Conghaileach
15th May 2003, 15:08
Fight Back News Service
http://www.fightbacknews.org
----------------------------
Bolivarian Circles of Venezuela:
Frontline Defense for National Democratic Revolution
An Interview with Dr. Rodrigo Chavez, coordinator of the Bolivarian Circles in
Venezuela
Dr. Rodrigo Chavez, coordinator of the Bolivarian Circles in Venezuela, was
interviewed by Tom Burke of the Colombia Solidarity Committee in Chicago. The
Bolivarian Circles, with 2.2 million members, are the backbone of the national
democratic revolution in Venezuela. After an attempted U.S. coup against Chavez
on April 11, 2002, the Bolivarian Circles helped reinstall popularly-elected
President Hugo Chavez. The Bolivarian Circles also successfully organized mass
resistance against criminal corporate managers’ and corrupt union officials’
attempted destruction of the oil industry.
Fight Back!: What are the Bolivarian Circles? What ideas do they promote and
what do they do?
Rodrigo Chavez: Bolivarian Circles are the most basic form of participation in
the democratic process in Venezuela, although not the only one. There are also
neighborhood associations, cooperatives and indigenous groups, among others. The
difference between Bolivarian Circles and other people’s organizations is in
their express commitment to the defense of the revolution and the 1999
Bolivarian constitution, which was designed by the people and approved with 86%
of the popular vote. This is something that, for example, a neighbor association
may also believe in, but it does not form part of their foundational statements.
Also, a Bolivarian Circle gets involved in country-wide on international issues,
which is something that may not be of interest for a neighborhood association.
Fight Back!: What is the relationship between the Bolivarian Circles and the
government of President Hugo Chavez?
Rodrigo Chavez: President Chavez has made permanent calls for people to get
organized and to fight for their rights. Political parties were not the best way
to guarantee people’s participation in the democratic process because of their
infighting and struggle for positions of leadership. With these problems in
mind, in 2000, he specifically called for the formation of Bolivarian Circles
and empowered Diosdado Cabello, vice-president of the Republic, to provide all
the necessary support to form the Bolivarian Circles as independent cells of
support for the revolution.
The fact that Bolivarian Circles were founded under a presidential call has made
people think that Bolivarian Circles are dependent on the government, but, in
reality they are autonomous and do not receive government funds. Bolivarian
Circles are not corporations - therefore they cannot access funds directly - but
they educate people and communities on how to access credits from different
lending institutions. They also allow people with common interests to form
co-ops, associations, non-profit corporations, et cetera.
Fight Back!: The rich land owners and big bosses in Venezuela, backed by Bush
and the CIA, tried to overthrow Venezuela’s democratically elected president,
Hugo Chavez, on April 11, 2002. How did the Bolivarian Circles respond to the
coup against President Chavez?
Rodrigo Chavez: The Bolivarian Circles played a fundamental role in the
re-establishment of the constitutional process in Venezuela. It was a
spontaneous movement that had no government guidance nor did it follow any
previous government plan. It was the Bolivarian Circles, who, through their
organization and high level of understanding of the need to defend the
democratic process, that started to take control of different parts of the
country, and, together with the military supporting the constitution, reversed
the coup and provided a unique historical situation where, for the first time in
history, a deposed president was able to come back to the presidency in less
than 48 hours.
Fight Back!: How did the Bolivarian Circles respond during the recent sabotage
of the national oil industry by criminal company officials and corrupt oil union
leaders?
Rodrigo Chavez: Bolivarian Circles provided free labor, groups to defend oil
installations and connections to contact former oil workers. In addition, many
oil workers are themselves members of Bolivarian Circles, and created a network
of support and exchange that allowed for the recovery of the oil production in
record time.
Fight Back!: Do the Bolivarian Circles work with unions?
Rodrigo Chavez: As I mentioned before, many members of the Bolivarian Circles
are unionized workers and union leaders. We as Bolivarian Circles provide
integration between union members and the rest of the community - in fact,
making the labor movement and the people’s movement one.
It does not mean that we do not perceive the differences between the labor
movement struggle and the struggle of a community for a better education, but we
have been able to identify more commonalities than differences between different
movements. The integration of the struggles and demands of the labor movement
with those of the community are a fundamental factor in the current trend to
form a new kind of labor movement, and in fact most important labor unions of
the country have abandoned the CTV - Confederation of Venezuelan Workers - to
form new alternatives. The recently created Union of Workers UNETE is a response
to the corruption of the CTV.
