[Marxism] PSUV youth founding congress - revolutionary youth fighting for the future

["Stuart Munckton" <stuartmunckton@xxxxxxxxx>]

Revolutionary youth fighting for the future
Fred Fuentes, Caracas
20 September 2008


*Amid growing tensions between the United States and Latin America, nearly
1200 young people — representing thousands more — met in the Venezuelan city
of Puerto Ordaz on September 11-13 to found the United Socialist Party of
Venezuela Youth (JPSUV).*

 The backdrop to the congress was the increased aggression of US imperialism
against the peoples and governments of South America. Less than 24 hours
before convening the JPSUV's founding congress, evidence of a planned coup
and assassination attempt against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was
revealed. At the same time, in Bolivia the conflict between the indigenous
government of Evo Morales and the right-wing opposition, backed by the US
government, threatened to lead to civil war.

The congress was the result of several months of preparation, where members
of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela under the age of 28 began to
organise themselves into youth teams of 10 people each and build towards
creating a socialist youth organisation.

After weeks of discussion, each youth team elected a spokesperson.
Afterwards, the spokespeople came together in a meeting of 10 spokespeople
from their local area to elect a delegate to the founding congress.

Previous attempts to organise young people have included the Federation of
Bolivarian Students and the Frente Francisco de Miranda, however the JPSUV
is the first of its kind to be constructed from the grassroots.

Sitting around 47 tables discussing the program, politics and statutes of
the new organisation, the congress erupted into cheers and chants as they
heard Chavez over the television announcing the dignified decision to expel
the US ambassador from Venezuela. "Go to hell, Yankee shit", proclaimed
Chavez, sending the ambassador packing due to his role in destablising the
Venezuelan government, and in solidarity with the decision by Morales to
expel the US ambassador to Bolivia only days before.

These delegates made up the majority of 2000 people who gathered to hear
Chavez close the congress.

Standing together with the rest of the international delegates on the stage,
we joined in with the exuberant crowd as the audience continuously broke out
in anti-imperialist chants, and danced as they waited for the leader of the
revolution.

"If the conflict begins, we want guns!" they exclaimed, to which Chavez
responded "The conflict has already begun!" adding that "a conflict has
begun across the continent and the world".

Welcoming the creation of the JPSUV as a powerful instrument to help
organise young people and push forward the revolution, Chavez reminded those
present that the doors were also open for young people to join the National
Bolivarian Armed Forces and the Bolivarian Popular Militias in order to
defend the revolution, which today is directly in the firing line of US
imperialism.

He announced that, as part of the restructuring of the armed forces, he
would make half-time military service available to young people, so they
could spend half the week training in the barracks and the other half
studying or doing social work.

While the exact number of youth involved throughout the entire process is
hard to calculate, and undoubtably not everything went to plan, the congress
left no doubt that we were in the presence of a truly mass organisation of
socialist youth committed to the defence of the revolution.

The formation of the JPSUV started a process of cohering dispersed sectors,
organisations and, above all, individuals previously unorganised, into a
powerful tool for the revolution.

Being able to participate as one of more than 20 official international
delegates from 16 countries in Latin America, Europe and Oceania,
representing the socialist youth organisation, Resistance, I could see — in
the discussions and debates over issues such as food sovereignty, defence of
the nation and the statutes of the organisation — that here was a range of
young people from different backgrounds, experiences and political levels,
all willing to actively participate and have their voices heard.

For example, some of the originally proposed statutes, seen by many of the
delegates as top-down, were reformed, allowing for more active participation
at all levels of the JPSUV. The congress also approved a declaration of
principles and various documents rejecting the planned coup against Chavez
and in solidarity with the Bolivian government.

The election of the national leadership, to be made up of 30 people — 27
elected by the grassroots and three elected by indigenous members of the
PSUV — was deferred to a later date.

Commenting on the congress, Hector Rodriguez, who is part of the promoters
commission for the JPSUV and recently designated secretary of the
presidency, said this event was "historic", as never before had Venezuela
had a political youth movement of this size.

Rodriguez said: "As young people we have been told that we are the future,
but this is a lie they have been telling us. If we look at the world today,
we do not have a future in front of us. Instead, what is necessary is for
young people to organise themselves and fight to make that future we all
dream of a reality."

"That is why we are here to give our all for the revolution, our joy, our
hope, our light and even our lives if necessary, for a better homeland, for
a dignified homeland, for a revolutionary homeland", he said.

Following the successful congress, a meeting of international delegates
together with JPSUV leaders, including Rodriguez, was held in Miraflores
Palace. The meeting agreed to put more effort into strengthening the Student
Network for the Unity of Our America, REUNA, as well as working towards a
congress of Latin American left youth organisations, with observers from the
rest of the world, in the first quarter of next year, to propose an alliance
of these organisations.

[Fred Fuentes isa meber of the socialist youth organisation Resistance,visit
http://www.resistance.org.au.]

From: Comment & Analysis, Green Left Weekly issue
#768<http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2008/768>24 September 2008.

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