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Venezuela today: complexities and outright lies

Rafael Uzcategui | 23.09.2007 00:06 | Analysis | Globalisation | Social Struggles | World

* A member of the editorial collective of El Libertario (www.nodo50.org/ellibertario; in Spanish & English) prepared this article for the 6th edition of the Costa Rican (A) journal La Libertad [September 2007;  http://revistalalibertad.blogspot.com] in response to an inconsistent effort to establish impossible affinities between Chavism and Anarchism.


1)
One of the successes of the inter-bourgeois confrontation that has been happening in Venezuela for almost a decade is the moving of the media polarization into an international space. This biased and infantilized point of view could well confuse some less awakened libertarian spirits. This indeed seems to be the case with the opinions voiced by companero Rogelio Cedeno in his text ‘Venezuela today: Realities and half truths’, published in # 5 of the Costa Rican journal La Libertad. Cedeno in a turnabout of intellectual prestidigitation asks for the social situation in Costa Rica precisely what he denies for that of Venezuela: a non-problematic and non-Manichean point of view. While, on the one hand, the Costa Rican movement opposed to the Free Trade Agreement is “…a wholly plural movement that breaks with the simplistic schema based upon the existence of a presumed polarization between left and right”, on the other hand, in Venezuela, the forces that are not aligned with the government represent, “…the brutal violence and cynicism of the forces of reaction”, that desperately yearn for a return to the days of the adeco-copeyan democracy. A strange business this…barely a paragraph earlier Cedeno had affirmed that, “visions in black and white are of little use to those of us who keep on thinking and struggling for a better world.” This very same horizon is shared by a constellation of revolutionary left-wing groups who, despite being made invisible by the propaganda of both the private sector and the state, reject the past as much as they do the present and continue, against the current, to struggle for a better future.

2)
Cedeno reproduces the logic and history manufactured by the government in Caracas. Repeating the mythologizing excesses of Chavism, he locates the genesis of, “…the political and social dynamics of the end of the century,” and the, “…emergence of a revolutionary situation,” in Venezuela, in the attempts at a military coup led by Chavez himself in 1992. A simple glance at Venezuelan history would, as many diverse studies ratify, place the foundational stone of the current situation in the mid 80’s when, as a consequence of the economic crisis, a series of social movements catalyzed the discontent of the average citizen which in turn led to a brutal explosion during the occurrences of the ‘Caracazo’. During that February of 1989 a wave of popular protest reacted to the imposition of a package of neoliberal reforms. This social fabric expanded through various different dynamics, formally founding the first human rights organisations, networks of ecologists and women, student and neighbourhood associations, through employment conflicts and countercultural niches. This subjectivity and will for change is what Chavez capitalized on for his electoral victory. Venezuela thus confirms the words of Cornelius Castoriadis: Popular revolts in the Third World are always channelled and recuperated by a new bureaucracy.

3)
Venezuelan anarchists reject the coup d’etat that occurred in April 2002, as we also repudiate those that happened ten years earlier. Similarly we have denounced the distortion and manipulation of the facts. This is a long and complex history, but here we will only refute the elements repeated by Cedeno. If it is indeed true that the president counted on a certain mobilization in his favour on the 11th April 2002, then quantitatively the demonstration against him was considerably larger. On the other hand, those that died belonged to both sides, not exclusively to the Chavez side as has been suggested- and the formation of a ‘Truth commission’, which would have examined the events in an impartial manner, was boycotted with the same impetus by members of the government and by the opposition. If the demonstrations of the 13th April and the morning of the 14th really were significant, they in no way “…stopped fascism”, nor “…contained the forces of reaction.” The coup against Chavez and his later return was negotiated across desktops by military officials, without a single mediative shot being fired between soldiers. The evidence is considerable, but due to lack of space we will present just one piece: no soldier was tried for their participation in the events.

4)
The author examines the reasons why large sections of the popular classes profess support for the president. Some answers to this question can be found in the cultural nuances of the continent, which has catalyzed the appearance of various populists and strong men with widespread social support, such as Peron in Argentina and Trujillo in the Dominican Republic. The history of Venezuela is itself, a long succession of civil and military strongmen that counted on, in their time, the staunch support of the popular sectors of society: Juan Vicente Gómez, Marcos Perez Jimenez, Romulo Betancourt and Carlos Andres Perez. However, Cedeno, expanding the mystification of the state, prefers linear explanations of a metaphysical nature. A population that has been impoverished for decades projects its demands in a mass that is personified by the figure of Hugo Chavez, transforming him into the means by which the government can, “…respond to a series of demands and requirements…”

