[Pen-l] Why I'm helping Hugo - Ken Livingstone

["Charles Brown" <charlesb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Why I'm helping Hugo - Ken Livingstone

  Why I'm helping Hugo


    Despite what the media say, ChÃvez is a leader who listens to his
    people. I'm happy to take up a new job as his urban adviser

    *
          o Ken Livingstone
            <http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/kenlivingstone>
          o guardian.co.uk <http://www.guardian.co.uk/>,
          o Friday August 29 2008 11:30 BST
          o Article history

There are some countries whose reality is distorted by sections of the 
media. And some about which straightforward lies are written. My first 
trip to Caracas 
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/aug/28/livingstone.venezuela> 
revealed Venezuela to be firmly in the second category.

The idea that this country is a dictatorship 
<http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-venezuela28nov28,0,3333340.story?coll=la-opinion-leftrail> 
is ridiculous - probably some of those assiduously promoting it have 
difficulty in keeping a straight face. Some "dictatorship" where the 
president accepts the loss of a referendum 
<http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/12/03/venezuela.referendum/> 
to change the constitution, which holds more national elections than 
virtually any other country in the world, and where walls and lamp-posts 
in areas of Caracas are vividly festooned with posters of anti-ChÃvez 
candidates. No, a dictatorship is a country like Saudi Arabia 
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/oct/29/saudiarabia.uk> - whose 
leader is of course officially feted on visits to London.

Attending 
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/aug/28/livingstone.venezuela?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront> 
a meeting with pro-ChÃvez candidates for the forthcoming local 
government elections in the capital, there was very definitely no 
certainty of success - as with the recent constitutional referendum, 
defeat was possible. The discussion, as with any local election in 
Britain, was how to address practical issues affecting peoples' quality 
of life.

Caracas showed visibly the problems the country faces and progress made 
in recent years. In west central districts the houses of the old elite 
and upper-middle class are better than the most upmarket London suburb. 
They are surrounded by several million people living in poverty in 
"barrios" - rough-built slums perched on the side of mountains without 
basic facilities. These areas were not even marked on the maps under 
previous administrations!

This is the product of a system where tens of billions of dollars of oil 
wealth each year were sent abroad to serve this elite without addressing 
the most elementary questions of quality of life of the majority of people.

That has changed. A trip to one of many new community facilities showed 
how millions of people have been given access to a new free healthcare 
system, including dentistry. Illiteracy 
<http://www.rethinkvenezuela.com/downloads/literacy.htm> has been 
eliminated to Unesco standards. Further education is being rapidly expanded.

A top priority now is to transform the basic infrastructure throughout 
the city. So that, as mayoral candidates put it to me, people feel like 
citizens with a stake in their neighbourhoods.

The keys are reducing crime and transforming the city's economic 
efficiency and quality of life.

A remarkable programme of expansion of tube and rail lines in poor areas 
has begun. Alongside this it is necessary to tackle congestion, improve 
bus services, develop community policing, tackle waste and environmental 
protection.

Venezuela always had the resources, and now has the political will, to 
begin to raise its cities to world-class standards. But it needs 
expertise to do this effectively and rapidly.

That is where London's experience helps. Between 2000 and 2008 London 
was recognised as the most successful city of its size in world and 
transformed its bus services, put the police back into local 
communities, tackled traffic congestion and won the Olympics.

That experience is now sought by very many other cities - including 
Caracas. It is why President ChÃvez invited me to Venezuela and why, 
together with other cities, I am pleased to continue the programme of 
advice and discussion between London and Venezuela.






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