Victoria Korn

The day of Dialogue and Rectification in the heart of Chavismo made clear the proposals and rectifications demanded by grassroots organizations to the government of Nicolas Maduro to deepen the democratic revolution and get out of the serious economic, social and political crisis that the country is experiencing, in the face of the aggressions of the United States and its local and international accomplices.

The day brought together the grassroots spokespersons of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, the Missions, the Presidential Council of Communes, the workers, the Indigenous, the various youth organizations, teachers, among many other individuals of popular protagonism. The slogan “Commune or Nothing”, which former president Hugo Chávez had demanded of his ministers in October 2013, became a cry of rebellion against bureaucracy and reformism.

In the area of political ethics, the participants claimed that there are fewer and fewer spaces for protagonist participation in decision-making, far from the promised participatory democracy, and proposed that they be recognized as People’s Power.

The participants, while denouncing the growing corruption, bureaucratization and authoritarianism of many state institutions, proposed a profound transformation in management methods and relations with the people, as well as the fight against the mafias of corruption that have been part of public activity and specifically in the area of the economy.

They demanded that the authorities speak the truth, for example by explaining the reasons why food parcels do not reach the entire population. And they stressed that sectarianism and internal exclusion weaken unity.

President Nicolás Maduro assured that the Bolivarian Revolution is heading towards renewal, rectification and changes in government after the successful participation of the people in the Days of Dialogue, Action and Proposals. Meanwhile, for the Movement of Settlers, the problem is in attempting to build the Bolivarian project without questioning the logic of capital.

In the productive economic sphere, the rank and file denounced the non-compliance of the several times approved transfer of authority of productive assets to the People’s Power; for which it is essential to grant them the same resources and support that is given to private companies that work in alliance with the government, which do not comply with the supply and price agreements.

In short, they proposed to reclaim governance over the economy and to guarantee the rights of the people against capitalists. At the same time, they denounced that managers without technical knowledge and with authoritarian practices are doing a lot of damage to State companies.

In terms of agricultural production, there was disagreement with the unavailability of materials and the unequal distribution of what little there is. And the general concern was the growing circulation of Colombian dollars and pesos in daily commerce, and overpricing in electronic payments.

In the area of public services, the Chavista bases denounced their deterioration, as well as the bad treatment of the service providers and proposed professionalization, ethics and loyalty of the people in charge of the different agencies of service companies; in addition to adjusting tariff prices and charging for services and products, especially gasoline.

They also demanded the transfer of minor maintenance responsibilities for these services (water, electricity, etc.) to the mayor’s offices and communes; to allow the social comptrollership in the provision of these services. No one, it is worth clarifying, asked for the privatization of these services or the companies in the hands of the State.

In Chavismo, protagonist democracy, socialist democracy in the political, economic, social and cultural spheres is a strong idea and the conviction is that only popular power is the instrument to build our own socialist model, emphasized former minister Elías Jaua, participant in the meeting.

Translation by Internationalist 360°

