Spring 2005 El Aviso - Members.efn.org

Venezuelan landslides, then and now
In December of 1999, in the State of
Vargas, on the Caribbean coast of
Venezuela, almost an entire face of a
mountain slid into the sea, taking
homes and over 30,000 lives. It was
considered one of the greatest tragedies
of Venezuelan history and a
major test of the Chávez presidency.
Chávez used the Venezuelan military
to work for the reconstruction and
even housed orphaned children in the
presidential palace. His handling
demonstrated the government’s ability
to deal with the immensity of the
catastrophe while keeping the United
States at arm’s length.
The US government offered assistance.
The Chávez administration
refused to accept it. This act was
illustrative of the President’s position
towards the US. Chávez knew that
US aid came at a price: the placement
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of US Marines on Venezuelan soil as
a non-negotiable part of the aid
package. Chávez declared that he
would take monetary assistance, but
had no interest in a US military
presence.
In August 2004, there was another
landslide. After surviving a botched
coup d’etat, multiple sabotages, and a
work stoppage organized by the
extremely wealthy in Venezuela, the
Chávez administration agreed to a
recall referendum. In effect, he called
the bluff of the opposition and the
result was a landslide victory for
President Chávez, about 60 percent in
favor of continuing the Bolivarian
revolution—named after Simon
Bolivar, the revolutionary hero of the
19 th century who fought off the
Spanish.
This revolution takes the form of
missions, each focused on a certain
aspect of societal improvement. The
missions play a major role in community
organization and directly assist
the poorest and most marginalized
communities. The medical training
takes advantage of an interchange
with Cuba, allowing Venezuelans
from marginalized communities to
attend one of the best health care
education systems in the Western
Hemisphere. In exchange, Cuban
doctors live in the poorest barrios,
giving free medical care 24 hours a
day. While my wife and I were in
Barquisimeto, a
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city in the west
of Venezuela, we
witnessed the
missions in
action, promoting
health in
communities and
encouraging
youth participation
in community
radio
projects.
Chávez recently confronted the US,
saying that he would not tolerate
further meddling in Venezuela. Any
US invasion, assassination, or aid in a
coup would result in an embargo of
petroleum exports to the US from
Venezuela—a serious threat from the
US’ 4 th largest supplier. These comments
came in the wake of Secretary
of State Condeleeza Rice’s confirmation
hearing, where she made explicit
reference to the Chávez administration
by claiming,“I see nothing
positive about his administration.”
Rice openly threatened Venezuela in
the hearing, but a group of Republican
and Democratic senators decried her
open attacks on Venezuela, at a time
when the US is in need of a steady
supply of petroleum.
In January 2005, Venezuela experienced
torrential rains in the state of
Vargas, which again resulted in
massive landslides. Chávez’s land
redistribution policies were designed
to help encourage people back to the
land. They would both alleviate the
strain on the shantytowns and boost
agricultural self-sufficiency. These
projects do not happen overnight.
Some might say that more would have
gotten done in the ensuing years since
1999, if there had not been a constant
anti-democratic threat from the right.
As it stands, the country was far better
prepared for the landslides than in
1999 and is well into the process of
recovery.
All is not grim for Venezuela. Recently,
one of the primary coup
plotters was captured in Venezuela.
Carlos Ortega, former leader of the
CTV, a corrupt labor union with close
ties to the largest companies in
Venezuela, is now awaiting trial for
treason and other charges. A fair trial
and sentencing for Ortega could
reverse the trend of impunity and
perhaps, send a message to the antidemocratic
forces.
Venezuela is not perfect. It suffers
from a great deal of problems shared
by most of Latin America. However,
the country offers the hope of a
revolution in its infancy. Certainly,
oppressed Venezuelan communities
have benefited in the 6 years of the
Chávez administration more than
since any time in recent history.
People concerned for the well-being
of the Venezuelan people ought to
remain vigilant and decry the current
US policies in Venezuela.
-Ron Smith
Page 6 El Aviso