[Marxism] VIO Venezuela Weekly News Roundup for Friday, November 2, 2007

["Walter Lippmann" <walterlx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

(There's also a far more comprehensive daily bulletin, but
Marxmailistas may wish to subscribe to this from the VIO 
in Washington, DC.)
===============================================================

VIO Venezuela Weekly News Roundup for Friday, November 2, 2007

Dear Colleagues,

Please see below a roundup of Venezuela news 
for the week ending on Friday, November 2, 2007.

****************

CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM UPDATE

In a concession to opposition demands, President Chavez announced
this week that proposed constitutional reforms may be split up into
several blocks for a national referendum, instead of presented as a
single up-or-down vote. The National Electoral Council indicated
that, by law, one third of the proposed articles may be voted on
separately. This will give Venezuelans more choice on the issues. On
Tuesday, Venezuela's National Assembly held concluding debates on the
69 constitutional articles slated for reform.

Political campaigning for and against the constitutional reforms
begins today, ahead of a national referendum that will allow voters
to accept or reject the reforms. Opposition groups staged a protest
against the reforms in Caracas yesterday. In response, President
Chavez has stated, "Those who don't agree with the project, have the
right not to. They should prepare themselves for December 2 and try
to convince people to vote against the reform." Voter abstention is a
danger; Datanalysis polls suggest that those who oppose the reforms
plan to boycott the referendum. A similar boycott of congressional
elections by the political opposition in 2006 sought to discredit the
government, and led to the exclusion of opposition groups from the
National Assembly. The lawmaking body is deemed partisan as a result,
however, three rounds of debates on the constitutional reforms saw
many modifications and additions based on internal criticisms. Most
notably, Article 337 no longer proposes to restrict citizens' right
to due process during states of national emergency.

Sources report that the reforms would increase presidential powers,
however, it would also afford citizens a greater voice in what is
called "protagonistic democracy" in Venezuela. State funding would be
designated to support communal councils, which are local groups
empowered to identify and solve local problems. Opposition members
criticize greater government involvement in the Central Bank and the
removal of presidential term limits. Important checks on executive
powers would remain in the form of national referendums, which may be
called at any time by voters or legislators. Those in favor of the
constitutional reforms herald provisions that increase workers'
rights by shortening the work week and lowering the voting age, and
do more to recognize diversity and ban discrimination.

CHAVEZ MEETS WITH NEW US ENVOY

President Chavez received the new US Ambassador to Venezuela, Patrick
Duddy, at the presidential palace in Caracas on Monday. Afterward,
Duddy told the press, "We talked about a wide range of issues and our
determination to work in some areas such as drug trafficking for the
well-being of both countries, and (to) find a way to improve
relations." The AP reports that the meeting was a friendly one, and
that both sides have an interest in good relations, as the US is the
leading buyer of Venezuelan oil. Diplomatic relations between the US
and Venezuela became strained in 2002 due to US support for a coup
government that briefly forced President Chavez to leave his elected
post.

US RHETORIC ON DRUGS CRITICIZED

Venezuelan Attorney General Isaias Rodriguez told the Washington Post
last weekend that "The rhetoric against Venezuela on the drug issues
should be put into [the] context" of its geographic positioning
between one of the world's biggest drug producers -- Colombia -- and
biggest markets for drugs -- the U.S.

Rodriguez explained that Venezuela has been used as a transit
country, but has also worked tirelessly to implement effective
anti-trafficking measures. Enforcement efforts have already yielded
higher rates of drug seizures and convictions. A Washington Post
article on the topic faults military officers and airport workers in
Venezuela for the trafficking, but notes that several anti-corruption
purges have taken place. Rodriguez explained that corruption is
isolated, saying, "There are individuals but not institutions that
have been penetrated in the upper ranks." Washington's politicized
claims about drug trafficking in Venezuela is also part of the
context Rodriguez emphasized, saying, "it's absurd and absolutely
unjust the declarations that the Bush administration makes at this
moment." Anti-drug cooperation, which suffered when the DEA was
accused of infringing on Venezuelan national security and defense in
2005. Since then, the Bush administration has made the politicized
claim that trafficking through Venezuela increased.

