Workers of the World, Unite Against Chavez

[The Andy-Man]

Socialiasm could go to South America yet.......


I wonder how happy the USA would be to have a United States of South America - the USSA being communist federation

[chequita guevara]

Venezuela: working people force bosses to halt ‘strike’

from The Militant


BY ARGIRIS MALAPANIS
MIAMI-- "We are now stronger to fight for land, to fight for the majority" following the failure of the Venezuelan bosses’ three-month "strike," said Armando Serpa on February 6.

The comments by the peasant and fighter for land rights were echoed by others the Militant spoke to as news accumulated that the two-month antigovernment stoppage had "crumbled," in the words of the Associated Press. "Workers in all industries" except oil have "returned to their jobs," noted the February 4 AP report, while production in the oil fields and refineries has risen significantly. The opposition coalition formally called off the "strike" February 4 in all sectors except oil.

The strike was "more like a lockout," said Yhonny García, a unionist in Maracaibo, in a phone interview with the Militant the same day. García is a member of the Bolivarian Workers Force union federation, which supports the government of Hugo Chávez. He lives in Maracaibo, capital of the western state of Zulia, where much of the country’s oil drilling and production is concentrated.

"The supposedly ongoing oil strike is now just a show for the bosses to save face," García said. Most of the 30,000 workers at Petroleos de Venezuela (PdVSA--the state-owned petroleum company), he said, "stayed on their jobs for the last two months. The majority of the 10,000 managers and administrators who did strike have now been fired, and the new management is pro-Chávez."

"Oil production is now up to 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd), compared to 3.2 million before the strike," García added. It fell to 250,000 bpd in mid-December. "The employers did hurt the economy bad. But politically, working people are now stronger."

What was behind bosses’ ‘strike’?
Fedecámaras, the country’s main business association, was the dominant force in the Democratic Coordinator opposition coalition that called the stoppage December 2. The action was backed by the Confederation of Venezuelan Workers (CTV). The coalition demanded Chávez’s resignation and called for early elections. U.S. officials initially backed this stance, but--after Chávez made clear he would not accept that demand--took a public position of promoting negotiations between the two sides. Chávez became popular as a military officer in 1992 when he led a failed coup to oust the Democratic Action (AD) regime. AD is now among the political parties in the coalition. In the eyes of millions of working people, these opposition forces are responsible for impoverishment and for widespread repression.

Elected president in 1998, Chávez was reelected in 2000 with huge popular support against the traditional capitalist parties.

Capitalist relations have remained intact under his administration, with power remaining in the hands of the wealthiest capitalist families. At the same time, the Chávez government has aroused the ire of the capitalists with some measures that impinge on their prerogatives. They include an agrarian reform law, protection for working fishermen from overfishing by large commercial companies, and use of some state funds for cheap housing and other programs.

Worried about the increased expectations of working people that have been generated, the Venezuelan rulers have set about overthrowing the government. In April 2002 about a third of the military’s high command, with support from the dominant capitalist families and Washington, ousted Chávez in a coup. Chávez returned to power in two days, after mobilizations by working people forced divisions in the military.

Largely purged of dissident officers, the armed forces supported the government in the latest crisis.

Class struggle intensifies
"During the boss lockout, workers, peasants, students and others opposed the attempt to oust Chávez," said Antonio Aguillón, a unionist in Caracas. "It was the same forces that defeated last year’s coup." Along with the oil workers who, with the help of National Guard troops, restarted production, have been peasants fighting for land. Students held assemblies demanding universities reopen. Several large protests, including one of several hundred thousand in Caracas January 23, countered the many pro-strike mobilizations.

In a few cases, workers took over shut-down production facilities and demanded the government reopen them. According to García, unionists occupying Texdala, a textile factory in Maracay, and Central Carora, a sugar mill in Lara, also demanded workers control of production. The Bolivarian Workers Force is now demanding legislation that would nationalize companies that repeat similar lockouts, he said.

Under this pressure, the government took several measures that dealt blows to the opposition coalition. On January 17, for example, National Guard troops in the industrial city of Valencia seized the Empresas Polar beer warehouse, along with the Panamco water and soft-drink facility--an affiliate of Coca Cola--and reopened them.

