Venezuela`s “Dancing Devils”

Analysis
Opinion
The 2002 oil lockout
in Venezuela: 10 years later pagege 7
Border crossings:
The Venezuelans are coming! page 8
Friday, December 7, 2012 | Nº 138 | Caracas | www.correodelorinoco.gob.ve
Venezuela stands
with Palestine
ENGLISH EDITION/The artillery of ideas
Venezuela’s “Dancing Devils”: Cultural
Heritage of Humanity, says Unesco
Venezuela last week stood
firmly with the global
majority at the United
Nations in its vote to
recognize Palestinian
statehood. Perhaps one
of the most avid voices
among countries backing
Palestine’s bid to be a “non
member observer state”,
Venezuela went even
further and demanded
Israel be “held responsible”
for the “crimes against
humanity inflicted on the
Palestinian people”. page 4
Politics
Chavez govt
demands efficiency
A new policy of
accountability and action
is being implemented in all
sectors. page 3
Environment
Change
the system
Venezuela backed clear
initiatives to address
climate change in Doha
this week. page 5
Social Justice
Advances
for disabled citizens
Venezuela has become
a reference in disabled
people’s rights. page 6
One of Venezuela’s most celebrated traditions was granted Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity status by the United Nation’s Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (Unesco) on Thursday during a committee meeting of the international
body in Paris. With the status, Venezuela’s Dancing Devils take their place alongside
such cultural manifestations as Spain’s Flamenco, Turkey’s Mevlevi Sema Ceremony,
and, more recently, Mexico’s Mariachi music. Page 2
Beacon of Hope
Leading experts in the field of Latin America addressed a large audience on the latest developments
in Latin America and hailed the continent’s tide of
progressive governments as a “beacon of hope” at
the annual Latin America Conference on Saturday
December 1 in London.
Under the theme “making a better world possible”,
over 20 seminars, workshops and film screenings
addressed the progressive movements sweeping the
continent and celebrated their political and social
achievements. The conference examined a wealth
of themes including the misrepresentation of Latin
America in the western media, US intervention in
Latin America, social progress in Venezuela, what
socialism in the 21st century really means for the
Venezuelan people, and the impact that ALBA has
had on social and economic development in Latin
America.
Against a backdrop of austerity in Europe, the Latin
America Conference provided a timely reminder of
what is possible if governments put people before
profit.
INTERNATIONAL
Kyoto: Only
protocol for saving
environment
on global scale
The Kyoto Protocol is the
only legal and binding instrument on a global scale
that allows saving and preserving the environment,
said Venezuelan Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Claudia Salerno, representing
Venezuela in the 18th UN
Climate Change Conference,
which culminated this Friday in Doha, Qatar.
The Venezuelan representative rejected the fact that the
final statement of the conference be decided by developed
countries, hence “multilateralism must be respected” and
“the voice of everybody must
be heard” in order to achieve
a “unbiased outcome”.
Salerno warned that developed countries do not want
to be committed to the Kyoto
Protocol ratification, so they
are aiming at a “transitory
political implementation” of
such agreement.
The Kyoto Protocol was endorsed on December 11, 1997
in Japan. It aims at reducing
the emissions of greenhouse
gases that cause global
warming.
The Kyoto Protocol has
been supported by 187 countries, except Australia and
United States, which is the
most polluting country in
the world.
Salerno remarked that
Venezuelan President Hugo
Chavez has warned of the
urgent need to take concrete
measures to save both the
planet and humanity.
The stance of the government of Venezuela is against
“capitalist interests” that
prioritize profits over human welfare, said the representative.
TeleSur’s correspondent in
Doha, Aissa Garcia, reported on Monday morning that
“there are no agreements yet
to establish a binding document to substitute the Kyoto
Protocol”, which will expire
next December 31.
2 Impact | .ŽsFriday, December 7, 2012
The artillery of ideas
Venezuela’s Dancing Devils receive country’s
first intangible heritage recognition by Unesco
T/ COI
P/ Agencies
O
ne of Venezuela’s most
celebrated traditions was
granted Intangible Cultural
Heritage of Humanity status by
the United Nation’s Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) on Wednesday
during a committee meeting of
the international body in Paris.