CHAVEZ AIDS COLOMBIAN HUMANITARIAN DEAL

A humanitarian mediation in Colombia in which President Chavez is
serving as chief negotiator has made strides, according to Colombian
Senator Piedad Cordoba. El Universal reports that recent progress in
brokering a hostage-for-prisoner swap in Colombia is an achievement
previously never thought possible. A representative of the rebel
group FARC has traveled to Venezuela to facilitate communication
after being released from prison to help advance the cause of the
hostage-for-prisoner swap that may free 45 people, including three US
citizens.

A report by the Council on Foreign Relations Thursday highlights
growing cooperation between Venezuela and Colombia. Economic ties are
also on the rise, as trade between the two countries has nearly
doubled this year. This cooperation may last for some time; the
report points out that legislation introduced by President Uribe may
run for a third term in 2010.

OIL PRICES HIGH, SUBSIDIES BENEFIT POOR

Analysts on an National Public Radio program on Wednesday suggested
that Venezuela needs prices of $50-60 per barrel to sustain social
spending. However, the national budget for 2008 released last week is
based on the conservative estimate of $35 per barrel prices, which
still permits $64 billion in state spending next year. State-funded
social programs that have democratized access to health and education
in Venezuela have helped lower the poverty rate, and the renowned
economist Joseph Stiglitz recently praised this redistributive
effort.

The International Herald Tribune reported Tuesday that demand for oil
will continue its long-term ascent. OPEC predictions state that oil's
share in the energy mix will remain around 35% in 2030, practically
unchanged from current rates of consumption. Critics of the Chavez
administration often cite an over-reliance on the volatile commodity
in Venezuela, but other analysts emphasize the durability of global
oil demand.

Gas prices within Venezuela have been subsidized since the 1940s, a
fact which allows citizens to benefit from the nation's natural
resource wealth. The New York Times reported on the subsidies
Tuesday, suggesting that they are costly and impractical. Wealthy
Venezuelans who own luxury cars are contrasted with their poorer
countrymen who rely on public transportation, and the latter are said
to be losing out in the deal. In fact, the poor are the chief
beneficiaries of cheap gas, for they hire cars where public buses do
not run (for example, on dirt roads in the barrios). Venezuelans
across all social classes are aware that they pay low prices at the
pump, prices they are quick to point out are cheaper than what they
pay for clean water. Venezuela also sends subsidized oil to the U.S.,
England, Colombia, and the Caribbean. The subsidies help poor people
in those countries just as they do in Venezuela.

BANK OF THE SOUTH TO OPEN IN DECEMBER

The launch date for the new Bank of the South, a financial
institution with 8 member countries in South America, has been pushed
back to early December. According to Mark Weisbrot of the Center for
Economic and Policy Research, the initiative will reduce dependence
of these countries on Washington. On board is South America's biggest
economic player, Brazil, where President Lula da Silva has said,
""Developing nations must create their own mechanisms of finance
instead of suffering under those of the IMF and the World Bank, which
are institutions of rich nations . . . it is time to wake up."

VENEZUELA LEADS BID TO END EMBARGO

Venezuelan Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Jorge Valero endorsed a
bid to end the US embargo against Cuba before a gathering of the
United Nations on Tuesday. A government report called the embargo
"cruel and punitive," and "a genocidal action that has caused serious
social and economic impact on the Cuban people." UN member countries
voted 184 to 4 to end the embargo against Cuba. The issue has
steadily gained support since it was first voted on by the UN in
1992.

CINEMA CITY REVOLUTIONIZES VENEZUELAN FILM

The BBC reported Thursday on the new government-funded Cinema City, a
state-of-the art movie production center that is designed to refocus
national attention on Venezuela's unique history and culture through
the medium of film. A first feature about the independence leader
Francisco de Miranda premiered on October 11th, and a biopic of the
Haitian revolutionary Touissant L'Ouverture is planned under the
direction of US actor Danny Glover. While some have criticized
government funding for the arts, the BBC reports that Cinema City is
inspiring young writers, directors, and producers, and reshaping the
Venezuelan film industry in a way that, ultimately, is very positive.

VENEZUELAN CONDUCTOR INSPIRES L.A.

Finally, in cultural news, Venezuelan Conductor Gustavo Dudamel was
profiled in the New York Times Magazine last Sunday. The head of the
Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra is deemed "the most-talked-about
young musician in the world." Dudamel is a product of
government-funded music programs in Venezuela benefit low-income
youth, and will initiate a similar program called "Youth Orchestra
L.A." that could revolutionize music education in the U.S.


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