Five days later the Supreme Court canceled a non-binding referendum on Chávez’s rule that had been set for February 2 by the National Electoral Council. Chávez has continued to dismiss demands by the opposition to shorten his term. He instead insists that the opposition must now collect enough signatures on petitions if they want to push for a referendum on his rule in August, which is provided for in the country’s constitution.

As the strike crumbled, Chávez decreed additional measures. These included setting a fixed exchange rate for the bolivar, the country’s currency, to 1,600 to the U.S. dollar--a 16 percent revaluation--and foreign exchange controls to stop wealth being siphoned out of the country. The most popular new measure set price ceilings for a range of essential goods and services.

"We were elated to hear about the maximum prices," Armando Serpa said February 6. "Because of the strike, inflation and unemployment are up and people are hurting." He also said that the government is acting a little more promptly in response to the intensified demands by peasants for land.

National Guard attack on land struggle
"This is a contradictory process, however," said Serpa. "Two weeks ago, a local National Guard colonel led army troops who kicked out hundreds of peasants occupying land for the last two years from Companía Inglesa. We don’t know who’s behind this action but we are fighting and we’ll find out."

Inglesa, which is run by British capitalists, is one of the largest landowners in Venezuela. Peasants took over half a 12,000-acre farm owned by that company in early 2001. Serpa has been a member of the land committee that organizes the occupation, and helped host a tour of the land for visiting Militant reporters last July.

Since mid-January, peasants in the area have occupied the local offices of the National Institute of Land (INT), which is overseeing land expropriation and redistribution efforts. The peasants have succeeded in pressuring the government to start an investigation of the National Guard attack.

Workers are organizing similar efforts to press for their rights, Aguillón said, emphasizing that "this is necessary because the bosses are now reopening the plants but many workers are laid off, especially the more militant."

On February 15, meetings of oil workers are beginning nationwide to press for more workers control in the industry, said García. The leaderships of the large steelworkers union and several other unions have called for the formation of a new labor federation with the working title of UNETE (Unite) in response to the CTV’s backing for the lockout.

[Dis]

why would the U.S. support this?

this has seriously hurt out gasoline prices. It is close to $2.00 for regular unleaded where I live now.

[Felch]

If he is pro-democracy and the people support him, why is he so afraid of early elections?

[MichaeltheGreat]

Ahh, the good ol' tools of the left for further ****ing up the economy. Foreign exchange controls, retail price caps (so what happens when retailers refuse to sell at a loss and simply stop carrying products? )

Chavez was tanking the Venezuelan economy, and not doing a hell of a lot for the working class - the "class struggle" bull**** is a tired line "yes, let's pull everyone down to this level, except those heroes in the party who selflessly serve us" blah blah blah.

The simple thing is Chavez can't deliver what he promised, because it's based on failed economic theory and false assumptions. But the left always has someone to blame for it's failures - it's always those reactionaries and the good ol' US who sabotaged everything, which would have been wonderful, otherwise.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by MichaeltheGreat But the left always has someone to blame for it's failures

Isn't this a common feat of all bad politicians, whatever the colour ?

[MichaeltheGreat]

Yes, but the left seems to whine longer and louder about it. My biggest distaste for the left in general is the number of them who are whiny. Right-wingers generally whine only when having their ass kicked out of office (which I find just as distasteful, but at least it's more intermittent), whereas most of the lefties I've known or heard are near-continuous whiners. Drives me nuts.

[MosesPresley]

Open letter to forum members:

Make up your own minds.

Don’t let MtG’s pseudo macho vitriol sway your opinions. I have respect for MtG when he gives a reasoned opinion, as it is well informed, but when he just nastily hurls invective, it only weakens his stance, except in the eyes of his fanboy or is it fratboy, clique, who think that insult is the height of Socratic dialogue.

The U.S.A. historically has had a deep interest in the business of South America. Venezuela has vast oil reserves. Why wouldn’t an administration up to its necks in big oil want to get involved? Most people act out of self-interest. Are the people running the government any different?

There are many articles that hint at U.S. CIA involvement. Many are from reputable news sources on the internet. If anyone could be arsed enough to take a look, rather than simply regurgitating the party line, they may be surprised at what they find.

