We are publishing this article from Venezuelan socialists in order to stimulate discussion about how to oppose imperialist pressure/intervention against their country by the reactionary Trump administration and its allies. As revolutionaries, many of us based inside the imperialist countries, we need to direct most of our fire against Trump and other would-be interventionists. This is especially crucial given the administration’s outright threat of a U.S. military invasion of Venezuela and the sanctions it imposed on importing oil from Venezuela on January 29, which will have a devastating impact on lives of its people. This marks the most open and virulent effort on the part of the U.S. to violate the sovereignty of a Latin American nation in 30 years. At the same time, our opposition to imperialism is on a Marxist-Humanist basis. Therefore we also oppose the Maduro regime’s increasingly anti-democratic and autocratic policies, without in any way supporting the rightwing U.S.-backed opposition. We look forward to comments from our readers. Originally appeared on January 24, 2019 here — Editors
Only the sovereign mobilized people can decide its destiny, in a referendum and general elections
The Venezuelan people, mobilized along all social sectors, taking to the streets from the poor neighborhoods, is demonstrating that it is fed up with Maduro. The people will no longer tolerate the policies of hunger and destruction of labor rights, elimination of the right to healthcare and medicine shortages, degradation of public services, extreme corruption and routine repression.
This explains why a large part of the population mobilized to the marches called by the self-proclaimed Guaidó. Not because they are prepared to recognize whomever wants to snatch power, but because broad sectors of the population are fed up and don´t want any more of this. Even those who work in the public sector who remain silent or are forced to go to the government´s mobilizations to avoid retaliations at work, seeing their reception of CLAP subsidies affected, or endangering their Misión Vivienda homes. Word of mouth, within Chavism, also reflects exhaustion, annoyance and the progressive loss of fear.
Workers and the people have not been able to build an independent alternative of their own, to represent their real interests and anguish, and are trapped between the bureaucracy and capital. The result of this is the resurgence of polarization between the politicians of a corrupt government that controls power, and the parliamentarians of the parties of the capitalists that exploit workers.
Because the bosses that finance and promote the opposition parties of the traditional right, are also benefited by paying the miserable wages imposed by the government of Maduro, the PSUV and the military. And their proposal is no different in respect to continue unloading the cost of the crisis on the people while they secure their profits.
From the National Assembly, they aim to form a new government and use the people´s energy in their favor, because we lack strong organizations of our own to channel the struggle against Maduro´s government. But the National Assembly and the United States cannot impose governments on the Venezuelan people; neither can Maduro. They are all usurpers and they fight over the control of the state to maintain the people subdued and exploited.
Our unions and popular organizations are largely destroyed, corrupted or subordinated to the state apparatus, and another part of them has ceded its political independence to the leaders of the capitalist class that exploits us. This is why, not having yet escaped the authoritarian trap of Maduro, we are already falling into the trap of Guaidó´s coup (of the Voluntad Popular party), backed by the United States, who defends its own interests, opposed to those of the Venezuelan people.
We are now in danger of a confrontation between two governments -both illegitimate, and one of them supported by the United States- escalating into a civil war, or more direct forms of imperialist intervention by the Trump administration. We must also alert that the government takes advantage of each attempted bower grab by the right to unleash a wave of repression to submit the people and silence all protest.
In this situation, Marea Socialista calls on people to continue on the streets protesting against the oppressive government, but we must move with our own working class and peoples´ agenda, and not behind the right wing parliamentarians or the PSUV bureaucracy, and we must not accept any foreign intervention.
Marea Socialista calls for uniting all who understand the necessity of building our own fighting organization, to raise a new political alternative of our class and popular sectors who are suffering, to defend our interests and rights.
- The people no longer want Maduro, and no one chose Guaidó.
- Popular referendum for the people to legitimize all powers (Art. 71 of the Constitution).
- Renovation of the National Electoral Council to reclaim its independence and call for new elections.
- Emergency economic plan in favor of workers and the people, to confront the crisis, recover wages and access food.
- No to the relinquishing of sovereignty.
- No to the intervention and meddling of the United States and the Lima Group.
- Let´s continue the struggle for our living conditions: wages, labor rights, public services, democratic rights.
- No coup or negotiations behind the peoples´ backs.
- Political autonomy for workers and popular sectors.
- No more following the politicians of the ruling bureaucracy or the capitalists.
- Not bureaucracy, nor capital!
- They must all go!
- The people must exercise its sovereignty.
- No repression: liberation of all political prisoners, respect for human rights.
- For a government of the workers and the people, not of the traditional bourgeoisie nor of the “reddish” bourgeoisie.
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2 Comments
LEAVE A REPLY
2 Comments
- Hamid Vahed on February 9, 2019 at 4:58 pm
I agree with Marea Socialista’s policy, but I disagree with his tactic . Marea Socialista stays in the camp of traditional bourgeois and criticizes both camps. I know you can not stay out of these two camps , but when you stay in Guaido’s camp you become part of U.S intervention. There is more opportunities in Maduro’s camp to ask these demands since at least the populist government talks about reforms and confrontation with imperialism.
- Paulo Morel on February 10, 2019 at 3:05 pm
Whether we like it or not there is no middle ground here. The fall of Maduro will only benefit US imperialism and the extreme right wing in Venezuela and in Latin América with the likes of Macri and Bolsonaro. Make no mistake about it. And above all we should not collaborate with the enemy and their sweet talk about democracy and rights meaning war and conquest. The perspective is not the same from the South.
I agree with Marea Socialista’s policy, but I disagree with his tactic . Marea Socialista stays in the camp of traditional bourgeois and criticizes both camps. I know you can not stay out of these two camps , but when you stay in Guaido’s camp you become part of U.S intervention. There is more opportunities in Maduro’s camp to ask these demands since at least the populist government talks about reforms and confrontation with imperialism.
Whether we like it or not there is no middle ground here. The fall of Maduro will only benefit US imperialism and the extreme right wing in Venezuela and in Latin América with the likes of Macri and Bolsonaro. Make no mistake about it. And above all we should not collaborate with the enemy and their sweet talk about democracy and rights meaning war and conquest. The perspective is not the same from the South.