Government officials and 22
members of the eleven guilds
that make up the Dancing Devils of Corpus Christi, a network
of devoted Christians who imitate defeated demons through
the use of masks and choreographed movements, traveled
to France earlier this week
to receive the verdict and celebrate the recognition.
“We’re sure that this time
the Holy Sacrament will bless
us because the communities
support us. The homage being
paid to the most holy isn’t just
through the devils but also the
community which respects us
and which is praying for us”,
said Jose Echenagucia from the
Ocumare branch of the guild
before the decision.
The first attempt to qualify
the Devils as Intangible Heritage happened in 2002 at which
time the request was denied due
to technical errors and a lack of
documentation.
This time, a greater emphasis
was placed on the meaning of the
tradition for the local communities and more effort was made
to include the people from those
communities in the solicitation.
“The first time, the communities weren’t consulted... But this
year a team from the Center of
Diversity traveled to our communities to interview the people
who are a witness to our demonstrations”, said Militzo Vega
from the state of Carabobo.
With the recognition, the
Dancing Devils have become
Venezuela’s first cultural expression to receive Unesco’s Intangible Heritage status.
The measure, largely symbolic, sets standards to safeguard
the practice of living traditions
and provides a series of guidelines to ensure a non-intrusive
conservation of the arts, rituals, and festive events.
“While fragile, intangible cultural heritage is an important
factor in maintaining cultural
diversity in the face of growing
globalization. An understanding of the intangible cultural
heritage of different communities helps with intercultural dialogue, and encourages mutual
respect for other ways of life”,
states Unesco’s website.
With the status, Venezuela’s Dancing Devils take their
place alongside such cultural
manifestations as Spain’s Flamenco, Turkey’s Mevlevi Sema
Ceremony, and, more recently,
Mexico’s Mariachi music.
“It’s Venezuelan-ness that is
being recognized”, said Culture
Minister Pedro Calzadilla regarding the practice that dates
back to the 1600s. “It’s through expressions such as that these our
identity is supported”, he said.
The celebrations take place on
the ninth Thursday following
Holy Week in the central states
of Miranda, Guarico, Carabobo,
Cojedes, Vargas and Aragua.
On that day, members of the
local parishes dress in red and
adorn highly elaborated masks
representing the devil, who after hours of struggle eventually
bows to the beneficence of the
Holy Sacrament.
“You can’t just dance because
you like it. It’s a promise to the
King of Kings and to the Holy
Sacrament”, said Ernesto Herrera, a 26 year-old devotee.
Herrera is from Yare, Miranda
state, where the largest celebration takes place, incorporating
some two thousand dancers.
At noon the day before the
Feast of Corpus Christi, participants arrive at the town church
to receive permission from the
parish priest to engage in the acts.
A procession is then carried out
and a vigil for the Cruz de Mayo
is undertaken until dawn.
Following the vigil, the devotees assume their disguises and
pay homage to those departed
in the local cemetery.
The dancers then pledge
promises to the Lord and engage in a procession of the Holy
Sacrament accentuated by various types of local music and different ritual practices depending on the locality.
“We also dance when we are
invited by others. I’ve been dancing since I was 7 years old. I feel
proud to be a part of this tradition. I have a spiritual commitment with the Holy Spirit as well
as my great grandfather who was
the first President of the Devils.
He and my grandfather passed
the faith and devotion to me. Although it was offered to me for 7
years, I swore my allegiance for
my whole life”, Herrera said.
While the Dancing Devils are
now recognized as an intrinsic
part of the Caribbean country’s
heritage, Vice Minister for Cultural Identity and Diversity,
Benito Irady, expressed alarm
at the fact that many Venezuelans are not familiar with the
tradition or its characteristics.
Irady attributes this lack of
knowledge to the influence that
outside cultures, such as those
from the Global North, have exerted over Venezuela.
For the Vice Minister, it is crucial that Venezuela continue on
the path towards reaffirming it’s
own cultural identity in the face
of a globalized mass media.
