Part 4 of 4
Rubbish, the population of Caracas has increased from 700000 in the 1950s to 5 million. At the same time the amount of rubbish created by one person has increased from 1k per day to 6.5 kilos per day. The cleanliness of the city is therefore a major issue, so much so that there is a recall referendum being called for against the mayor of Caracas Freddy Bernal due to his failure to tackle the problem.
There continues to be a problem with corruption in the police forces especially within the barrios and assassinations still take place by corrupt officers. Partly this is due to having too many police departments (+130) who do not act in the best interests of the neighbourhoods.
Position of women.
The Latin American ‘machismo’ culture still exists in Venezuela. Inside the house woman is boss – outside the man is boss. Although opposition to domestic violence is enshrined in the new constitution, police still fail to take it seriously as a ‘domestic’.
Women are increasingly moving into the professions however they do continue to be discriminated against, although they have a constitutional right to equality. However having started from a very low point, the first woman to qualify as a lawyer only did so in 1945!
Whilst the professor had doubts that the new unified party would advance women's rights.
He believed that within 20 years the national assembly would be dominated by women.
Community councils
The aim of the councils was to create direct democracy, however socialism is not created by decree and that real power lies with the people and whilst Chavez says “socialism is power to the people” the professor preferred “the people have the power”.
His main concern was that few organisations operate without finance from the government and that it was easy for them to ask others to ‘volunteer’ their services for nothing 60% of community councils currently have operational problems and 40% have working problems, he also added that 70% of co-operatives have operational problems. If the councils were to be a serious agent of direct democracy there needed to be a change in the corrupt mentality of people or giving resources to councils was akin to putting “the mouse in charge of the cheese”.
Despite this he recognised the advances that can be made through direct democracy and that “In 6 years Venezuela would be another country and would be a socialist example for the world.”
Professor Arenas own organisation ‘The New Neighbourhood” educates the poor and seeks to teach them about the new society and their rights. Part of this teaching centres on a kitchen and bathroom within the ‘school’ in which the questions are posed why cant they have these?
But also teaches them that just because they are poor does not mean they have to be dirty.
Meeting with Efrain Calderon Vice Minster of Popular Participation and Social Economics Teacher by profession.
In 1999 the constituent assembly instigated a new constitution and social rights turning the poor from 2nd class citizens to equal partners.
As part of this communal councils were introduced, the five powers of the state were subordinated to the “popular power”, Introduction of community councils within areas and at least 30% of the budget which currently goes to municipal councils (similar to borough councils) must now go to community councils.
Communal Councils are defined as ‘spaces for debate and discussion” and are now seen as an integral part of the Venezuelan state.
Their powers will exceed those of the present municipal councils and is a deliberate attempt to break with the liberal state model.
Poverty is still a problem in Venezuela and resources are still not reaching the poor
Communal councils based on approximately 500 families.
Each council will establish committees dealing with health, water, finance etc. there will be communal banks (under the supervision of a social comp trolling committee.
The council will carry out a diagnostic on the needs of the community. These citizens assemblies will invert decision making.
The aim of the councils, as with the other reforms, is in order to increase the participation of the traditionally disempowered in decision making and to broaden democracy. At the same time there is a need to change the culture on which Venezuelan society is based.
The Bolivarian revolution does not wish to repeat the mistakes of previous revolutions (Russian) they seek a gradual change as to who owns the production processes from private hands to collective ownership.
US engineering food shortages in Venezuela (food distribution owned by two families).
Yet the Vice-Minister concluded that the bosses could be won over to the concept of the ‘Bolivarian Revolution’.
23rd January barrio Social Missions meeting with Juan Contreras co-ordinator
The 23rd January barrio was built between 1955-1957 during the military dictatorship and was originally named the 2nd December district (the anniversary of the military take-over) the plan was to take people away from ‘shanty’ towns and change the quality of life.
Until the election of Chavez the district had received little in the way of resources from the government.
On 23rd January 1958 the military dictatorship fell and the district changed its name in recognition of the fall.
In 1963 the name change was officially recognised.
Because the district is close to the presidential palace, the residents of the district were heavily involved in the overthrow of the dictatorship, hence the name change.
Since then the 23rd January district had played a major part in the struggle and resistance against the right wing governments an this included armed resistance.
Juan summed it up as “armed struggle and socialist advance”.
The social mission which was now the heart of the district was actually housed in a police station which for the last 40 years had been known as the ‘house of horror’.From where state forces had oppressed the people using the arrest, torture and often murder of activists. The education classes were actually held in old detention blocks.
The mission offered social and sport activities As well as 3 mission Robinson courses, Mission Ribas and a Braille course.
There are workshops for woodwork, handy-crafts, dance groups, salsa and dance therapy for old people.
From the mission a community radio station operates.
The mission also has a computer suite that any British community would be proud of with 110 units. Through all this the people are achieving social justice and improving the quality of life and Venezuela is being born again.
Carmen the education co-ordinator gave greater detail on the educational aspects of the mission. Mission Robinson was achieving its aim of eliminating literacy.
Within the social mission they had also extended Robinson by introducing a Braille course. They use non-traditional methods of teaching, where students learn to read through a system where each letter is assigned a number, which they learn and combine, rather than through phonetic method.
The conservative teachers associations have refused to take part in the missions, consequently they are reliant on the support of volunteers. There are 71 volunteers at the mission who having gone through the missions themselves now facilitate the classes.
The government has recently recognised that the facilitators coming as they do from the same poor districts as the students, and thus facing the same problems are now being paid $100 per month in recognition of their work.
The oldest student they have is an elderly woman who is 100 years old!
The classes do not just take place within the mission but are versatile enough to take place in peoples homes and even bedrooms. Each class lasts 3 hours and takes place in the day or evening.
