At the opening session of the PSUV
congress Chavez made a very radical left-wing speech, calling for the
setting up of a new international, explaining that it was necessary to
destroy the bourgeois state and replace it with a revolutionary state,
but also referring to the bureaucracy within the Bolivarian movement
itself. It was clearly a speech that reflects the enormous pressure
from the masses below who are getting tired of talk about socialism,
while real progress towards genuine change appears to be frustratingly
slow. Alan Woods reports on the start of the PSUV congress in Venezuela.
Saturday November 21, the First Extraordinary Congress of the United
Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) commenced its sessions with the
attendance of 772 red-shirted delegates. The majority were workers,
peasants and students, elected by around 2.5 million voters (the total
membership on paper is seven million!). The atmosphere was one of
enthusiasm and expectation.
After a warming up session of revolutionary songs and a couple of
opening speeches from visiting dignitaries from Nicaragua and El
Salvador, Hugo Chavez opened the proceedings with a five hour speech
that finished shortly after midnight.
The main emphasis of the first part of his speech was the need to
set up a new revolutionary international, which he referred to as the
Fifth International. Chavez pointed out that Marx had set up the First
International, Engels participated in the founding of the Second
International, Lenin founded the Third International and Leon Trotsky
the Fourth, but that for different reasons, none of these
Internationals existed today.
Chavez pointed out that all these Internationals were originally
based in Europe, reflecting the class battles in Europe at that time,
but that today the epicentre of world revolution was in Latin America,
and especially in Venezuela. He pointed to the presence at the Congress
of 55 left parties from 39 countries, which had signed a document
called the Caracas Agreement (El Compromiso de Caracas), based on the
idea of a worldwide fight against imperialism and capitalism, for
socialism.
He stressed this idea repeatedly in the course of his speech, which
also contained many radical ideas, attacks against capitalism, which he
said was a threat to the future of the human race. Referring to the
world capitalist crisis, he condemned the attempts of western
governments to save the system with lavish state bailouts. Our task, he
said, was not to save capitalism but to destroy it.
Referring to the situation in Venezuela, he stated that they had not
yet succeeded in eliminating capitalism but were moving in that
direction. His announcement that they were going to take over seven
banks was greeted with enthusiastic applause. He denounced the
Venezuelan oligarchy as a Fifth Column, which had sold out to
imperialism.
Chavez pointed out that the state in Venezuela remained a capitalist
state and this was a central problem for the revolution. Waving a copy
of Lenin’s State and Revolution (which he recommended all the
delegates to read), he said that he accepted Lenin’s view that it was
necessary to destroy the bourgeois state and replace it with a
revolutionary state, and this task remained to be carried out.
Turning to the problem of bureaucracy, he warned that he was aware
that some of the delegates present had been elected by irregular means
and that some people were only interested in getting elected to
parliament or as mayors and governors, which he described as
unacceptable.
the recent conflict with Colombia, he repeated his demand for the
establishment of a people’s militia, and that every worker, peasant,
student, man and woman, should receive military training, and that this
must not remain on paper but be put into practice.
“I attach great importance to this congress,” Chavez said, “and
intend to take an active part in its proceedings.” He insisted that the
congress should not end tomorrow (Sunday) but should continue to meet
periodically for the next few months, so as to debate all these
questions thoroughly. He insisted that the debates must be democratic,
taking different opinions into consideration and that delegates must
report back to the rank and file and discuss with them all the
different proposals and documents.
The President emphasized that the next year would be difficult. The
opposition would do everything possible to win the elections to the
National Assembly in September 2010. “After that they will go for me,”
he said. At this point one delegate shouted out: “They will go for all
of us!”
All this highlights the central problem. After 11 years there are
signs that the masses are becoming impatient and frustrated with the
slow pace of the revolution. The crisis of capitalism is having an
effect, and many are disgusted with the bureaucracy and corruption they
see everywhere, including within the Bolivarian Movement itself.
This frustration sometimes expresses itself in strikes. The
President expressed his frustration at some strikes, although he
appealed for a dialogue with the workers. But behind this is a general
feeling that those in the leadership of the revolution are out of touch
and do not listen to the masses or understand their problems.
During his speech, Chavez also stressed the need to recover the
traditions of revolutionary trade unionism, since the working class has
to play a leading role in the revolution. "The consciousness of the
working class is key to the building of socialism", he said, adding
that there must be a close alliance between the party and the workers.
It is clear that Chavez is attempting to use the congress to breathe
new life into the revolution. Let us hope that this will be the
starting point for a new advance of the Bolivarian Revolution, which
can only succeed by going onto the offensive, braking radically with
capitalism, striking blows against the reactionary oligarchy and
establishing a genuine workers’ state as the necessary condition for
advancing to socialism and launching a revolutionary wave throughout
the Americas and on a world scale.
Caracas, 21st November (first posed on www.marxist.com)