Let us concentrate on this issue, for the propaganda that surrounds social politics in Venezuela confuses local people much less than it does foreigners. Our country is experiencing one of its most significant economic booms of the last thirty years as a result of high oil prices. However, considering the wealth of resources available, the social policies that have been implemented, almost exclusively through the ‘missions’, are superficial and ineffective. It is not just we, the anarchists, who are pointing this out; this has been affirmed by NGO’s that monitor the human rights situation in the country. While we at the bottom receive the scraps from the feast of black gold, a new bureaucracy- nicknamed the ‘boliburguesía’ (contraction of Bolivarian + bourgeoisie) - has appeared reinforcing the role that economic globalization has assigned to us: that of providing energy in a ‘secure and trustworthy way’ to the international marketplace. Leaving aside questions about the social and environmental consequences of this type of development, the President recently summed up in a phrase the project of the red elite in power: petro-socialism.

5)
Independent of the restructuring of the State, the return of governability and the ‘democratic’ opening in Venezuela – all seriously damaged during the rioting of the Caracazo of 1989, and a bad example for other countries in the region -, is it possible to suggest that the Chavez phenomenon strengthens democratic and self-determining organisational processes? The National Executive has repeatedly imposed from above different and successive organisational models that have mortgaged the autonomy of the Chavista bases, eclipsing local leadership structures, electoralizing agendas and dynamics and imposing militarizing logic and a single party. ‘Participation’ is possible as long as its innocuous, ‘protaganism’ non-existant. There are interesting initiatives that exist in the grass roots structures of the Chavez project, but there exceptionality confirms the rule: In any given field, any initiatives are the exclusive property of the head of state. Examples abound, like the constitutional reform that is currently being discussed in absolute secrecy, or extraordinary powers such as the Ley Habilitante, which gives the president the ability to pass laws by decree. We shall refer to one of the lesser known examples. As a result of a mandate from above, Conarepol, a plural commission was charged with designing a new policing model for the country. To that end they conducted 70,000 consultations with different actors over the length and breadth of the country, including those communities affected by uniformed violence. The entire Conarepol projected was basketed over a single phrase, “…it’s a right-wing project”, and now a centralisation of the police forces has been decided through the Ley Habilitante.

In this part of the Caribbean we don’t suffer ‘deja vú’ for the CNT-FAI of 1936 nor do we allow ourselves to be confused by the re-semantization of demagoguery. Last year 402 prisoners, coming from the popular classes, died violently in the prisons of the ‘Bolivarian Revolution’. More than 60 leaders of trade union and neighbourhood groups were in court because of their participation in strikes, blockades and demonstrations to demand their rights. As Bakunin said, the people will not feel better to see that the club with which they’re beaten with bears their own name. We, the libertarian creoles, have assumed the attitudes of any consistent anarchist: to confront power and stand side by side with the oppressed, gathering together means and ends, constructing free spaces and refusing to be either victim or tyrant. We leave the ‘tactical alliances’ and ‘critical support’, the smokescreens and mirrors to the politicians, of whom there are so many in Venezuela today, fattening their egos and bank accounts, hallucinating a 21st Century socialism that is both military and imperialist by nature, with its epicentre in Caracas.

Rafael Uzcategui --  ellibertario@nodo50.org

Rafael Uzcategui
- e-mail: ellibertario@nodo50.org
- Homepage: http://www.nodo50.org/ellibertario

Comments

Hide the following 6 comments

Chavez is correct, you are wrong.

23.09.2007 03:02

This anarchist critique of Chavez is deeply misguided. At a time when the country might be attacked by the US, and there are attempts to assassinate and kill Chavez and turn back the revolution, why are you attacking Chavez unless you are really with the US? There is no anarchist alternative anywhere in the world, and anarchism has nowhere succeeded in making a real change. It is easy to quote from Bakunin etc, but whats the point? Anarchism is not a living movement and cannot make any change in V. Chavez is correct to shut down US owned TV stations, and crack down on opponents who will try and destroy the revolution; he is correct to centralise the party and get ready for conflict. The key question is are the anarchists with him or with the US? If you are with the US, then you are enemies of the revolution. Also, it is ridiculous to accuse Chavez of imperialism. Are you serious??!!! What do you propose they do, and is there really any way of doing what you propose in the real world? If not, then you are really mouthing off about nothing.

Chavista


"If you're not with us you're against us"

23.09.2007 13:03

Come on. Anti-imperialists really need to get better a perspective than "enemy of my enemy is my friend" stuff.

Venezuela is a complex situation. Any revolution threatened by searching questions isn't worthy of the name. Chavez is not the revolution, no one man is a revolution. He's an important figure but the social movements are more important.

