[Edited Message Follows] Gerardo Rojas is a community organiser in Barquisimeto, Lara, and a Chavista activist, a reference to the political movement of the working-class poor that backed former Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez. A founder of the alternative media collective Voces Urgentes ( https://vocesurgentes.wordpress.com/ ) (Urgent Voices) in 2002, he participated in one of the first urban communes, Comuna Socialista Ataroa (2007). Rojas was a vice-minister in the Ministry of Communes in 2015 and is part of the communication, education and political activism collective Tatuy TV ( https://tatuytv.org/quienes-somos/ ) , though the opinions expressed in this interview are his own. Speaking to Federico Fuentes for LINKS International Journal of Socialist Renewal ( https://links.org.au/ ) , Rojas discusses why it is so important that the full results of the July 28 presidential election be published, the current state of community organising in the country and why we might be witnessing the Nicolas Maduro government’s final break with the Bolivarian process of radical change initiated by Chávez.
*What are your thoughts on the fact the National Electoral Council (CNE) has still not published the final results more than a month after the presidential election?* To us it is crazy. This is the first time in Venezuela’s recent history that, 38 days after an election, we still do not have verifiable results broken down by polling booths. [This interview was completed on September 4 and, at the time of publication, no results have been released.] Traditionally, on election night or at the very latest the next day, we would go to the CNE webpage and look at the results, booth by booth, to verify what had occurred in our community and compare the results with the previous election. We did this because we believe that participation and legitimacy is key and fundamental to any democracy, and should not only be left to political parties but involve the community. That was our tradition: meetings to evaluate, compare results between polling centres and draw up a balance sheet. These results are basic ingredients for a vibrant and active democracy, which is the democracy we defend. As important as the total results are, they do not tell you everything you need to know about an election. Publishing the results is not just a legal obligation, it is a basic principle of the Bolivarian Revolution. In an editorial ( https://tatuytv.org/editorial-chavismo-defender-la-verdad-reconstruir-el-camino/ ) that we published as Tatuy TV ( https://tatuytv.org/ ) , we said that [the results] have always been our instrument of struggle and defence in the community, including in those places where [the Chavista movement] did not win, because in some working-class areas the vote was sometimes either very close or we lost. They allowed us to converse, discuss and reactivate. If we have learnt anything from doing community organising it is that communities are broad and diverse, and that community assemblies are where we should all come together, regardless of political differences. That was a clear part of Chávez’s political thinking: not to see diversity and differences within a community as the enemy, so that neighbours could live together in peace. Deconstructing differences was only needed when they became obstacles for community development. That is why publishing the results is an obligation to society, because it is a means to help unblock the current political situation, not only from above but from below. Used this way, they can be an instrument for rebuilding the social-political fabric of our country. We must also never forget that we are not in a normal situation. Our election was held in circumstances that do not exist in any other country. It has to be said: Venezuela is a country under permanent assault from the US empire. We are the victims of illegal mechanisms [such as sanctions] that impact on our country’s income. There is no doubt that we face permanent attacks against the country’s different institutions. Also, in various communities there were attacks on Chavista community leaders in the days after the elections. Sadly, two grassroots activists were assassinated. Unfortunately, this is not new; similar events have occurred during previous moments of political tensions. But I am one of those who believes that none of this is an excuse to not publish detailed election results. In part because it could unblock current political tensions, as it would allow everyone to assume their responsibility amid the complex moment the country is passing through. That is essential. That is why, for me, there is no reason to have still not published the results. There is no technical reason not to have done this after so many days. A PDF uploaded anywhere could be a start. When the CNE had problems with its website in other elections, it set up a mirror site and published information there. There is simply no technical explanation for why we do not have this information. Continue read at https://links.org.au/end-venezuelas-bolivarian-process-interview-community-activist-gerardo-rojas -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#32152): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/32152 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/108363064/21656 -=-=- POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. #4 Do not exceed five posts a day. -=-=- Group Owner: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/8674936/21656/1316126222/xyzzy [[email protected]] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