As such, officials are hopeful
that Unesco’s Intangible Heritage status will help aid in raising the consciousness among
the population at large with respect to the country’s rich cultural patrimony.
“The challenge is very great.
It’s the need that we have to
return our gaze towards ourselves - who we were and who
we are”, the Vice Minister said.
Activities have been planned
around Venezuela’s central
states to celebrate the Unesco
recognition starting on Friday.
A mass and a parade, which
will include the participation of
more than 500 devils, have been
organized to take place in Caracas on Sunday.
“This will be the first, after
400 years of the tradition, that
a mass with all eleven guilds
of the tradition will take place
in the country”, said Irady
last week.
.ŽsFriday, Dicember 7, 2012
The artillery of ideas
“Efficiency or nothing” goes into
action in the Venezuelan countryside
dios, and redistribute the land
to small farmers.
The reform has been implemented to fight inequality in
the countryside and boost Venezuela’s domestic agricultural
production, thereby guaranteeing food sovereignty for the
OPEC member country.
Last weekend’s encounters
touched on themes of infrastructure, labor, and produc-
With respect to public transportation, the metro of Caracas
will receive 3.3 billion ($767
million) bolivars for improvement and expansion while the
metro of Los Teques, adjacent
to the capital, will receive 4 billion ($930 million).
Also allocated are 6.3 billion bolivars ($1.4 billion) to
Venezuela’s National Electricity Corporation (Corpoelec) to
strengthen the country’s energy production.
Opposition congress members abstained from Tuesday’s
vote, considering the budget to
be “a joke” that “doesn’t translate into social spending”, according to minority leader Vestalia Sampedro.
For the chair of the Assembly’s Finance Committee, Ricardo Sanguino, the Venezuelan conservatives’ abstention
is indicative of their elitism.
“Who can turn their back on
a government that is sending
resources to the people? To-
day the opposition is denying
the existence of the missions
by refusing to vote for the
national budget”, Sanguino
said.
In criticizing the opposition’s abstention, the congressman from the Andean
state of Tachira pointed out
the advances that Venezuela
has seen in living standards
as a result of the spending
policies implemented by the
government of Hugo Chavez.
“Today Venezuela exhibits
the most important social
indicators than any government has been able to display
in such short a time. We have
improved our social indicators, we have the greatest wealth redistribution in
Latin America, the highest
levels of employment, the social missions, and we’ve seen
progress in health, education, housing, alimentation,
culture, science, and technology”, he affirmed.
T
ed by the government to inspect
their progress and inquire on
their needs.
“We’re taking part in the
‘Efficiency or Nothing’ campaign, fulfilling the instructions of our commander-inchief Hugo Chavez as part of
the reorientation that he gave
us”, Melendez said.
In the plains state of Apure,
the Minister met with farmers
from a group of governmentfunded Socialist Production
Units while in the neighboring
state of Barinas, the presidential dispatch visited two similar
agricultural centers.
Most of the units are the
product of Venezuela’s 2001
agrarian reform law which
has sought to break-up large
unproductive
plantations,
known in Spanish as latifun-
Venezuelan parliament approves budget,
increases spending on social programs
T/ COI
V
enezuela’s National Assembly ratified the nation’s budget last Tuesday in
a move that will strengthen
social spending and boost financing for a multiplicity of
welfare programs designed to
improve living standards for
low-income citizens.
The entire budget accounts for 396 billion bolivars ($92 billion) and is calculated on a $55 barrel of oil
price to safeguard against
volatility in the international market.
Over 147 billion bolivars
($34 billion) have been designated to social spending,
representing 37.3 percent of
the entire package and a 27
percent increase in the same
figure from last year.
Key among the spending is
the allocation of financing to
the Chavez administration’s
anti-poverty programs, known
as missions.
This will translate to increased spending for public
education, health care, social
security, housing, maternity,
and job creation.
Public safety will also benefit
heavily from the new spending
with an allocation of just over
one billion bolivars ($232 million) for the country’s National
Bolivarian Police (PNB) force.
