Excerpt (full translation below): > > For years, internal debate was suppressed and repressed because we were > under siege from imperialism and the international right wing. It did not > matter whether the discussion was about the best way to resist without > sacrificing the project. We had to remain silent in the face of all manner > of abuses, for, they argued, if the right wing came to power, it would > dismantle all the revolution’s achievements and hand over the oil on a > silver platter to the US. > > Now government propagandists want to prove that you can square the circle > — that what has all the hallmarks of colonial surrender and submission is > in fact a “win-win” strategic advance. > > There is no more serious or outrageous mistake than taking the people for > fools. For months we were told that we had to prepare for a people’s war, > that the US would face its “Vietnam 2.0” and not receive a single drop of > oil if it attacked Venezuela. Nobody wanted a bloodbath, but it was > asserted that we had to resist, asymmetrically, against imperialist > aggression. Then it turned out we did not have enough weapons, and they > explained to us, using plasticine figures, that being a vassal of the > empire is not such a bad thing. > > Another central argument was internationalism. We were told that, despite > all the setbacks and internal contradictions, Venezuela was still on the > “good side” — that of multipolarity. That was no lie. Venezuela maintained > relations with and sent oil to Cuba (albeit less than in the past), > supported Iran, defended the Palestinian cause tooth and nail, and > denounced imperialism in multilateral forums. > > Nowadays, its foreign policy is no different from that of any other > country subservient to Washington. Not a drop of oil for Cuba, zero > support for Iran, an alliance with the Gulf monarchies, silence on > Palestine and restored relations with Israel. Strategic relations with > Russia and China are being sidelined, with their companies gradually being > pushed out to make way for those authorised by Trump. > > Those who adapt to and justify any scenario are opportunists who lack any > principles. Their sole objective is to remain in power, even if it means > implementing the exact opposite of what was previously proclaimed. The > current leadership has simply come to the conclusion that the best bet for > staying in power is to be as useful as possible to imperialism. > >
--------------------------------------------------- *The Battle to Reclaim Our History* By Tatuy Televisión Comunistaria (translated by Federico Fuentes) Tatuy TV celebrates its 19th anniversary at a very difficult time in our history as an independent nation. With our people drowning under daily hardship and our sovereignty under threat on several fronts, the outlook is, by all accounts, bleak. In this editorial, we offer a snapshot of the situation in Venezuela. Not to plunge us further into despair, but to reject the normalisation of the current course. We refuse to accept this neo-colonisation as inevitable, let alone desirable. A clear understanding of the current context is essential if we are to regroup and rebuild our future. *Pessimism of the intellect* Although the story did not begin on January 3 (and we must analyse how we got to that point), recent months have been characterised by a dizzying political shift in favour of the bourgeoisie — both domestic and foreign — and US imperialism. Our current situation as a country is one of completely mortgaged sovereignty. If oil revenues go into a US Treasury account, and the national government has to submit a budget for its own resources to be (partially) released; if judicial and electoral bodies are appointed under US supervision; if the most important laws are drafted in consultation with the White House and Chevron executives; if the imperial army can freely come and go and bomb whatever it fancies on national territory; what is really left of an independent nation? In what world can a country that maintains criminal sanctions against our people, that bombed Venezuela and kidnapped the president, be an “ally”? The US ambassador struts about “inspecting” infrastructure and hospitals as if he was the manager of the farm, escorted by the Democratic Action-affiliated First Deputy Foreign Minister, smiling like a good little US lapdog. We could dwell on the battle of figures surrounding the recent “historic” oil agreement with the Trump administration. However, the analysis is quite clear. The national government has already rolled back national control and participation in the oil industry to disastrous levels, and this agreement will offer even less favourable terms for the country. Quite simply, Venezuela’s oil reserves — even if they formally remain its property — have been placed at the service of an empire seeking to halt its decline. That gringo monster, which sows death and destruction across the globe, is now fuelled by Venezuelan oil. *Selling hot air and hoping for a trickle* If in recent years there was any gap between the policy of class conciliation (under economic blockade) and a discourse that retained certain key elements of the Bolivarian project, that gap has now been completely closed. Gone are any notions that PDVSA can produce oil, that housing is a right and not a commodity, that land should belong to those who work it, etc, not to mention terms such as “socialism” or “imperialism”, which have vanished entirely. Instead, the aim today is exclusively to create the best possible conditions for capital. Laws must be reformed, assets denationalised and privatised, people evicted in rural