------------------------- Via Workers World News Service Reprinted from the Aug. 19, 2004 issue of Workers World newspaper -------------------------
WWP CANDIDATES: "STAND WITH CHAVEZ AND THE VENEZUELAN PEOPLE!" The Workers World Party election campaign and our candidates, John Parker, Teresa Gutierrez and LeiLani Dowell, stand in solidarity with President Hugo Chávez and the millions of Venezuelans who will vote an emphatic "No!" in the recall referendum Aug. 15. The referendum, to recall President Chavez before the end of his term in 2006, is championed by the same rich and corrupt elements that have repeatedly attempted to overturn his popularly elected government through economic sabotage, illegal lock-outs and armed plots. In collaboration with the Bush administration, these forces staged a coup d'etat in April 2002 and briefly arrested President Chavez. But hundreds of thousands of poor and oppressed Venezuelans poured into the streets, surrounded government buildings, and forced the coup makers to return Chavez unharmed. Since coming to office in 1998 and be ing re-elected in 2000, President Chavez has consistently mobilized Venezuela's workers and peasants to fight in their own interests. He has stood up to U.S. imperialism at home and abroad, including opposing the brutal war and occupation of Iraq. He has moved to put oil profits to use for people's needs and to distribute land to the poor. His government has strengthened relations with socialist Cuba in defiance of the United States. Cuba, in turn, has stretched out its hand in solidarity, providing personnel to assist with health care, literacy and education programs. These policies, together with Vene zuela's progressive new Constitution, make up the Bolivarian Revolution. The Venezuelan masses understand that the recall referendum is yet another plot by U.S. imperialism and Venezuela's wealthy to turn back history. The U.S. regime, whether Republican or Democrat, can't abide an independent Latin American country that is avowedly anti-imperialist, one that seeks to use its oil revenues and other resources to lift up the poor and oppressed instead of filling the bank vaults of U.S. finance capital. The local capitalists are desperate to hold onto their ill-gotten riches. They hate the existence of a defiant people's gov ernment that represents the interests of workers and peasants, Black and Indigenous Venezuelans, women, lesbian, gay, bi and trans people--all of whom they have kept disenfranchised and impoverished for so long. In recent months President Chavez has taken important steps to bolster the Boli varian Revolution against these unending attacks. These steps include strengthening the popular Bolivarian Circles, moving toward establishing a people's army, creating independent people's media, and speeding land reform. These measures, coupled with Chavez' recent declaration that "the revolution is only beginning," have U.S. imperialism panicked. Wall Street and Washington see the specter of another Cuban Revolution looming--this time in one of the world's main oil-producing countries. But for the U.S. working class, the growth and development of the Bolivarian Revolution is nothing but good news. It can only help to empower struggling people all over the world, especially in Latin America, and strengthen the working class against the bosses here at home. President Chavez has enormous mass support. Even prominent voices of the U.S. ruling class like the New York Times predict he will triumph in the Aug. 15 referendum. Nevertheless, U.S. progressives must not be lulled into complacency. The opposition still dominates business, media and other key sectors in Venezuelan society, and has tried to increase unemployment and artificially create scarcity of basic products like food. The U.S. government is openly interfering in the referendum. Washington is financing the measure's sponsor, the anti-Chavez group Súmate, through its misnamed National Endowment for Demo cracy. Jimmy Carter and other pro-imperialist "election monitors" will be on hand and could attempt to influence world public opinion against Chavez and in favor of U.S. intervention. Súmate is only the peaceful, legal façade of the reactionary opposition. The pro-U.S. forces were accused of plotting with the Autonomous Self- Defense Forces of Colombia, a far-right death squad, to murder President Chavez earlier this year. Opposition leader Carlos Andris Priez recently called for Chavez's assassination if the referendum fails. We call on the working-class and progressive movement in the United States to be on the alert to defend President Chavez and the gains of the Bolivarian Revolution against any U.S.-supported provocations. Victory to President Chavez and the Venezuelan people! Long live the Bolivarian Revolution! - END - (Copyright Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but changing it is not allowed. For more information contact Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe wwnews- [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe [EMAIL PROTECTED] Support the voice of resistance http://www.workers.org/orders/donate.php) ------------------ This message is sent to you by Workers World News Service. To subscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To switch to the DIGEST mode, E-mail to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Send administrative queries to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