The PNB was created in 2009
by the Chavez administration
to transform Venezuela’s repressive and ineffective security institutions into a commu-
nity-based police that focuses
on community engagement and
respect for human rights.
“The principal objective of
[this spending] is to guarantee
the reduction of the crimes with
the highest indices of occurrence in the national territory.
These resources are going to
put emphasis on the deepening
of our intelligence strategies”,
said socialist congressman Alexander Dudamel during the
budget debate.
Other sectors that will see
higher levels of funding include
transportation and communication which has been increased
by 185 percent; industry and
commerce which will receive
a 35 percent hike; and energy,
mines and oil which has had its
line increased by 31 percent.
3
tion mechanisms, officials
report.
As part of the visits, Melendez
was shown the different work
processes employed by the socialist farms in the area, the
different crops being produced,
and the types of challenges facing the units.
The overall goal, as stated by
the Ministry, is to ensure that
productivity in the countryside
is on track, that government resources are being used as they
are intended, and that the rights
of workers are being respected.
“We’re very pleased with
the visit”, the high official said
upon arriving by helicopter on
the farm El Cedral in Apure.
“The most important aspect of
these visits are the workers who
have made their observations
and articulated what is causing them problems... Our commitment is to find solutions and
correct mistakes”, she said.
In this first leg of the efficiency campaign, the Ministry
will cover thirteen states in the
country with thirty teams of
inspectors comprised of a total
of 234 people, Melendez told reporters last Friday.
These include engineers, accountants, social workers and
others who will provide a holistic analysis of each production
unit to be handed in to the Executive for review.
While Minister Melendez’s
visit to the farms last weekend
was brief, a team of inspectors
will remain with the workers
until a complete analysis of the
agricultural projects can be
concluded.
T/ COI
P/ Agencies
he Minister of Government
Management, Carmen Melendez, officially began carrying out inspections of agrarian production centers last
weekend in a bid to increase the
accountability of publicly-funded development projects around
the nation.
The visits form part of a new
campaign, called “Efficiency or
Nothing”, that was announced
by President Hugo Chavez
shortly after his sweeping election victory on October 7.
The idea, according to the head
of state, is to improve government
services and to ramp up the efficacy of public sector initiatives.
“The workers of any development project, any agricultural
or industrial project in any
part of the country should not
be surprised if [Vice President]
Nicolas Maduro or a minister
appears to carry out an unannounced inspection”, Chavez
said during a cabinet meeting
early in November.
Last
weekend,
Minister
Melendez followed up on this
commitment by dropping-in
unexpectedly on a number of
agricultural settlements fund-
| Politics
4 Integration | .ŽsFriday, December 7, 2012
The artillery of ideas
Venezuela stands with Palestine
ezuela (PSUV), lawmaker
Fernando Soto Rojas said the
Venezuelan legislature voted
to “promote an end to hostilities between Israel and the
Palestinians”.
“The Palestinian people are
a heroic people that represent a
historic experience”, said Soto
Rojas. “They are a cultured
people we’ve known for decades
and their struggle is for a homeland, for a land on which to live
freely, for a place to stand”.
The PSUV and numerous
Venezuelan social movements
marched on the streets of Caracas during Israel’s recent
bombing of Gaza, demonstrating against the “disproportionate use of force” by Israel and
showing both “unity and solidarity” with the Palestinian
people.
OFFICIAL DELEGATION
T/ COI
P/ Agencies
I
n another clear demonstration of its sovereign defense
of the poor and oppressed,
Venezuela last week stood firmly with the global majority at
the United Nations in its vote
to recognize Palestinian statehood. Perhaps one of the most
avid voices among countries
backing Palestine’s bid to be a
“non member observer state”,
Venezuela went even further
and demanded Israel be “held
responsible” for the “crimes
against humanity inflicted on
the Palestinian people”.
Venezuela, Cuba, and other
ALBA nations were among the
138 countries that helped secure
the two-thirds needed within
the UN General Assembly to
pass the historic resolution recognizing Palestine. Only nine
countries, including the United
States and Israel, voted against
the Palestinian bid, while another 41 nations abstained.
