zein al-abdeen
22nd April 2009, 12:48
Editorial of issue # 6 / Socialist Venezuela Newsletter
The Venezuelan Solution for the food commodities
As much as the curative solutions to the effects of problems are of a positive impact on the natural course of a certain society, as much as they lose a large quantity of their values in light of a revolution to which not even the preventive solutions can offer what it needs; and if this revolution seeks to maintain its important role, we must therefore, open the path to whatever has a more powerful impact; this option actually imposes itself as a radical solution that goes back to the basis of the problem to tear it out from the roots in order for us to be able to overcome what should not stay a problem for a very long time disrupting the march of a whole society.
Roots of the food commodities problem
The food Shortage is not the problem itself anymore in Venezuela, because the state has played its role in increasing production, through what has been known as 'socialist factories'; however, the quantity it offers is not enough to cover the needs of the local market, and it has also become clear that being content only with building the factories in order to increase the production of products is not the ideal solution that would recover a problem of this kind.
Consumer products have become fairly available, if we took into account those produced by both the private and the public sector; however, those products produced by the bourgeoisie have become a problem themselves. After trying to stop producing in order to cut the availability of the products in the markets and spread out anarchy and threats concerning social transformation especially before every elections, this bourgeoisie started reducing production in order to continue achieving the same profit especially after the state imposed restrictions on basic products; however, reducing production, meaning decreasing supply in order to raise the prices, does not achieve the goal in light of the price control; the bourgeoisie has therefore started to trick the laws and manipulate with Venezuelans’ food by changing the form of products to escape from the price control which is only imposed on basic commodities.
Rice, for example, was presented with different flavors and therefore got out of the price control, it was not only sold with prices that achieve the previous profit, it was even sold with double prices; and as much as they reduce their production, the supply will be decreased, and will therefore be sold with higher and higher prices; the unflavored rice, on the other hand, which is subject by law to get the largest share of production in each factory, is not marketed for more than 5% sometimes; it has even been discovered that the American Cargill Company has not been marketing this type of rice at all, which forced President Chavez to seize the rice factories belonging to this company.
The problem is not only bourgeoisie’s behaviors; it’s exactly bourgeoisie’s existence
In spite of the strict laws regarding the size of production and price control, those laws were still not able to fulfill what they were endorsed for; they cure the results and while curing them, some periods of time pass by threatening the standards of living for the population; the bourgeoisie tricks the law constantly, even if a little number of producers commits to the law reaching a level of awareness where they are convinced that a quantity of profit what so ever is better than losing the whole profit.
President Chavez has called on the bourgeoisie to follow this path by committing to the laws and giving up illegitimate behaviors; the bourgeoisie however was irregularly able not only to trick the laws but also cooperated with opportunistic and bureaucratic segments within the Bolivarian movement in order to pass many hostile acts against the revolution, but it was not able to empower such a situation because the bureaucracy has not yet become a complete class, meaning it has not dominated the revolutionary party and the state, it is still only one part of the inter-class struggle which is running inside the Bolivarian movement and outside of it within the opposite side of the movement.
If the past period of time has taught us something in this regard, it would be that the bourgeoisie, even if they committed to the law, they will go back to play their games again and again in a new way each time. The issue is winning some time according to the revolution, but it is the same issue according to the bourgeoisie as well, for this, the revolutionary tendency headed by its leader President Chavez is aware that these solutions, even if beneficial in a certain stage, they cannot be the final everlasting option, they are just a temporary plan with calculated results, but it does not useful all the time.
The bourgeoisie cannot be always dealt with in the same manner, not just because it is characterized with high flexibility to cope with changing conditions, but also because the revolution itself requires a state which these various confrontations cannot achieve.
Radical Problems require radical solutions
"For there to be socialism, we have to transform Venezuela's economic structures, we have to work towards social property of the means of production, which will allow us to generate the conditions required to achieve social justice, for there to be no misery, poverty or crime in Venezuela
The situation is actually like this; maintaining means of production in the hands of the bourgeoisie forever, even if partially, under whatever excuses, cannot be a socialist option – as it is in China – President Chavez added “socialism should be either scientific, or should not be”; the scientific spirit- which distinguishes scientific socialism – should always be, as the President warned, far from both reformation and dogmatism.
So the fact that the socialist transformation requires the transformation of the means of production does not mean that this transformation should be done directly, and does not necessarily mean the opposite; the task requires observing reality with wide open objective eyes rather than viewing different matters with a narrow solid perspective. As we previously mentioned over and over again, realities impose the methods of transforming means of production depending on the ability of the transformers and the extent to which they need this transformation.