*****

To my detractors, I am not a communist. I am not a republican. I am not a democrat. I am not a socialist. I am registered as an independent and I feel that I am a moderate. I am a concerned citizen who doesn’t appreciate that the government lines its pockets, and fattens up corporations at my expense. I support the vision the founding fathers, Jefferson and Franklin in particular, had for this great nation. I find it distressing and repugnant how far the nation has fallen in the last 40 years due to rampant corruption.

If I am wrong, I will admit it, but you will need to show me where I am mistaken. However, please can the vitriol, it is unproductive at best and pathetic when it’s at its worst.

Luckily we have the checks and balances that the founding fathers put in place to keep the worst of the corruption at bay, but recently there have so many assaults on the constitution, especially the bill of rights, that I feel that we have to be more vigilant than ever.

I post these articles and my opinions in the effort to enhance people’s awareness of what the government may be up to, occasionally to practice my writing, but mostly to simply vent. In that light, I will post opinions whenever I think I see that people need an alternate pov, that isn’t being expressed in the forums.

Thank you for your time if you have read this far.

Moses Presley

http://www.natcath.com/NCR_Online/archives/053102/053102j.htm

Excerpt from the National Catholic Reporter:
U.S. officials have confirmed that in the months and weeks leading up to the coup against the democratically elected left-leaning Chávez, a stream of Venezuelan businessmen, journalists, military officers and politicians opposed to Chávez met with U.S. officials in Caracas and Washington. They include Pedro Carmona, who replaced Chávez briefly as president and is head of Venezuela’s version of the Chamber of Commerce.

‘Informal, subtle signs’

Defending the meetings, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said, “United States officials explicitly made clear repeatedly to opposition leaders that the United States would not support a coup.” U.S. officials say they also met with Chávez supporters. Contradicting Fleischer, a Defense Department official told The New York Times that in the U.S. officials’ meetings with Chávez foes, “We were not discouraging people. We were sending informal, subtle signs that we didn’t like this guy.”

Last November, then-U.S. ambassador Donna Hrinak took the unusual step of ordering the embassy’s military attaché to end his frequent meetings with dissident Venezuelan military officials, U.S. officials said.

One turned out to be another coup leader, Vice Adm. Carlos Molina. Hrinak issued the order because U.S. officials had learned the dissidents were “involved in illegal activities or what would be illegal activities,” said a State Department official who asked not to be named.

Venezuelan and U.S. officials are investigating allegations that two high-level military officials from the U.S. embassy, including Army Lt. Col. James Rogers, were at Fuerte Tiuna military base the first night of the coup while Chávez was being held there.

The U.S. embassy initially called the allegations “pure rubbish.” A month after the overthrow, it issued a statement saying the two officials were at the base for two hours late Thursday afternoon, April 11, just before the coup unfolded that evening. They were checking reports of troop movements, the embassy said, and returned Saturday, April 13, during the coup to check the general situation. Rogers has an office in the main building at Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela’s Pentagon.

Chávez told The Washington Post that a Venezuelan coastal radar installation detected a foreign military ship, helicopter and airplane operating in and over Venezuelan waters that Saturday while he was being held on a small Caribbean island and military base, La Orchila. In its statement May 14, the embassy said that during the coup two U.S. Coast Guard ships and a U.S. Customs airplane were participating in a U.S.-Netherlands anti-narcotics training mission near Curacao and Aruba off Venezuela’s coast, but no U.S. military vessels or aircraft were involved.

Also raising questions is the general response of the United States to the coup, which initially it refused to condemn. Instead, it blamed Chávez for his own ouster. Then, on his first full day as “president,” Carmona shared breakfast in the presidential palace at about 9 a.m. with U.S. Ambassador Charles Shapiro.

“It shows you the depth of the U.S. connection to this thing,” Birns said in a phone interview in late April. “It’s the first few hours of his presidency. He hadn’t even been sworn in yet.”
Shapiro, who served in El Salvador in the 1980s, said that at Reich’s suggestion he met with Carmona to urge him not to dissolve the Congress. Carmona dismissed Congress anyway. He also sacked the Supreme Court, abolished the constitution, and eliminated other hallmarks of democracy, giving himself dictatorial powers.