VENEZUELA STANDS FIRM
Of the many countries to express their steadfast support
for Palestine during last week’s
historic UN vote, Venezuelan
Ambassador to the UN Jorge
Valero was possibly the most
adamant spokesman. Addressing the UN General Assembly
on Thursday, Valero affirmed,
“the Palestinian people have
the legitimate right to seek dignity, justice, and to defend their
inalienable right to self-deter-
mination and an independent state”.
Valero described Israel as an “occupying
power” that “represses the Palestinian
people for the simple
act of struggling for
their rights”. He also
said Israel “practices
state terrorism” and
is a “factory of pain
and suffering for Palestinians”.
“Israel”, he continued, “violates international law, violates human rights, and fails
to respect numerous UN resolutions, placing itself outside the
rules that govern the international community of nations”.
Valero also insisted that Israel “must explain itself to the
UN as it relates to its crimes
against the Palestinian people”
and denounced Israel’s “use
of collective punishment and
weapons prohibited by international law, as well as its application of policies aimed at ethnic
cleansing which have resulted
in the deaths of many innocent
men, women, and children”.
Venezuela’s Ambassador to
the UN added that “an entire set
of inhumane policies have been
used to secure the segregation
and control of the Palestinian
people within a colonized territory. Laws have been passed
and institutions established to
violate the rights of Palestinians, to rob them of their land,
among other things”.
“The General Assembly”, he
affirmed, “must not remain indifferent to the suffering of the
Palestinian people”.
SOLIDARITY WITH PALESTINE
In the words of its UN Ambassador, Venezuela “is a country
committed to the principles and
values of liberty, sovereignty,
independence, peace and solidarity”. As such, Valero added,
“and to advance the common
good, in defense of territorial
integrity, co-existence, and international law, the Venezuelan
government of President Hugo
Chavez backs the Palestinian
bid to be recognized as an observer state within the United
Nations”.
“Venezuela votes yes”, he
said, “in solidarity with the
cause of Palestine”.
In response to the successful
vote, Venezuela’s representative to the Latin American
Parliament (Parlatino) Rodrigo Cabezas
expressed his country’s “profound satisfaction”.
According
to
Cabezas, the vote is
“an important step
forward in the Palestinian struggle for
recognition as both a
nation and state”.
In stark contrast to
global sentiment, the
US and Israel immediately criticized the
vote. US Ambassador
to the UN Susan Rice
called it an “unfortunate and
counterproductive
resolution
(that) places further obstacles in
the path of peace” while Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised the vote “won’t
change anything on the ground…
won’t advance the establishment
of a Palestinian state, but rather,
put it further off”.
The US and Israel were joined
by Canada, the Czech Republic,
the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and Panama
in voting against the Palestinian proposal.
In a recent show of support
and solidarity, the socialist
majority within the Venezuelan Nation Assembly passed a
resolution condemning Israel’s
November bombardment of
the Gaza Strip. The bombings
killed over 100 Palestinians,
wounding another 900.
Speaking on behalf of the
United Socialist Party of Ven-
Speaking to reporters over
the weekend, Palestinian Ambassador to Venezuela Farid
Suwwan announced, “The first
official delegation of the Palestinian state (since the UN vote)
is coming to Venezuela”.
“Relations between Venezuela and Palestine have never
been better”, explained Suwwan, “which is why Venezuela
is to receive a large delegation
from Palestine”.
The delegation “will include
five ministers, three vice ministers, and two general secretaries” who will meet with
their Venezuelan counterparts
to “discuss and sign some eight
bi-national
agreements
in
the areas of tourism, culture,
sports, health and education”,
explained Suwwan.
In what he called a “strategic
area of cooperation”, Suwwan
described plans to “maintain
and expand agreements which
provide scholarships to young
Palestinians looking to study
in Venezuela, increase collaboration for medical student
exchange programs, and approve the formal recognition
by both states of university degrees obtained in either nation
in the fields of engineering and
agriculture”.
