Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Mar 03, 2014 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom
The protests taking place at present in Venezuela will not result in the toppling of the democratically-elected government of that country. The Maduro administration will not fall despite what Washington wishes and does.
Imperialism is once again up to its mischief in Latin America. The protests in Venezuela are the direct product of US support for so- called civil society and non- governmental groups in Venezuela that receive funding from the American administration through its proxy organizations.
The work of the US in financing these groups was exposed in a Wikileaks cable. These cables exposed that up to 2009, some US$10 M was doled out to anti-government parties and groups by the Americans with the expressed aim of supporting anti government organizations.
This is why proxy US organizations such as USAID were kicked out of Latin America. And this is why the government of Guyana should be wary of any involvement by the US government to support NGOs and civil society organizations.
The US may not be interested in destabilizing the Guyana government, but they do have an interest in ensuring that there is support for the Venezuelan opposition parties.
The countries of Latin America and the Caribbean know damn well that the Americans are behind the present protests in Venezuela. Countries in Caricom have pledged their support for the Maduro administration. Governments in Latin America have done the same. Mercosur and UNASUR, two powerful regional groupings, have both spoken out on the situation in Venezuela.
UNASUR in their statement emphasized their support for the democratic order, the rule of law and its institutions. They urged that demands be made through the democratic channels. In effect, they were saying that there are democratic ways other than public disorder for the protestors to vent their concerns.
Mercosur was even blunter. It expressed its rejection of the criminal actions of those violent groups which wanted to spew and spread intolerance and hatred against the Bolivarian Revolution
The real target of the protests in Venezuela is the Bolivarian Revolution. This revolution commenced in 1998 when Chavez was democratically elected to power. He was to be tormented throughout his presidency by US supported opposition parties and a hostile anti- government private media. These forces were in cahoots with the powerful oligarchs who for decades had plundered the wealth of Venezuela, leaving very little for the vast majority of poor people of the country.
Chavez was on the side of the ordinary and poor people of the country. He did fantastic things for them. They adored him.
But imperialism remains a redoubtable enemy. It will not stop in its attempts to bring back the old order. The Americans are in support of that old order because they want to get their hands on Venezuelan oil reserves which are the largest in the world.
Oil alone however is not driving the actions of imperialism. If the Bolivarian Revolution succeeds, it threatens US multinationals throughout Latin America. Imperialism needs markets in order to survive. With other countries making inroads into these markets, the US is fearful that Latin America will no longer be its economic backyard.
As such, ever since Chavez came to power, the Bolivarian Revolution has come under assault by the forces aligned to big business and US imperialism. In 2002, following protests similar to what is now taking place now the US instigated a military coup against Chavez.
But they did not count on the people of Venezuela rallying behind their hero. The coup was reversed when soldiers loyal to Chavez joined with the people to restore him to power.
That humiliating defeat has not stopped those who wish to once again appropriate the wealth of Venezuela for themselves and to force the poor people into submission. Imperialism, as mentioned before is a sturdy enemy.
They have used their might to pervert one of the better-intentioned policies of the government to create hardships. Under Chavez and Maduro, basic commodities were heavily subsidized to make them affordable to the poor. The oligarchy however created shortages in the economy by hoarding food items, raising their prices and exporting a great deal of the subsidized commodities to neighboring countries. As a result shortages ensued in Venezuela and this became one of the pretexts for the protests demonstrations after the Maduro administration began a crackdown on businesses that tried to exploit the situation.
Guyanese should be very familiar with the practices aimed at creating shortages because during the Burnham administration, when there were import restrictions and production shortfalls, there were shopkeepers who hoarded goods and sold them at a high markup.
The same thing has happened in Venezuelan and it is the actions of Maduro aimed at stamping out these practices by closing down business that sold goods at exorbitant prices that has led to the protests, with the backing of course of US imperialism.
The western media and their lackeys in Guyana have tried to project what is taking place in Venezuela as mass protests against the Maduro administration. The government is being projected as being authoritarian and lacking popular support.
This is far from so. Just about three months ago, the party led by Maduro swept local State elections winning 76% of the municipalities. Those protesting in Venezuelan do not represent the ordinary people of Venezuela who stand solidly behind Maduro and the Bolivarian Revolution.
The poor people of Guyana should do too, and not be led astray by imperialism and its lackeys in the media in Guyana.
Please share this to every Guyanese including your house cats.
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