Trip to Venezuela suggests that the American public is being misinformed
On Jan. 23rd I traveled to Caracas, Venezuela as part of a Global Exchange Reality Tour. My reason for going was to find out first hand what really is happening in this country that seems to have the Bush Administration and Pat Robertson so opposed to the Hugo Chavez government. Keep in mind that the U.S. was found to be siding with those that participated in the coup to overthrow President Chavez in April 2002 and that Pat Robertson has advocated publicly for the assassination of Hugo Chavez. I have also read in the main stream media that Chavez has become "a strongman with near dictatorial control over the country."
Just as I learned from my trip to Cuba, the U.S public is being misinformed about what is really happening. To start off with, Venezuela arguably has a more democratic form of government than we do. The people not only vote for all levels of their representative government, they also have taken part in rewriting their constitution, which now provides for a popular referendum that allows the public a direct voice in legislation and the power to recall any publicly elected figure. This was initiated by President Chavez and as it ironically turned out the opposition forces used this process in an attempt to remove Chavez from office. As things turned out, Chavez won with over 60 percent of the vote and it gave him the mandate that he was hoping for to implement many of the reforms to help the poor in Venezuela.
As part of our tour, we traveled to different areas of Venezuela to see what was happening. Keep in mind that 80 percent of its people are living below the poverty level and that for decades they have mainly been ignored by their government and getting poorer while the rich have been getting a lot richer. We saw many government programs that have been put in place as part of a "preferential option for the poor." We visited a cooperative in Caracas that had a clothing factory that was the furthest thing from a sweatshop possible. The factory was well lit and well ventilated and the workers were obviously enjoying what they were doing. They were also being paid a livable wage. We also visited a government supported supermarket that sells food at below market prices.
We traveled to the countryside to learn about what the government was doing as far as its education, health care and land reform programs. In the area of education, the government has not only made changes that now enable all the children to get an education, they also provide a free breakfast, lunch and snack and keep the schools open all day so that students have access to various arts and sports programs. This allows parents the chance to work during the day. There is also a program that is for individuals who dropped out of high school to complete their education. On top of this, the public colleges are not only free, the government also gives financial support to those who would have to work to support their family and therefore not be able to study.
As far as health care goes, the government has set up medical clinics throughout Venezuela and is now providing free medical care to everyone! In the area of land reform, the government has not only distributed over 6 million acres of land to over 700,000 people, they have also provided technical support and training in mainly organic agriculture plus markets for what they grow. This will help improve the chances that these families will be successful. The goal of this land reform is to encourage people to migrate from the overcrowded cities and also to help the country to be more self reliant as far as its need for food.
When you compare what is happening in Venezuela to what we are experiencing here, you can see why the Bush Administration might be concerned. In contrast to what I’ve described above, we have seen small family farms struggle without any help, college costs sky rocketing as aid is being cut, schools cutting back on the arts and sports (or charging fees), around 50 million people without health insurance, and a government that represents mainly the interests of the most wealthy in our society. I must admit that I’m really perplexed about why Pat Robertson wants President Chavez assassinated, after all he is a major Christian leader and Hugo Chavez seems to be following Jesus’ teachings to help the poor.
When I look back on what I saw in Venezuela, four words come to mind – enthusiasm, pride, hope and grateful. The enthusiasm for this Social Revolution that most people expressed was practically contagious. They were full of pride at the work that they were given the chance to do. They seemed to now have hope for a better future – especially for their children. And they really seemed grateful towards the Chavez government for initiating these new programs that are based on a "preferential option for the poor."
If you want to help the Chavez government continue with these programs, there is something that you can easily do – buy Citgo gas. The main source of revenue for the Venezuelan government is its vast oil reserves and Citgo is the outlet in the U.S. for their oil. As many of you are probably aware, Citgo has also helped many of the poor in Massachusetts and in other states by selling oil at considerably lower prices.
I will be giving a more in depth talk on what I learned while in Venezuela at our Peace and Justice speakers series on April 4th (the first Tuesday of the month). The talk starts at 7:30 at the Walpole library.
Paul Peckham
Walpole
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