The details of how the coup occurred are deepening suspicions of U.S. involvement among critics, such as Birns, who draw parallels to the 1973 coup in Chile. They contend that Chávez’s overthrow was not the result of a “spontaneous popular uprising” as the coup leaders, the U.S. government and Chávez opponents contend. Rather, they say, it was a highly orchestrated, carefully thought-out plan by a corrupt class of business, labor, media and military elites who are backed by the United States and who see Chávez’s “peaceful revolution” on behalf of Venezuela’s impoverished majority as a threat to their privileges.

“This is as classic as they come,” said William Blum, author of Killing Hope: U.S. Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II. In an April 27 interview with NCR, Blum said the CIA was “not even embarrassed” to use its “same methods all over again,” namely, helping to create a situation of chaos and violence that invites the military to step in.

Here is another article, but I doubt anyone will give it credence:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/665279/posts

[Imran Siddiqui]

I have made up my own mind. Chavez is a thug that deserves to be ousted .

[Arrian]

I am not convinced of foul play, MosesPresley. I find the allegations to be thin at best.

You are entitled to your opinion, and I mine.

Lest I be accused of being a republican who... what was it you said?

regurgitating the party line

I'm registered Green.

-Arrian

[MosesPresley]

Originally posted by Arrian

You are entitled to your opinion, and I mine.

-Arrian

Fair enough, that is all I have wanted from here anyway.

[MosesPresley]

Imran, I never said Chavez doesn't deserve to be ousted, but the U.S. shouldn't be the ones to do it. Isn't Venezuela a sovereign nation? If they don't like their leader, they have the right to vote him out at the next election.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Oh, you may have misunderstood, but I don't the US has ANYTHING to do with these strikes at all.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by MosesPresley
Open letter to forum members:

Make up your own minds.

Don’t let MtG’s pseudo macho vitriol sway your opinions.

Ooooh, you're so cute when you're annoyed.

So when are leftists not whiny? I've never heard one say "well, we failed because our basic economic policies are unsound, and we have a bloated, inefficient bureacracy" - instead, it's more like "we would have suceeded if it wasn't for the reactionaries sabotaging our reform efforts for the people, and the CIA supported and financed those reactionaries..."

There's a lot more news coverage on Latinamerican issues down here, and the basic deal appears from all indications that Chavez is just the sort of tired hack that Latinamerica has seen too much of. Paratrooper turned failed coup leader turned instant Presidente - obviously he's well qualified by a career of distinguished public service and vast experience.

Chavez was "democratically elected" the way most politicians are "democratically elected" in these parts - at best with fun and games that would embarass old man Daley if he was still alive, or at worst, with fraud and thuggery. Chavez promised a lot of pork to get votes - pork he can't deliver, and he has bungled and mismanaged the economy.

The US has more at stake (in it's own interests) than can be gained by a coup - down here, popular resentment of US hegemony is fairly high, when people bother to think about it, and that's pretty true of most of the hemisphere. Everybody has to import a lot of products, most from the US and Canada, so economic instability here really hurts, because there are no self-sufficient economies anywhere south of the US. A coup, regardless of how much short term improvement, would send the wrong signals to a lot of factions in a lot of countries struggling with political reform, and having very mixed results with it.

There's no doubt the US has communicated it's interests to Chavez' opponents, just like we have official diplomatic and commercial ties to the Chavez government. What the US would most likely like to see (and what is most likely communicated to the opposition, given the results so far) is a change of government IF it can be done through legitimate political processes, OR, IF it happens extralegally, but with extraordinarily high and clear popular support.

"Informal, subtle signs" is more like diplobabble for "if you guys really have your **** together, we won't be displeased, but if you don't, you're on your own, tiger."

Relative stability of the electoral process is more in the US interest than a short term favorable government change - a lot of governments here are looking at each other for a sort of moral support as they struggle with fragile, disfunctional political systems and disfunctional economies.

If the US really supported a coup, Chavez wouldn't have been back, but screaming "our enemies are run by the evil gringo CIA" is a very popular tool for working up Latinamerican nationalism and motivating otherwise unmotivated masses.

[Sava]

I wish the American media would cover this situation more. I really would like to know about this stuff because it's affecting a lot. I don't know whether Chavez is a good guy or bad guy. Fez hated Chavez, which might be good, but then again, I don't know.