This media campaign coincides with a fresh offensive inside Venezuela by the privileged elite that, failing to defeat pro-Chavez forces at the ballot box (which have won 11 straight election victories nationally since 1998, most recently with Chavez being re-elected president last year with the largest number of votes in Venezuelan history) have resorted to violent campaigns to overthrow the government.
Strong evidence suggests a fresh campaign is underway. According to the October 24 edition of Venezuelan newspaper Dario Vea, opposition leaders had held a meeting with US officials (the US government backed an opposition-led coup in 2002 and continues to provide millions of dollars of funding to opposition groups), where the officials urged the opposition to ``organise acts of economic sabotage against infrastructure, destroy the food transport and delivery chain … and organise a military coup with all means possible, including bloodshed by means of paramilitary force''.
Reports emerged on November 7 of shootings related to protests on at least one university campus leaving at least two students injured. On November 5 there was a carefully timed press conference by former defence minister and ally of Chavez, retired General Raul Baduel, to which only pro-opposition media were invited, where he not just argued against the constitutional reforms, repeating opposition claims that they amount to a “constitutional coup”, but urged those in the military to study the proposals and act to stop them. This is widely interpreted as an incitement for a coup, although the government insists the military remains loyal and that the people are prepared to resist attempts to topple Chavez.
The corporate media have provided out-of-context footage and accounts of demonstrations by right-wing students, who have organised violent riots that have seen parts of Caracas torched, and have deliberately attempted to provoke security forces to create the impression of a “crackdown” on opposition. Chavez has accused the opposition of attempting to cause a death that could be blamed on the government. The corporate media has largely ignored the massive demonstration, in the hundreds of thousands and completely dwarfing the right-wing student protests, in support of the reforms on November 5.
Democratic and progressive changes
The proposed changes to constitution are being carried out democratically and in accordance with the existing constitution, adopted in a national referendum in 1999 after Chavez was first elected. The National Assembly (AN) has debated the proposals, and added 36 proposals to Chavez's initial list of 33, and adopted the proposals with the necessary two-thirds majority. Now, the proposals will go the Venezuelan people to reject or accept in a referendum to be held on December 2. The proposals have been thoroughly debated through out all Venezuelan society, with AN deputies participating in popular assemblies that have debated and made proposals relating to the reforms. From August 16 to October 7, some 9,020 public meetings were held and over 10 million copies of the proposals have been distributed.
The media have ignored the profoundly democratic and progressive nature of the proposed changes. These include the institutionalisatio n of new institutions of popular power based on direct democracy, such as the communal councils, as well as a series of new measures to allow people to directly manage resources and decision making in their communities. While respecting the right to private property, it recognises new forms of “social” property run by and for the people themselves, and gives further recognition to the growing number of cooperatives.
If adopted, the reforms would make Venezuela the first country in South America to recognise the rights of gays and lesbians in its constitution. The voting age would be reduced to 16. The measures to protect the rights and culture of Afro-Venezuelans and indigenous people will be strengthened. Governments would be obliged to ensure free university education to the entire population. Workers' rights will be significantly extended, including a reduction in the working week from 44 to 36 hours, and the provision of social security and pensions to workers in the so-called informal economy.
The media have focused overwhelmingly on two proposed changes: the proposal to allow a president to stand for elections for more than two terms, and a new proposal from the AN giving the government the ability to call a ``state of emergency''. The media ignore the fact that many nations around the world allow a president to stand for re-election either for a number of terms or indefinitely, and the Venezuelan constitution grants people the ability to recall any elected official, including the president, before their term finishes. Chavez faced a such a recall referendum, after 20% of the population signed a petition calling for it, in 2004, which he won with nearly 60% of the vote. The measure to call a state of emergency, which was enshrined in Venezuela's 1961 constitution, is not fundamentally any different to similar measures in many countries, including both the US and Australia.
Powerful interests threatened
Behind this campaign is the hand of the US and corporate interests, who stand to lose the wealth and control. The constitutional reforms will provide a legal framework for significant advances towards empowering the majority, which explains the increasing desperation for US and Venezuelan elites.
Chavez told supporters of the reform at a mass meeting on November 6 that the current offensive against the elected government “is part of an international conflict, because we have declared ourselves free ... The United States wants a Venezuela that is on its knees, weakened, dependent, like a sick person in intensive care”. Chavez insisted, they are never going to achieve this”.
In Australia , we can expect an increase in media, and possibly government, hostility, as Venezuela 's pro-people policies begin to extend to the Pacific region. In October, Venezuelan foreign vice minister Vladimir Villegas attended the Pacific Forum and offered to provide the impoverished nations similar energy deals to assist them as Venezuela has to poor nations in Latin America and the Caribbean. This stands in stark contrast to Australia 's policy of exploiting the resources of Pacific nations, and keeping them dependent.
Hostility to Venezuela's humanitarian approach has already begun, with the October 20 Australian reporting “The Government of international pariah Hugo Chavez has signalled a challenge to Australia's influence in the Pacific with an aggressive diplomatic push based on cheap fuel for island states.” This is how the Murdoch press present a foreign policy based on solidarity and social justice!
Solidarity needed now
It is important that progressive, social justice-minded people in Australia understand that it is this perceived threat to Australian corporate interests that drives the media campaign against the Venezuelan revolution. Supporters of the Venezuela 's democratic revolution, and all supporters of democracy and social justice, need to raise their voices now against the latest threat to the Venezuelan revolution.
The Australia-Venezuela Solidarity Network is organised solidarity actions in the lead-up to, and corresponding with, the December 2 referendum on the constitutional reforms. Please visit <http://venezuelasolidarity.org> for the details. Another crucial aspect of constructing solidarity is the AVSN-initiated campaign for Hugo Chavez to visit Australia , which Chavez has indicated he is interested in accepting providing it gathers enough support. To add your name to the petition, and find out how you can assist in building the campaign, visit the website.
