I refer to Ray Rena's message (below). I'm not versed in Venezuelan questions and I have no time available by now, that is the reason why I have not yet answered to the questions about unemployment in Brazil and the going structural adjustment program.
Nevertheless, I may refer to a recent thread that has appeared in the PT discussion list (the Workers Party's one) whose subject was "América Rebelde" (the rebellious America). There was a consensus that is sprouting all over Latin America an enormous spontaneous resistance against the barbarous neoliberalism which can take both violent or peaceful forms, let's say: an uprising as more or less mild as the zapatists in Mexico or as violent as the civil war in Colombia, or also as legal as the landless movement in Brazil (MST) and the tenths of millions voters of the Workers Party and of Cárdenas's party and, in the road, the Frepaso front in Argentina. It must also be added to these forces the most part of the Roman Catholic Church and of some progressive Protestants, as the Lutherans, Methodists and Presbiterians in Brazil. The arrest of Pinochet was regarded to be a very positive step in helping the resistance grows.
The resistance ranges from the extreme left to the enlightened right, since there are fractions of the bourgeoisie that are opposed to the indiscriminate break down of economic protection and to the financing of multinational companies by state banks at rates inferior to those for national ones. This latter case is specially that of Brazil, that is today the 9th.or 8th. GNP in the world, above Russia (the incredible shrinking big country). Though the military are commonly identified with neoliberalism and terrorism, there are sectors of them which embrace economic nationalism, what also specially is the Brazilian case again and now Venezuela. Once upon a time, for instance, there have been in Brazil professional blow-ups of electricity towers which belong to companies that are now privatized (everybody knows what police reports call "professional" in these events).
In Venezuela practically all left parties side with Chávez, although he may not be called a leftist, but rather a nationalist and a foe of the widespread government corruption. He will have to deal with the same economic deadlock that Lula would have met in Brazil had he winned the latest elections: to respond to capital flight abroad with currency controls he would destroy the fragile and irresponsible financial "equilibrium" built by neoliberal policies; but to maintain these policies would have alienated popular support. Furthermore, both Chávez and Lula promise demagogically to solve the huge social problems inherent to peripheral capitalism without breaking with capitalism itself ----and in the case of Lula, full employment in 4 years! (the same promise made by Schroeder in Germany, with the "little" difference that Germany commands Europe).
I'm pessimistic about the fate of Venezuela in the next years. I think that Chávez will either ultimately capitulate to imperialism to hold power or will be toppled by a widespread sabotage of the Venezuelan economy by United States and even a US military agression, since Venezuela is its main supplier of oil. So, I may conclude with Ray that there is being a "typical establishment paranoia about anyone to the left of, say, Mitterand?" (and including Mitterand during his first mandate, when the French bourgeoisie transferred fortunes abroad in a hurry).
Those who read Spanish may read below a curious (even funny) message sent by the Comunistes de Catalunya (the CP of Catalonia, Spain) to the Brazilian list "Socialismo". They say that the right stand of Chávez was confirmed because: a)Santiago Carillo (the old patron saint of "Eurocommunism") called Chávez a fascist; b)the Spanish left has kept itself mute on Chávez's victory; c)the state-owned Spanish televisons (under the "liberal" falangist government of Aznar) have either treated him in a derisory way or kept silent on the news. The Comunistes de Catalunya are fiercely separatists, what explains why they invoke the liberator Simón Bolívar in the same manner that Chávez does (regardless of having Bolívar been a man ahead of his time).
In solidarity, Roberto
1848 / 1998: Proletarier aller Länder, vereinigt euch !
Paix entre nous, guerre aux tyrans (....) Ouvriers, paysans, nous sommes Le grand PARTI DES TRAVAILLEURS. (L' Internationale)
-----Original Message-----
From: rayrena [SMTP:rayrena at accesshub.net]
Sent: Thursday, December 10, 1998 12:41 PM
To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com
Subject: Que pasa con Chavez
LBOers,
Sorry for the probably butchered, literally translated Spanish, but I was
wondering if the LBO men in South America could give us some insight into
this Hugo Chavez, who was elected el presidente de Venezuela a few days
ago. All I really know about him is from The New York Times, which wrote
things like:
"To business leaders and international investors, Mr. Chavez is the red
menace resurrected. To the poor, he is the impatient savior who is already
smashing the clubby machine of mutual favors at the top of Venezuelan
politics." AND
"Mr. Chavez's role in trying to overthrow the Government of President
Carlos Andres Perez [in a 1994 coup attempt that earned Chavez a little
jail time] , his vitriolic oratory and his support for Cuba have terrified
upper-class Venezuelans, who have been sending their money and other assets
out of the country for fear of a Chavez victory."
Does any of this approach reality? Or is it typical establishment paranoia
about anyone to the left of, say, Mitterand?
Tom, Roberto, anyone?
eric
###################################
VENEZUELA: UNA GRAN VICTORIA DEMOCRATICA Y REVOLUCIONARIA
Date: Thu, 10 Dec 1998 17:05:45 -0200 (EDT)
To: socialismo-l at ax.apc.org
La primera confirmación del gran triunfo democratico y revolucionario = del gran pueblo venezolano oprimido y explotado nos la han dado unas = declaraciones de Santiago Carrillo (que inició la desactivación politica = del Partido Comunista de España) en la TV española identificando = aviesamente a Hugo Chávez con el antiguo fascismo europeo. La segunda = confirmación procedia del silencio de la "izquierda" española y la = tercera del tratamiento despectivo de las televisiones del gobierno del = PP al triunfo electoral de Hugo Chávez, o del silencio mas absoluto, = como fue el caso de Antena 3 en su emisión de noticias a las 21h del 7 = de diciembre.
Este triunfo ha sorprendido y atemorizado a todas las oligarquias = capitalistas especuladoras, corruptas y depredadoras que proliferan en = esta etapa final del imperialismo dominante en el mundo. Esa victoria es = una esperanza y un aliciente para todos los trabajadores y parias de la = tierra.
¡ El sueño de Simón Bolivar puede empezar a hacerse realidad !
COMUNISTES de CATALUNYA saluda este gran triunfo patriotico, democratico y revolucionario del pueblo trabajador de Venezuela, agrupado = masivamente en torno a las medidas sociales, políticas, económicas y = culturales progresistas propuestas por el Polo Patriotico que lidera = Hugo Chávez, con su limpia y firme trayectoria politica al servicio del = pueblo venezolano.
COMUNISTES de CATALUNYA
7 de diciembre de 1998.
Abraços
Carlos Telles-Coordenador da Ação do PCB na Internet
Endereços: "mailto: pcb at ax.apc.org" e "http://www.pcb.org.br"