Former Chavez Minister from Venezuela speaks

by Emily Mon Jun 19, 2006 11:15

So the SWP have joined in the US campaign against Chavez. Keep it up. Drip by incremental drip you will do the State Departments work by undermining Chavezs reputatation abroad. If only Chavez was a Mullah then the SWP might support him. But Chavez works for the poor and supports womens rights. Cant have that.

by redjade Mon Jun 19, 2006 11:39

Yes it is interesting to see the SWP promote a critical view of Chavez. I hope someone sits down with Roland Denis with a digital dictaphone and interviews him for indymedia - would be an interesting conversation.

It's been fun to watch Chavez make himself into the #2 Latin American leader to give the finger to Uncle Sam - heir to that role after Castro dies, especially. And it is good to see Chavez do what I think was unprecedented in Latin American history - reverse a CIA Coup.

But we also have to ask how of this is only Oil Fueled Populism and 'grassroots democracy' imposed from above?

We should always question authority and not make demagogues into heros.

———

from Problems and Opportunities for Citizen Power in Venezuela (Dec 07, 2004)
There exist two principal schools of thought which recognize the value and necessity of participatory democracy and endorse the concept of the CLPPs yet are critical of the current form in which the law is implemented. The first, and more radical of the two, represented by long-time Venezuelan activist and former Vice-minister of Local Planning Roland Denis postulates that the model is so fundamentally flawed that the only adequate solution it to abolish the Law of the CLPPs, redraft it and thus implement an entirely different model of participatory democracy. Denis has worked with and supported the Bolivarian government since its inception in 1999. Although he endorses the concept of participatory democracy, from his point of view the Law of the CLPPs is intentionally flawed in an effort by reactionary elements within Chavez’ government who are trying to sabotage the goal of creating an active, participative political culture.

According to Roland Denis, favorable conditions[1] for the implementation of a participatory democratic model do not exist for three reasons....

Go read the rest at....
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artno=1331

Roland Denis will also be speaking at
Marxism 2006: A festival of resistance
http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/article.php?article_id...=8987

by Emily Mon Jun 19, 2006 12:08

"We should always question authority and not make demagogues into heros."

Exactly. But the SWP dont exactly encourage anyone to question authority and they make minor demagogues like RBB into a hero. The Cult of the Personality around RBB is frightening, he is Chair of at least six different SWP Fronts.

The record of Chavez should be questioned but only those who believe in democracy and bottom up socialism are in a position to do it. The SWP certainly are not.

by Non SWP Mon Jun 19, 2006 16:59

It's interesting alright that the SWP seem to be more critical of leaders and movements, the better they are. I've been at SWP meetings where they tore into the Zapatistas, accusing them of all kinds of ideological errors. I've also been at meetings where they praised FARC to the nines. Any objective person would have to say that the EZLN is far more democratic and much smarter in its use of violence than the FARC. Similarly, the Iraqi resistance gets the thumbs up, while Chavez gets criticised. There may be some logic at work there, but it escapes me

by redjade Tue Jul 11, 2006 00:39

The Progressive: Your opponents are saying that you are beginning a slow-motion dictatorship. Is that what we are seeing?

Hugo Chávez: They have been saying that for a long time. When they’re short of ideas, any excuse will do as a vehicle for lies. That is totally false. I would like to invite the citizens of Great Britain and the citizens of the U.S. and the citizens of the world to come here and walk freely through the streets of Venezuela, to talk to anyone they want, to watch television, to read the papers. We are building a true democracy, with human rights for everyone, social rights, education, health care, pensions, social security, and jobs.

full interview at...
http://progressive.org/mag_intv0706

by The Cat Tue Jul 11, 2006 14:11

I do not think you would like Damascus all that much either. While you can be any religion or none, as an attractive young woman you can expect to be hissed at and tisked continually in the streets by young muppets who are raised to behave in this way from a very young age. They may have female MPs, but the role of the woman is in the house, minding her aging parents, or her husband and children.

You never did tell me about that tank.

by Tank Girl Tue Jul 11, 2006 14:22

Syria, is a country of two halfs, the urban and the rural, the rich and the poor. Its also a dictatorship, I am aware of that . But it has some interesting points, as far as I am aware, at least in the cities women only wear the hijab by choice.

This is an article which might be useful.

The many and the happy few
William Dalrymple
Monday 5th June 2006

Syria - Politically repressive, the minority Alawite rulers have encouraged a surprising religious tolerance. By William Dalrymple

Few would deny that Syria has much to reform. It is a one-party Ba'athist state where political activists are suppressed and an extensive network of secret police fills the jails with political prisoners, many of whom will never come before a judge. Violent opposition to the regime is met with overwhelming force, most dramatically in the case of the armed rising of the Muslim Brotherhood in Hama in 1982: the city was sealed off and at least 10,000 people were killed.

Yet the balance sheet is far from one-sided. With the Pentagon already draw-ing up invasion plans, while Iraq slides ever closer to civil war and anarchy, and with the Taliban resurgent in southern Afghanistan, it is well to consider carefully what would be lost if President Bashar al-Assad's regime were to be deposed.

Syria may be a one-party police state, but it is a police state that tends to leave its citizens alone as long as they keep out of politics. And while political freedoms have always been severely and often brutally restricted, both the current and the previous president, Hafez al-Assad, have allowed the Syrian people widespread cultural and religious freedoms. Today, these give Syria's minorities a security and stability far greater than those of their counterparts elsewhere in the region.

by Con CArroll - class-war Thu Jul 13, 2006 15:00

mindboggling how the swp forget the facts of history during the attempt coup in Venezuela
the role the Cuban government gave to Chavez by telling the international media that Chavez hadnt resigned as president

by dunk Thu Jul 13, 2006 18:59 fuspey at yahoo dot co dot uk

great to hear from roland, great to see he stress's the link with the grassroots as much as he outlined, i feel this could have been hugely expanded upon and it would have been interesting to relate that back to our situation here, esp in terms of the swp' s past "alleged" history of dictating and not listening - but - fair play to them for getting him over, more of it -

agreed - further left network growth is called for

related

on democracy now's news today, chavez said
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez: "From here, I say to the North American empire that instead of thinking about a transition plan for the Cuban revolution or for the Venezuelan revolution, they should be elaborating on a transition plan for themselves because this century the North American empire is going to end."

hear that and more
at

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/07/13/1420259

would also have liked to hear from roland about the role radio has played, he briefly mentioned the build up of more stations and spaces - all for communication - 2 way listening
our own attempt at that here:
building up the RADICAL radio network
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/71892

a woman recorded last nights talk, can she please upload on imc-radio and post here, email me if you need assistance

anyway,

well done

thanks

dunk