In tourism, Suwwan added,
“Israel’s ongoing attempts to
destroy the Palestinian economy have failed and tourism is
steadily increasing”. For this
reason, he said, “agreements
will be discussed on how the
people of Palestine can best host
Venezuelan visitors who travel
year after year to the holy sites
of Palestine”.
Venezuela and Palestine have
had formal relations since 2009,
when the government of President Hugo Chavez formally recognized the Palestinian state.
.ŽsFriday, December 7, 2012
The artillery of ideas
Venezuela at the COP-18: “Change
the system, not the climate”
T/ Paul Dobson
P/ Agencies
“C
hange the system not
the climate” was the
message that Venezuela took to the 18th UN Conference of the Parties (COP-18) to
address climate change and
greenhouse emissions, held
this week in Doha, Qatar.
The representatives of the
socialist government of Hugo
Chavez demonstrated to the 194
countries present in the Qatar
National Convention Center
the positive advances that have
been made in Venezuela since
the previous COP-17 in Durban
last year.
These advances include Mission Tree, new mass transport systems, infrastructural
investment which includes
two wind farms, extensive hydroelectric dams, community
based solar based technology,
and extensive reforestation.
The message taken to the
conference by Venezuela was
very clear: that capitalism is
the cause of our environmental problems, and only under
socialism can the human race
survive and prosper. One of the
five policy areas of recently reelected President Chavez is to
activate programs which deepen socialism, and that have as
their final aim “saving humanity” and “rescuing our planet”.
“Markets are not the solution
to achieve ambitious emission
reductions”, the Venezuelan
delegation told the conference
in its opening statement. “Fostering education about new patterns of living goes beyond the
Green merchandising” which
capitalism has taken advantage
of to profit from environmental
consciousness.
There exists, the delegation complained, a gap in the
level of commitment to reducing greenhouse emissions
between developed capitalist economies and developing
nations. “Developing countries continue to do their part
through all means available to
them but more could be done
though the facilitation of appropriate technology, capacity
building and financing. Developed countries have to be more
ambitious, not less”.
Venezuelan emissions currently make up a mere 0.48% of
the world’s carbon emissions,
while it is estimated that the
United States contributes 30%
of all the greenhouse emissions.
The effects of this are starting
to be seen with rising sea levels
and temperatures, as well as
increasingly unpredictable and
severe weather phenomena.
Both Venezuela and the Bolivarian Alliance of the People of
Our Americas (ALBA), present
at the conference, stressed the
link between sustainable development, models of consumerism, and environmental consciousness. “There has been a
recognition that poverty eradication, changing unsustainable patterns of consumption
and production, and promoting
sustainable ones, and protecting and managing the natural
resource-base of the economic
and social development are the
overarching objectives of and
essential requirements for sustainable development”.
A statement from ALBA
raised the issue of agricultural
development in the mark of environmental controls. “Agricul-
ture is, without a doubt, a highly sensitive topic, socially and
economically”. It is a theme,
they explained, “that is about
sovereignty and food guarantees, and this can’t be discussed
within the scope of mitigation”.
The ALBA statement also
raised the issue of deforestation. “We want to insist in the
need to recognize different focuses for the reduction of emissions with regards to deforestation and forestry degradation,
the setting up and deepening of
mechanisms which promote the
sustainable use of the forests
with an eye on climate change,
in a holistic and integral way”.
Speaking on the topic of deforestation and the wood trade,
Venezuelan Minster for Industry, Ricardo Menendez, an-
| Environment
5
nounced that as part of the next
Plan of Government 2013-2019,
the Chavez administration
plans to reforest 120,000 hectares to be used in part by the
wood trade. “This is practically
multiplying by ten the amount
of reforestation that was done in
the previous period”, he stated.
In 2011, Venezuela reforested
15,000 hectares, which has increased to 20,000 hectares this
year, amounting to roughly 21
million trees planted.
In their presentation to the
UN conference, the Venezuelan
delegation highlighted the multiple systems of mass transportation which are being rapidly
constructed in various parts of
the country, such as the Metro
of Valencia, various metrocables, cable cars, and tram and
train networks. These systems
are being made available to
the poorest sectors of society,
through conscientious planning and heavily subsidized
prices. Some are free to use.