This is why we find that dealing with the rice factories was done by seizing something regarding to which one cannot deal with its capitalist owners from one side, and by threatening those who can temporarily commit to the provisions of the law from the other side; and because this solution is not enough anymore, the approach had directly aimed to the core of the problem; the process of seizing agricultural land owned by wealthy families and multi-national companies has started.
At first, the National Institute of Lands (INTI) moved to seize 5000 hectors of agricultural land, and the process will continue as the Ministry of People's Power for Agriculture and Lands, Elias Jaua, called on the people to “march out and take over the means of production.” because land is the main pillar of production regarding basic food commodities.
The need to raise production, which has become an urgent need, in order to obtain a sufficient quantity of food with low prices has formed a reason, however, considering the need only is not enough, there is a must for the ability to undertake production processes, this is what will be achieved thanks to depending on a number of successful experiences which represented a model for building productive communes on these agricultural lands in order to surpass the private ownership and launch the social ownership in this sector.
Ability and need are both available, what is left is for the revolution to prove that it is a “revolution”, and this is exactly what this revolution has done by heading this way in order to get rid of the food problem completely on one hand, and to boost its energy towards a new way on the other hand, especially that it is starting its third stage: transformation towards socialism.
Thus, the revolution has proved itself and its ability and its scientific characteristic; it has assured its class and socialist essence with the start of the new stage, and if the battle is continuous and hard, then this is because it cannot be otherwise, because it cannot be except a “permanent revolution”, as the President says, which means it will enter into battles one after the other, and the materialistic evidences will keep coming constantly assuring the continuation of the revolutionary tendency in the head of the Bolivarian movement and its confrontations with all the forces that disrupt the path of the revolution.
President Chavez said "The revolution must charge ahead. There cannot be any agreement with the oligarchy or agreements at the top with anybody; I will make sure that we put our foot down on the accelerator of the Revolution."
The scientific – materialistic revolutionary - standards will always remain the basis for judging the events of the revolution and its class achievements in each and every step and move.
--------------------------
to download the arabic version of Socialist Venezuela letter-issue # 6 :
http://www.4shared.com/file/98462967/46da1ae/_-__6.html
The Venezuelan Solution for the food commodities
As much as the curative solutions to the effects of problems are of a positive impact on the natural course of a certain society, as much as they lose a large quantity of their values in light of a revolution to which not even the preventive solutions can offer what it needs; and if this revolution seeks to maintain its important role, we must therefore, open the path to whatever has a more powerful impact; this option actually imposes itself as a radical solution that goes back to the basis of the problem to tear it out from the roots in order for us to be able to overcome what should not stay a problem for a very long time disrupting the march of a whole society.
Roots of the food commodities problem
The food Shortage is not the problem itself anymore in Venezuela, because the state has played its role in increasing production, through what has been known as 'socialist factories'; however, the quantity it offers is not enough to cover the needs of the local market, and it has also become clear that being content only with building the factories in order to increase the production of products is not the ideal solution that would recover a problem of this kind.
Consumer products have become fairly available, if we took into account those produced by both the private and the public sector; however, those products produced by the bourgeoisie have become a problem themselves. After trying to stop producing in order to cut the availability of the products in the markets and spread out anarchy and threats concerning social transformation especially before every elections, this bourgeoisie started reducing production in order to continue achieving the same profit especially after the state imposed restrictions on basic products; however, reducing production, meaning decreasing supply in order to raise the prices, does not achieve the goal in light of the price control; the bourgeoisie has therefore started to trick the laws and manipulate with Venezuelans’ food by changing the form of products to escape from the price control which is only imposed on basic commodities.
Rice, for example, was presented with different flavors and therefore got out of the price control, it was not only sold with prices that achieve the previous profit, it was even sold with double prices; and as much as they reduce their production, the supply will be decreased, and will therefore be sold with higher and higher prices; the unflavored rice, on the other hand, which is subject by law to get the largest share of production in each factory, is not marketed for more than 5% sometimes; it has even been discovered that the American Cargill Company has not been marketing this type of rice at all, which forced President Chavez to seize the rice factories belonging to this company.
