of democracy?

      I compare you to Bush merely because you parrot their line on Venezuela, simple as that. You may want to revise your views in light of such horrendous company.

      PS. I suppose spellings cannot get in the way of the more profound truth, you are indeed correct. But just out of the kindness of my heart I suggest you stop being a cheerleader for EXXON, I mean they are as popular as mortgage lenders or Bank executives in the United States. Actually let me suggest a new occupation for you:) You need not even go too far or even get confused with that “strange” Spanish language, you may even avoid Citgo altogether! Just look south to that beacon of democracy and maturity filled to the brim with institutional checks and balances and where nobody can find the billions of dollars stolen from people just like you and me. The United States.

  • Chris

    I’m sure the Venezuelans; Chavez included care about as much as my opinion as they do yours. It’s my right to be right and your right to be wrong.
    I respect the part of your argument that argues “arguably” factual events and interpretation thereof. I’m a little bit unimpressed by the guilt by association thing. There are a whole slew of logical fallacies in there that I’d be happy to unpack at length later.
    But quickly , Ideas aren’t right or wrong because 71% of the people polled say so in an ANACIN poll, and EXXONMOBIL isn’t an evil company because you say so or because they’re unpopular with you or the incidentally racist York Federation of Students or anyone else.
    I’m an EXXON shareholder as a matter of fact. So are all the public employees in Ontario last I checked. So my factual opinion of Chavez is that he’s reached right into my pocket and stolen from me. I’m sure Exxon has done lots of good and bad things in 90+ years. I’m sure Chavez has also.
    But to summarize the chairman “We’re a Successful, American, Petrochemical firm, there are people who are going to have a problem with any one or all of those things”. On the plus side, until you invent the magic car, trains, boats and planes that run on pure love … the company has for almost a century now found the energy the world needs and they do it more efficiently and effectively than anyone else. More importantly they make feedstock chemicals and plastics make the band aids, medical equipment medicine, which you’ll need to wipe your rear end when you get sick, need a shot or make sure you don’t get sepsis.
    The founder of what is now EXXON was the biggest philanthropist in history, the company employs over 100,000 people directly, probably a million or so indirectly. There’s a significant chance you’re alive today because of the company and work started by John D. Rockefeller.
    Northcentric enough for you ? Have a Nice Day !

  • http://alternavox.net Pablo (News Editor)

    BTW everyone, the author is a Venezuelan national just so that the arguments around needing ‘to be from Venezuela to understand it’ aren’t used.
    As for expropriations and nationalizations, this is the right of any government jurisdiction (even the City of Toronto) as long as there is compensation. Compensation has been offered based on previous tax information submitted by the company – which they later disputed. You must be aware that their claims were dismissed in international courts meaning Venezuela is acting fully within the boundaries of their own laws as well as international law.
    Posters are obviously welcome to write their opinions (as they are welcome in Venezuela to do the same and any honest person in Venezuela who either resides or has been there will confirm this).
    Cheers

  • Bozo

    I am convinced… What would be of us earthlings if it weren’t for Rockefeller?
    Where would the world be without EXXON?

    I’d like to recommend a book to you my friend, although it may be hard to get these days. It’s called Open Veins of Latin America…
    it is our history of plunder by those you buy stock from that invite us to choose leaders like Chavez (with all his flaws). They are true options for change, which is why majorities vote them in (in the case of Chavez, continuously). Those who are more used to the comfortable North probably find it hard to understand, as parties are mere formalities and mainly prioritize corporate interests, before those of common people.

  • Christopher

    you can finish “Titan” first … isn’t “Open Veins” the book Chavez has been shoving into people hands at the UN ? Worse than the Scientologists with Dianetics.

    ” any honest person in Venezuela who either resides or has been there will confirm this” … I like the no true scotsman fallacy there.

    It’s nice and sunny outside today … check it out.

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