This speech was given at a rally in Sydney on April 19 as part of a global day of solidarity with Venezuela.
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Sadly, we have been witnessing over the last few days a course of events that has been all too familiar in our time, especially in Latin America.
The world's richest state, the one that has just 5% of the population but consumes 25% of the world's fossil fuels, produces 72% of the world's waste and accounts for nearly half of the world's military spending, conspires to destabilise a democratically elected progressive government through violent means.
Venezuela
As Venezuelan people fight to have the elected government of Nicolas Maduro recognised, the nation’s democracy and election processes have been questioned by Australian media.
Australians, as well as being told how lucky they are to live in such a prosperous country, are also told how lucky they are to live in a democracy where opinions are heard, unlike in other countries.
But this onerous truism doesn’t really stand up to comparison.
There have been some historical achievements in Australia, even if this was still marked by ugliness.
Venezuela’s socialist president, Hugo Chavez, died on March 5, and if there is one thing we can take away from coverage in the Western mainstream media is there is now one less dictator threatening the free world.
Sure, on the surface, Chavez didn’t really seem like much of a dictator, what with the whole coming to power through free elections and encouraging unprecedented political participation by ordinary citizens thing. But it is just like those serial killers whose neighbours always say seemed so nice until the horrible truth came out.
More than 40 people came to hear Miguel Angel Nunez, a co-founder of IPIAT (the Institute for Production and Research in Tropical Agriculture) in Venezuela and a former coordinator of the Latin American Agroecological Movement at a public forum in Sydney on January 30.
The speaker was welcomed by Miriam Navarro, representing the Venezuelan embassy in Australia. The forum was organised by the Australia Venezuela Solidarity Network and supported by the embassy and the Latin American Social Forum.
Trade unionists from more than 30 countries met in Caracas for the Third Union Encounter of Our Americas also expressed their support for Venezuela and willingness to mobilise to stop any possible aggression.
“In the face of any attempt by Colombia or any other country, to obstruct the revolution [in Venezuela], the working class will come out bravely to defend the process and the country”, said Marcela Maspero, a national coordinator of National Union of Workers (UNT) in Venezuela.
Alarm bells should be ringing as the threat of war looms on the horizon, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez warned in his July 18 weekly column.
The warning came after tensions again flared with neighbouring Colombia, and the Central American nation of Costa Rica agreed to 6000 US troops being deployed on its soil.
Chavez placed Venezuela on high alert and broke diplomatic relations with Colombia after a July 22 meeting of the Organisation of American States (OAS).
May Day in Caracas, Venezuela, was “deeply inspiring”, Adrian Evans, deputy state secretary of the WA Maritime Union of Australia, told a meeting of 40 people in Fremantle on June 16. Evans travelled to Venezuela as part of the Australia-Venezuela Solidarity Network’s 2010 May Day brigade.
“I love May Day in Fremantle”, he said. “But, I can tell you, being with one-and-a-half million workers was incredible.”
The May 2 internal pre-selection of United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) candidates for the September 26 national elections was an example of the mobilising force of this mass party in construction.
More than 2.5 million party members participated. This demonstrated the PSUV is the largest national political force, and highlighted its democratic and participatory nature.
The participation rate was greater than the 2.3 million people who voted to pre-select PSUV candidates for governors and mayors in 2008.
Journalists Nic Ford and Rodrigo Acuña will be speaking about their forthcoming documentary film 'Venezuela: The Cost of Challenging an Empire' and screening a short excerpt.
Report back, discussion and questions with three long term Venezuela solidarity activists fresh from the LASNET Solidarity Delegation to Venezuela March 2019.
Speakers:
Frederico Fuentes (Australia-Venezuela Solidarity Network)
Lucho Riquelme (Latin America Solidarity Network - LASNET)
Joe Montero (Media Arts and Entertainment Alliance)
Wenesday 27 March
7pm
Trades Hall,
Lygon St,
Carlton
Location: 43 Below, Cnr. Hay and Barrack Streets.
Topic -'Situation in Venezuela'
Politics in the Pub
Gaelic Club, 64 Devonshire St, Surry Hills
Speakers: Coral Wynter, author, Voices from Venezuela; Fred Fuentes, co author, Latin America's Turbulent Transitions. All welcome. Parking after 6 pm. 5 mins from Central Station. Bar opens at 6pm.
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