The problem is not only bourgeoisie’s behaviors; it’s exactly bourgeoisie’s existence
In spite of the strict laws regarding the size of production and price control, those laws were still not able to fulfill what they were endorsed for; they cure the results and while curing them, some periods of time pass by threatening the standards of living for the population; the bourgeoisie tricks the law constantly, even if a little number of producers commits to the law reaching a level of awareness where they are convinced that a quantity of profit what so ever is better than losing the whole profit.
President Chavez has called on the bourgeoisie to follow this path by committing to the laws and giving up illegitimate behaviors; the bourgeoisie however was irregularly able not only to trick the laws but also cooperated with opportunistic and bureaucratic segments within the Bolivarian movement in order to pass many hostile acts against the revolution, but it was not able to empower such a situation because the bureaucracy has not yet become a complete class, meaning it has not dominated the revolutionary party and the state, it is still only one part of the inter-class struggle which is running inside the Bolivarian movement and outside of it within the opposite side of the movement.
If the past period of time has taught us something in this regard, it would be that the bourgeoisie, even if they committed to the law, they will go back to play their games again and again in a new way each time. The issue is winning some time according to the revolution, but it is the same issue according to the bourgeoisie as well, for this, the revolutionary tendency headed by its leader President Chavez is aware that these solutions, even if beneficial in a certain stage, they cannot be the final everlasting option, they are just a temporary plan with calculated results, but it does not useful all the time.
The bourgeoisie cannot be always dealt with in the same manner, not just because it is characterized with high flexibility to cope with changing conditions, but also because the revolution itself requires a state which these various confrontations cannot achieve.
Radical Problems require radical solutions
"For there to be socialism, we have to transform Venezuela's economic structures, we have to work towards social property of the means of production, which will allow us to generate the conditions required to achieve social justice, for there to be no misery, poverty or crime in Venezuela
The situation is actually like this; maintaining means of production in the hands of the bourgeoisie forever, even if partially, under whatever excuses, cannot be a socialist option – as it is in China – President Chavez added “socialism should be either scientific, or should not be”; the scientific spirit- which distinguishes scientific socialism – should always be, as the President warned, far from both reformation and dogmatism.
So the fact that the socialist transformation requires the transformation of the means of production does not mean that this transformation should be done directly, and does not necessarily mean the opposite; the task requires observing reality with wide open objective eyes rather than viewing different matters with a narrow solid perspective. As we previously mentioned over and over again, realities impose the methods of transforming means of production depending on the ability of the transformers and the extent to which they need this transformation.
This is why we find that dealing with the rice factories was done by seizing something regarding to which one cannot deal with its capitalist owners from one side, and by threatening those who can temporarily commit to the provisions of the law from the other side; and because this solution is not enough anymore, the approach had directly aimed to the core of the problem; the process of seizing agricultural land owned by wealthy families and multi-national companies has started.
At first, the National Institute of Lands (INTI) moved to seize 5000 hectors of agricultural land, and the process will continue as the Ministry of People's Power for Agriculture and Lands, Elias Jaua, called on the people to “march out and take over the means of production.” because land is the main pillar of production regarding basic food commodities.
The need to raise production, which has become an urgent need, in order to obtain a sufficient quantity of food with low prices has formed a reason, however, considering the need only is not enough, there is a must for the ability to undertake production processes, this is what will be achieved thanks to depending on a number of successful experiences which represented a model for building productive communes on these agricultural lands in order to surpass the private ownership and launch the social ownership in this sector.
Ability and need are both available, what is left is for the revolution to prove that it is a “revolution”, and this is exactly what this revolution has done by heading this way in order to get rid of the food problem completely on one hand, and to boost its energy towards a new way on the other hand, especially that it is starting its third stage: transformation towards socialism.
Thus, the revolution has proved itself and its ability and its scientific characteristic; it has assured its class and socialist essence with the start of the new stage, and if the battle is continuous and hard, then this is because it cannot be otherwise, because it cannot be except a “permanent revolution”, as the President says, which means it will enter into battles one after the other, and the materialistic evidences will keep coming constantly assuring the continuation of the revolutionary tendency in the head of the Bolivarian movement and its confrontations with all the forces that disrupt the path of the revolution.
President Chavez said "The revolution must charge ahead. There cannot be any agreement with the oligarchy or agreements at the top with anybody; I will make sure that we put our foot down on the accelerator of the Revolution."
The scientific – materialistic revolutionary - standards will always remain the basis for judging the events of the revolution and its class achievements in each and every step and move.
--------------------------
to download the arabic version of Socialist Venezuela letter-issue # 6 :
http://www.4shared.com/file/98462967/46da1ae/_-__6.html