and urban areas, foreign currency handed out without restraint, labour regulations made more flexible — whatever it takes to ensure that the wealthy feel confident they will make even more money. And then the trickle-down effect will follow. All the key tenets of the neoliberal discourse of the past 40 years are now commonplace in the national government’s rhetoric. The message is that we must attract investment because that is the only way to create jobs, and that the only way to have schools and hospitals is by subordinating the energy sector to the US and its business community. There is no better example of this surrender to foreign and capitalist interests than the fact that half the country is permanently in the dark so that corporations can continue to extract their profits from our subsoil. And the avalanche of setbacks is far from over. Still to be implemented are the government’s plan to privatise state assets, the labour reform tailored to [big business chamber of commerce] Fedecámaras’s needs, the state’s downsizing in the name of “efficiency”, and debt restructuring as massive as it is illegitimate, designed to deepen Venezuela’s dependence even further. *Simultaneously tragedy and farce* For years, internal debate was suppressed and repressed because we were under siege from imperialism and the international right wing. It did not matter whether the discussion was about the best way to resist without sacrificing the project. We had to remain silent in the face of all manner of abuses, for, they argued, if the right wing came to power, it would dismantle all the revolution’s achievements and hand over the oil on a silver platter to the US. Now government propagandists want to prove that you can square the circle — that what has all the hallmarks of colonial surrender and submission is in fact a “win-win” strategic advance. There is no more serious or outrageous mistake than taking the people for fools. For months we were told that we had to prepare for a people’s war, that the US would face its “Vietnam 2.0” and not receive a single drop of oil if it attacked Venezuela. Nobody wanted a bloodbath, but it was asserted that we had to resist, asymmetrically, against imperialist aggression. Then it turned out we did not have enough weapons, and they explained to us, using plasticine figures, that being a vassal of the empire is not such a bad thing. Another central argument was internationalism. We were told that, despite all the setbacks and internal contradictions, Venezuela was still on the “good side” — that of multipolarity. That was no lie. Venezuela maintained relations with and sent oil to Cuba (albeit less than in the past), supported Iran, defended the Palestinian cause tooth and nail, and denounced imperialism in multilateral forums. Nowadays, its foreign policy is no different from that of any other country subservient to Washington. Not a drop of oil for Cuba, zero support for Iran, an alliance with the Gulf monarchies, silence on Palestine and restored relations with Israel. Strategic relations with Russia and China are being sidelined, with their companies gradually being pushed out to make way for those authorised by Trump. Those who adapt to and justify any scenario are opportunists who lack any principles. Their sole objective is to remain in power, even if it means implementing the exact opposite of what was previously proclaimed. The current leadership has simply come to the conclusion that the best bet for staying in power is to be as useful as possible to imperialism. *History is not over* In the not-too-distant past, the Venezuelan people reclaimed their dignity — which had been snatched away by one group or another for centuries — and burst onto the scene as protagonists in their own history. They did so under the leadership of Comandante Chávez. The struggles from below catapulted Chávez to Miraflores, and he, as an “outsider”, changed the rules of a game that had until then been the exclusive preserve of the elites. This phenomenon was no historical accident. It was not the result of oil at $120 a barrel. It was a heroic creation, forged through struggle, critical thinking and a clear vision: socialism. Along the way, mistakes were made, old vices were ignored and new ones created. We must be prepared to debate all of this with humility and honesty. However, we are not going to renounce Chávez simply because his legacy was trampled upon by those who represent the very antithesis of the Bolivarian project, yet clung to the image of the Comandante to inherit a legitimacy they never deserved. Revolution is not achieved by taking shortcuts. The struggle is also for historical memory. Those who wish to be the Titanic’s orchestra to retain their posts or petty fiefdoms are free to do so. But at least have the dignity not to pretend that this course has anything to do with Chávez and Bolívar. The empire is making plans for Venezuela’s future while different factions fight to become the puppet government of the day. The challenge, both in our nation and across the continent, is to reorganise the people — the ordinary people who have nothing to lose but their chains. Starting over does not mean starting from scratch. >From our media platform, as well as in the political arenas where we >participate, we will do our bit to raise the profile of these struggles and >sharpen people’s awareness. Imperialism and its lackeys will not have the >final say. The Venezuelan people will once again take centre stage and set the >wheels of their history in motion. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. 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