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| Caribbean-Latin America | |
| "What happened?" - the Chavistas vow to regroup | |
| 2007-12-03 | |
When he did appear and spoke of the willingness of people to engage in democratic voting systems, we knew that he had lost and that the proposals for constitutional change would be shelved, POR AHORA, for now. Yet he did not resign. He still has another 5 years as president and although the changes to the constitution would have taken the revolution forward ON PAPER, the fact is that at the moment the process of the revolution is deepening on the streets, in the barrios and in the workplaces. This will be a setback for ChavezÂ’s supporters. And Chavez himself will now come under terrific pressure from some of is own so-called supporters in the state bureaucracy who will advocate a slowing down of the changes and an accommodation, a reconciliation with the opposition. But how in a relatively backward capitalist country like Venezuela, where the bourgeoisie is tied by a thousand threads to the interests of multinational conglomerates and imperialism and is therefore incapable of taking Venezuelan society forward, can you have a reconciliation between the forces of capital and the forces of labour? SUCH A RECONCILIATION WOULD BE AT THE EXPENSE OF ALL THE REFORMS THAT HAVE BEEN CARRIED OUT AS THE BOURGEOISIE SEEKS TO RECOVER ITS DOMINANCE IN THIS COUNTRY. Will Chavez be able to resist these pressures? If he relies only on the state bureaucracy, no. If he now mobilises the ranks of the Socialist Party and encourages the setting up of councils in the workplaces, on the land, in the universities and barrios, and brings these councils together at local, regional and national level as alternative organs of power, then he will have a solid social and political base to carry through reforms not on paper but with the living forces of the working class, the peasantry, the marginalised sectors and the students. We have always said that constitutions are bits of paper that reflect the balance of forces at any given moment. The real battle will be between living people outside the realms of assemblies and parliaments. Yes, the result is a setback, but only that. It is not a defeat. Many battles have been won by the Bolivarian Revolution in this war, this battle was lost. The war however continues, and has to continue, because capitalism can offer nothing to the people of Venezuela and Latin America. A starting point in the counter attack must be the war on economic sabotage, the withholding of products from supermarkets by capitalist firms. If people have the food that they need, the basis of support can be rebuilt. The next point of attack must be to take on the state bureaucracy to weed out those who are deliberately sabotaging the pace of existing reforms and to attack head on the corruption that exists. These two measures alone IN DEEDS will do far more to reactivate the basis of ChavezÂ’s support than ALL THE WORDS that have been spoken about the need to move towards socialism. | |
| Posted by:Seafarious |
| #3 Once his opponents start disappearing, you will know the process is complete. Mao got to where he was by liquidating all opposition. Once Chavez begins a murder spree, it is all over. |
| Posted by: crosspatch 2007-12-03 14:14 |
| #2 Gromky, I hate to bring it to you, but stupidity is not an exception, it is a fundamental law of the universe. Leftism is just one expression of stupidity. |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2007-12-03 13:43 |
| #1 Wow, this is like reading Chinese commie stuff. Organizing, mobilizing at the local, regional, and national levels, political base, and the ever-popular imaginary saboteurs. Hard to believe this is actually happening today. |
| Posted by: gromky 2007-12-03 13:13 |