Fight Back!: What motivates you to organize and fight for the self-determination
of the Venezuelan people? Why focus on the Bolivarian Circles?
Rodrigo Chavez: As a medical doctor, I was always concerned that, in Venezuela,
health was perceived of as the treatment of diseases. I believed in a more
holistic approach. I believed in education and prevention, but the more I got
involved in trying to address the situation, the more convinced I got that it
was only the people themselves who could solve their own problems and that
health problems were just another expression of our societal ills. From this
understanding to the Bolivarian Circles there is just a step.
Fight Back!: What are the Bolivarian movement’s goals? Is socialism on the
agenda? Is creating a United States of Latin America a goal?
Rodrigo Chavez: The goal is the defense of the revolutionary process to form a
society with social justice, with economic justice, with a guarantee for real
political participation for all. This last point deserves special attention. I
am not talking here about voting every four or five years or whatever the
electoral cycle is. I am talking about people being able to directly design
their development projects, supervise and carry out their development projects
without intermediaries, without people representing them.
Through Bolivarian Circles, neighborhood associations, cooperatives, et cetera,
people can represent themselves before city hall and governorships. The citizen
assembly is a constitutional right. Articles 166 and 192 of the constitution
establish that governors and mayors must allow for communities to participate in
the design and implementation of their budgets. How do you call this? Socialism?
Communism? Populism? It is up to you. We just do not care about the name as long
as the process works. We call it Bolivarianism and participatory democracy.
Of course, Venezuelan problems are similar to those of other countries in Latin
America and the world. We should be receiving all the support of the world as we
try to solve problems in a way that has never been tried before and as we
confront powerful forces trying to maintain the status quo. It has not
materialized yet, and, if anything our efforts have been received with
skepticism. But we just keep going against all odds trying to create an
alternative model that provides an alternative for Venezuela and other
countries. We are sure that the ideas of a unified Latin America are closer than
ever because only people unite people. It has been the interests of corporations
and the wealthy which have separated us in different countries and as a people.
The unity of Latin America is an essential component of Bolivar ideas so it is
ours too.
Fight Back!: Does the Bolivarian movement relate to movements in other
countries? Which ones and why?
Rodrigo Chavez: We relate to movements pursuing peace with social and economic
justice - fighting for the rights of the indigenous people, of the poor, of
workers in general. That is why we have a close relationship with indigenous
movements in Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, Canada and Guatemala. We are
initiating relationships with the Zapatistas in Mexico; we also have
relationships with the progressive movements all around the world in Africa,
Asia, Europe, the United States; with the Workers Party in Brazil and with the
revolutionary process in Cuba.
Fight Back!: What are the important lessons you wish to share with Fight Back!
readers?
Rodrigo Chavez: We knew we were confronting powerful interests and powerful
forces, we just did not know how powerful they were. Attempts to overthrow the
government and to put an end to our struggle continue. More than a hundred
community leaders have been killed, mostly during the days of the coup. The key
has been organization and community participation in the decision making
process. We do not have great individual leaders and we do not try to form
individual leaders; we think that communities have their own leaders and that
new leaders are emerging all the time so people are not following a leader -
they are working for their own projects and trying to build a future of their
own. Hugo Chavez is, without a doubt, a leader for all communities but we do not
depend on him. We accept his leadership at a national level, as the person who
has opened the political space and allowed for us, the forgotten, the neglected,
the oppressed to be able to stand up for our rights.
Fight Back!: What can people in the U.S. do to support the struggle of the
working people in Venezuela?
Rodrigo Chavez: People in the United States should try to become more aware
about the realities, about what is really going on in Venezuela. They can form
Bolivarian Circles over there too; they can try to learn about our constitution
and try to implement similar reforms in your country. U.S. people must also
oppose U.S. government intervention in other countries’ affairs, and please
denounce the mass media distorted portrait about Venezuela and other countries
that do not bend to U.S. corporate attempts to take control of our resources and
dominate our politics.