Visiting the Braille class we met blind people who had been disempowered for years.
Mahluz told us she started losing her sight at school and when she could no longer see the black-board she stopped going.
Her parents did not know how to help so for the next 30 years she just stayed at home. Carmen the education co-ordinator gave greater detail on the educational aspects of the mission. Mission Robinson was achieving its aim of eliminating illiteracy.
Visiting the Braille class we met blind people who had been disempowered for years.
Jesus said before the class “it was like being in the dark and not knowing how to express himself” he felt like a tourist in his own country always asking “what does this mean?”
Since attending the class he “understood the world better “ and was able to express his feelings , he described it “as a light appearing from the clouds”.
Like much of the programmes in Venezuela, the support for the blind is very much ‘work in progress’, so whilst official documents are still not provided in Braille, the constitution is available on tape and certain coins have been adapted to be recognised by the blind or partially sighted.
Visit to the Bolivarian University
The pinnacle of the education reforms under the Chavez government.
The Bolivarian revolution likes the use of symbolism, no more so than here. The building which now houses the university was originally the headquarters of the Venezuelan oil company which instigated the oil ‘strike’ and it was in this building that the failed coup against the government was planned.
From 12000 students at its opening in 2003 they expect 500,000 by the end of 2007.
The university is based on a continuing dialogue between students, ‘teaching’ staff and the community in order to reflect the aims and meet the needs of the community.
The aim of the university is to break the old paradigm of the old elitist universities to include those traditionally excluded from further education.
Student representatives from all the courses held the university board on a monthly basis.
The university has its own printing and graphics departments with the aim to make text books, pamphlets available not just to students but the community as a whole.
Students take part in work experience in the printing and graphics department, this includes working within the community. As part of their degree they are required to produce a newsletter which is based on a reflective journalism rather than the sensationalism on which most of the private press in Venezuela is based.
The printing presses were owned by the oil company now put to community use and everything printed (including text books) is free.
They are expanding with the purchases of machines which can carry perfect binding etc.
Although they will not publish anti-Bolivarian literature they will print any of the many currents within revolutionary Bolivarian thought.
The university is completely free- food, transport, books and tuition cost nothing, all that is asked for in return is the demand for high academic standards.
The staff emphasised that the university was not stuck within its 4 walls and that it ‘extends into the streets’ they seek to change the concept of a university and ‘municipalize it. As such they are creating university villages which are sites formed around primary and secondary schools, which allows study within the community without the necessity of coming to Caracas.
The university has a hospital clinic on site which gives free medical help to the community which provides emergency services, intensive care dental services as well as haematology, radiology and gynaecological departments.
As with many of the units there are number of Cuban doctors. But up to 7000 Venezuelans are currently training in Cuba to become doctors.
The university is also the base for a major programme which plans to replace Microsoft with Linux on all Venezuelan computers. An exercise which will then be extended to other Latin American countries.
The branch also suggested that many of the staff working in some centres were appointed on the basis of nepotism and favouritism.
They also raised a concern about democracy within the trade union movement, a concern expressed in other discussions.
The old trade union movement the CTV (which as mentioned previously supported the employers and the right against Chavez) had collapsed. its Bolivarian alternative the UNT had been set up relatively quickly in 2003. And its officers had been appointed with the proviso that after 3 years elections would take place so that all members could elect their leaders.
At its annual conference last year, the conference had been abandoned with no elections having taken place.
The Simon Bolivar branch was one of the branches which was leading the call for these elections to take place immediately. As a consequence the leadership had expelled Johan from Sitrasalud.
They did this on the alleged basis that he is the human resources director of the hospital and was ineligible to be a member of SIRTRASALUD! This the branch vehemently deny and we must say that it would appear to us during the visit that this allegation was absurd. Another leading activist of the branch hector also faces expulsion for ‘counter-revolutionary’ work.
Workers university
This was an initiative which began with the oil workers union in 2002 when the employers instigated the oil ‘strike’.
During the strike (and following the sacking of managers who organised it) the workers ran the oil company.
However when the management of the company was reorganised the engineering responsibilities were taken back from the workers. Many workers realised they now had the practical skills and experience to carry out professional work, but not the qualifications. Most of these workers were many miles from their nearest university and it would be near impossible to work and
study at the same time. With the support of Jesus Rivero a renowned educationalists they began to organise study centres at their workplaces which included not only industrial skills but political and philosophical thought as well.
The workers university has now expanded into other sectors as well.
As with many projects in Venezuela the workers university now has centres in Argentina and is expanding into other Latin American countries.
In addition all workers are set to be given four hours paid study time per week.
Visit to Simon Bolivar Hospital
last year Johan Vasquez Rivas secretary of the hospital branch at the Simon Bolivar hospital visited our region. Following his visit the region raised money to help his branch, so the visit was an opportunity to see the branch the Simon Bolivar is one of the largest in Latin America and was built 27 years ago.
With the money raised in the region the branch were able to purchase computer equipment and to pay for foundation status for their buildings.
Their aim to gain internet access continues to be thwarted, as they refuse to pay ‘back-handers’ to the telecommunications company and are continually put back on the waiting list.
The branch houses both mission Rivas and mission Robinson from which 200 people graduated last month. They are also trying to get mission Sucre.
There was clearly a difference between the facilities at Simon Bolivar and what we had seen at the 23rd January community centre, the branch explained that this was due to finance being based on whether a groups political position followed that of the government and that due to their policy differences the Simon Bolivar branch received less than others.
It is obvious however, that despite difficulties the progress made is immense and continuing. We recommend all who can to visit Venezuela.
Dave Auger,
West Midlands UNISON
International Officer
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