Sounds familiar


reply to above

24.09.2007 07:45

You want to avoid this 'you are with us or against us', but it is unavoidable. Bush and the US neo cons are honest imperialists, and the EU or Clinton etc are dishonest ones. Bush has the honesty to state clearly his plans, and to decide for imperialism or against. Me, i'm against, and if Bin Laden or the Taliban is too, so much the better. It is a case of either for us or against us, especially in times of conflict. It may not be fashionable or PC, but it is simply the case. If you can't choose, then we can take it that the anarchists are really with the US, and are attacking Chavez because they dislike what he is doing and would prefer V under a right wing leader. If the V authorities turn on the anarchists, then you have brought it on yourselves because you are really with the US. It is interesting also that in the article you mentioned NGOs favourably. NGOs are not 'neutral' organisations, NGOs are funded by rich donors from the EU or the US who want to see Chavez fail. But, please answer the question. What can anarchism do against the US? Nothing. What can anarchism do against Chavez? attack him on behalf of the US on a seeminly 'radical' platform but really conservative. Anarchism does not have any support anywhere amongst the masses, but it has plenty amongst middle class students and educated people; so anarchists cannot organise any kind of rebellion but can write lots of bullshit.

chavista


Chavista?

24.09.2007 10:15

"crack down on opponents "?, "centralise the party"?, " enemies of the revolution"?
Maybe instead of chavista we should read stalinista...

All this malarky reminds me of the leftist western intellectuals who made impassionate defences of the USSR and comrade Stalin in the fifties. At at time when there was ample evidence of repression and mass murder they decided to ignore it in the sake of revolutionary unity. Now, a few years later, after it became unfashionable to be a stalinist, they had to look for another hero to worship, so they moved on to chairman Mao, which was not much better.
Of course, Chavez is not Stalin, and there is nothing compared to a stalinist regime in Venezuela, but the government is clearly becoming more authoritarian, and it worries me where it is heading to.

By the way, don't bother insulting indymedia's readers intelligence saying that critics of chavez are CIA stooges, because I'm not going to get drawn into that discussion.

We've been here before.


Agnostic on Venezuela

24.09.2007 14:33

I'm not the author (or translator) of the above. I'm agnostic on Venezuela and Chavez, and ask questions with the aim of getting answers.

Uncritical support worries me, especially when it comes with sentiments like "i'm against, and if Bin Laden or the Taliban is too, so much the better. It is a case of either for us or against us, especially in times of conflict"
... that makes me ask, who do you think of as "us", if you include totalitarian scum like bin laden and the taliban on "your side". They're no better than the US government, just weaker.

One man is not a revolution, they are much more easily neutralised than a people. Over-emphasis on the man instead of the process is potentially misleading.

Sounds familiar again


Trying to get a fairer picture.

25.09.2007 10:00

I understand your position. It would be simplistic to give a black and white picture on Venezuela, or lend uncritical support to Chavez (or anyone else for that matter). I understand that there are many good things going on, but there are also very worrying signs of the direction the government is taking. While measures that help oil revenues to get to the poorest sections of the population can only be welcome, it seems to be also true that there is a growing dissatisfaction about the slow pace of the reforms.
There is also the feeling that the situation is moving towards a conflict between the more revolutionary tendencies of the movement and government officials, who are profiting from their office. It's a recurent issue, that whenever there is a governement that proclaims itself revolutionary it tries to control the more radical sections of the revolutionary people, so that it can control the process. This is indeed the situation at the moment.
I think Chavez is aware of all this and he's trying to tighten his grip on the country. That's why he's been pushing for a single party, getting extra powers to govern by decree, etc. I don't think he's that bothered about the right wing oposition, which has proved to be totally useless, and with the smallest sense of political opportunity. And, let's face it, no matter what the official line is, the chances of a US led invasion are less than remote. What would worry him is the growing number of political groups (parties, NGOs, community associations, indigenous groups, etc.) that are growing restless over the pace of "revolution". Last month there was a meeting in Caracas of non chavista revolutionary left wing groups, to consider strategies to further the revolutionary process beyond the government's sponsored initiatives. While it is easy enough to write off right wing oposition, this kind of development would be a lot more worrying to the chavista stablishment.
I believe that the people in Venezuela are truly revolutionary, and I want to believe that they are going to have their revolution, with or without Chavez. But just stating that the man and the process are one and the same thing is not going to help much, other than to demonise critics and adopt the simplistic position of unconditionally following a leader. And to make it impossible to have a civilised discussion with chavistas.

We've been here before.


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