__________________________________________________ ____
Subscribe to Fight Back News Service by sending an email to
[email protected]
Fight Back! / ˇLucha y Resiste! is a newspaper that builds the people's
struggle. We provide coverage and analysis of some of the key battles facing
working and low-income people. This article can be reprinted, copied or
distributed as long as it is credited to Fight Back!. Contact us at Fight Back!,
PO Box 582564, Minneapolis, MN 55440, USA. [email protected]
http://www.fightbacknews.org
http://www.fightbacknews.org
----------------------------
Bolivarian Circles of Venezuela:
Frontline Defense for National Democratic Revolution
An Interview with Dr. Rodrigo Chavez, coordinator of the Bolivarian Circles in
Venezuela
Dr. Rodrigo Chavez, coordinator of the Bolivarian Circles in Venezuela, was
interviewed by Tom Burke of the Colombia Solidarity Committee in Chicago. The
Bolivarian Circles, with 2.2 million members, are the backbone of the national
democratic revolution in Venezuela. After an attempted U.S. coup against Chavez
on April 11, 2002, the Bolivarian Circles helped reinstall popularly-elected
President Hugo Chavez. The Bolivarian Circles also successfully organized mass
resistance against criminal corporate managers’ and corrupt union officials’
attempted destruction of the oil industry.
Fight Back!: What are the Bolivarian Circles? What ideas do they promote and
what do they do?
Rodrigo Chavez: Bolivarian Circles are the most basic form of participation in
the democratic process in Venezuela, although not the only one. There are also
neighborhood associations, cooperatives and indigenous groups, among others. The
difference between Bolivarian Circles and other people’s organizations is in
their express commitment to the defense of the revolution and the 1999
Bolivarian constitution, which was designed by the people and approved with 86%
of the popular vote. This is something that, for example, a neighbor association
may also believe in, but it does not form part of their foundational statements.
Also, a Bolivarian Circle gets involved in country-wide on international issues,
which is something that may not be of interest for a neighborhood association.
Fight Back!: What is the relationship between the Bolivarian Circles and the
government of President Hugo Chavez?
Rodrigo Chavez: President Chavez has made permanent calls for people to get
organized and to fight for their rights. Political parties were not the best way
to guarantee people’s participation in the democratic process because of their
infighting and struggle for positions of leadership. With these problems in
mind, in 2000, he specifically called for the formation of Bolivarian Circles
and empowered Diosdado Cabello, vice-president of the Republic, to provide all
the necessary support to form the Bolivarian Circles as independent cells of
support for the revolution.
The fact that Bolivarian Circles were founded under a presidential call has made
people think that Bolivarian Circles are dependent on the government, but, in
reality they are autonomous and do not receive government funds. Bolivarian
Circles are not corporations - therefore they cannot access funds directly - but
they educate people and communities on how to access credits from different
lending institutions. They also allow people with common interests to form
co-ops, associations, non-profit corporations, et cetera.
Fight Back!: The rich land owners and big bosses in Venezuela, backed by Bush
and the CIA, tried to overthrow Venezuela’s democratically elected president,
Hugo Chavez, on April 11, 2002. How did the Bolivarian Circles respond to the
coup against President Chavez?
Rodrigo Chavez: The Bolivarian Circles played a fundamental role in the
re-establishment of the constitutional process in Venezuela. It was a
spontaneous movement that had no government guidance nor did it follow any
previous government plan. It was the Bolivarian Circles, who, through their
organization and high level of understanding of the need to defend the
democratic process, that started to take control of different parts of the
country, and, together with the military supporting the constitution, reversed
the coup and provided a unique historical situation where, for the first time in
history, a deposed president was able to come back to the presidency in less
than 48 hours.
Fight Back!: How did the Bolivarian Circles respond during the recent sabotage
of the national oil industry by criminal company officials and corrupt oil union
leaders?
Rodrigo Chavez: Bolivarian Circles provided free labor, groups to defend oil
installations and connections to contact former oil workers. In addition, many
oil workers are themselves members of Bolivarian Circles, and created a network
of support and exchange that allowed for the recovery of the oil production in
record time.
Fight Back!: Do the Bolivarian Circles work with unions?
Rodrigo Chavez: As I mentioned before, many members of the Bolivarian Circles
are unionized workers and union leaders. We as Bolivarian Circles provide
integration between union members and the rest of the community - in fact,
making the labor movement and the people’s movement one.
It does not mean that we do not perceive the differences between the labor
movement struggle and the struggle of a community for a better education, but we
have been able to identify more commonalities than differences between different
movements. The integration of the struggles and demands of the labor movement
with those of the community are a fundamental factor in the current trend to
form a new kind of labor movement, and in fact most important labor unions of
the country have abandoned the CTV - Confederation of Venezuelan Workers - to
form new alternatives. The recently created Union of Workers UNETE is a response
to the corruption of the CTV.
Fight Back!: What motivates you to organize and fight for the self-determination
of the Venezuelan people? Why focus on the Bolivarian Circles?
Rodrigo Chavez: As a medical doctor, I was always concerned that, in Venezuela,
health was perceived of as the treatment of diseases. I believed in a more
holistic approach. I believed in education and prevention, but the more I got
involved in trying to address the situation, the more convinced I got that it
was only the people themselves who could solve their own problems and that
health problems were just another expression of our societal ills. From this
understanding to the Bolivarian Circles there is just a step.
Fight Back!: What are the Bolivarian movement’s goals? Is socialism on the
agenda? Is creating a United States of Latin America a goal?
Rodrigo Chavez: The goal is the defense of the revolutionary process to form a
society with social justice, with economic justice, with a guarantee for real
political participation for all. This last point deserves special attention. I
am not talking here about voting every four or five years or whatever the
electoral cycle is. I am talking about people being able to directly design
their development projects, supervise and carry out their development projects
without intermediaries, without people representing them.
Through Bolivarian Circles, neighborhood associations, cooperatives, et cetera,
people can represent themselves before city hall and governorships. The citizen
assembly is a constitutional right. Articles 166 and 192 of the constitution
establish that governors and mayors must allow for communities to participate in
the design and implementation of their budgets. How do you call this? Socialism?
Communism? Populism? It is up to you. We just do not care about the name as long
as the process works. We call it Bolivarianism and participatory democracy.
Of course, Venezuelan problems are similar to those of other countries in Latin
America and the world. We should be receiving all the support of the world as we
try to solve problems in a way that has never been tried before and as we
confront powerful forces trying to maintain the status quo. It has not
materialized yet, and, if anything our efforts have been received with
skepticism. But we just keep going against all odds trying to create an
alternative model that provides an alternative for Venezuela and other
countries. We are sure that the ideas of a unified Latin America are closer than
ever because only people unite people. It has been the interests of corporations
and the wealthy which have separated us in different countries and as a people.
The unity of Latin America is an essential component of Bolivar ideas so it is
ours too.
Fight Back!: Does the Bolivarian movement relate to movements in other
countries? Which ones and why?
Rodrigo Chavez: We relate to movements pursuing peace with social and economic
justice - fighting for the rights of the indigenous people, of the poor, of
workers in general. That is why we have a close relationship with indigenous
movements in Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, Canada and Guatemala. We are
initiating relationships with the Zapatistas in Mexico; we also have
relationships with the progressive movements all around the world in Africa,
Asia, Europe, the United States; with the Workers Party in Brazil and with the
revolutionary process in Cuba.
Fight Back!: What are the important lessons you wish to share with Fight Back!
readers?
Rodrigo Chavez: We knew we were confronting powerful interests and powerful
forces, we just did not know how powerful they were. Attempts to overthrow the
government and to put an end to our struggle continue. More than a hundred
community leaders have been killed, mostly during the days of the coup. The key
has been organization and community participation in the decision making
process. We do not have great individual leaders and we do not try to form
individual leaders; we think that communities have their own leaders and that
new leaders are emerging all the time so people are not following a leader -
they are working for their own projects and trying to build a future of their
own. Hugo Chavez is, without a doubt, a leader for all communities but we do not
depend on him. We accept his leadership at a national level, as the person who
has opened the political space and allowed for us, the forgotten, the neglected,
the oppressed to be able to stand up for our rights.
Fight Back!: What can people in the U.S. do to support the struggle of the
working people in Venezuela?
Rodrigo Chavez: People in the United States should try to become more aware
about the realities, about what is really going on in Venezuela. They can form
Bolivarian Circles over there too; they can try to learn about our constitution
and try to implement similar reforms in your country. U.S. people must also
oppose U.S. government intervention in other countries’ affairs, and please
denounce the mass media distorted portrait about Venezuela and other countries
that do not bend to U.S. corporate attempts to take control of our resources and
dominate our politics.
__________________________________________________ ____
Subscribe to Fight Back News Service by sending an email to
[email protected]
Fight Back! / ˇLucha y Resiste! is a newspaper that builds the people's
struggle. We provide coverage and analysis of some of the key battles facing
working and low-income people. This article can be reprinted, copied or
distributed as long as it is credited to Fight Back!. Contact us at Fight Back!,
PO Box 582564, Minneapolis, MN 55440, USA. [email protected]
http://www.fightbacknews.org