The delegation also highlighted the role of Mission Tree,
which organizes communities
to reforest their localities, and
which involves more than 47,000
activists who have planted more
than 43 million trees since its
creation in 2006. The mission has
reforested over 31,266 hectares
and currently has more than 126
tons of seeds in its seed bank.
Similarly, it was explained to
the conference that there are
over 222 protected areas, such as
national parks, across the country, which cover roughly 60% of
the national territory and include
vast areas of mangroves and
swamplands considered to be essential ‘carbon sinks’. Amongst
these is the National Park Cienagas de Juan Manuel, in the western region of the country, where
the lightening phenomenon of
Catatumbo is considered to be
the most important regenerator
of the ozone layer in the world.
They also drew attention to the
policies implemented to reduce
consumption in Venezuela, such
as replacing light bulbs with energy efficient ones, and changing the models of consumption
to products with low energy consumption, especially in white
line goods and air conditioning.
These high-technology products, they explained, are being
made available to the people at
subsidized prices thanks to the
Chavez government.
Finally, they explained that
over $500 million has been invested in developing the energy
infrastructure in Venezuela,
with particular focus on renewable energy sources. Currently
70% of national energy consumption is provided by renewable sources.
6 Social Justice | .ŽsFriday, December 7, 2012
The artillery of ideas
Venezuela celebrates
advances for disabled citizens
The inclusion of disabled people into the national workforce
is rapidly increasing, Araujo
explained. “Every day the number grows of disabled people
who contribute with their work
in the institutions, they are
useful people, and demonstrate
their abilities”.
December 3 was celebrated
with the slogan ‘One Disability, A Thousand Abilities”. The
wreath laying in Caracas was
attended by National Program
of Healthcare for Disabled People (Pasdis) and the Ministry of
Health, amongst others, which
plays a vital part of the CubaVenezuela health agreements
that greatly benefit disabled
citizens.
The number of free integral attention health centers
for citizens with disabilities
has risen from 67 in 1999,
which only attended physicalmotorary disabilities, to 580
in 2012, which now attend all
types of disabilities.
Conapdis currently has 42
centers for its work across the
country, and over 2927 community committees to propel
projects that integrate disabled
workers into socio-productive
roles, and which take advantage of their potential.
Henry Betancourt, Director
of the Asperger’s Syndrome
Foundation, reinforced the idea
that only as an included part of
communal power can disabled
people further achieve the
equality that they deserve. “We
disabled people have potential
and capabilities as all do, and
we are an organized people’s
power. This is why we have to
continue working in the context of inclusion”.
Finally, Araujo warned that
despite the great steps the
revolution has made alongside
organized disabled communities, there is still a long way
to go in achieving a fair, equal
society where disabled people
are treated with full respect.
“We have advanced, but there
is a lot more to do. We still
have part of the capitalist system that we inherited, which
didn’t take into account people
with functional diversity”.
tences of 15 to 25 years for public servants that cause physical
or psychological damage to any
citizen under their custody in
order to punish, intimidate, or
obtain a confession.
The law also proposes to give
13 to 23 years in prison to any
official that intentionally mistreats a person behind bars or
breaks their mental or physical
resistance, generating physical
or psychic harm.
The instrument would, however, would not consider cruel the
progressive, differentiated and
proportionate use of potentially
lethal force by state police forces.
A proponent of the law, Congressman Juan Carlos Aleman
of the PSUV, said that workers
that are victims of cruel or inhumane treatment would be
protected under the law and
given job stability.
Aleman said in his presentation yesterday that the law
would also put a stop to abuses
against visitors to penitentiary
centers by protecting them from
physical searches. He said that
to guarantee this right a scanner will be used instead, and a
pilot project is already underway at the El Rodeo prison.
The law would also create
a commission to guarantee
compliance with the norms,
which would be under the Office of the Public Defender.
The law stems from an Venezuela’s constitution, which
requires the National Assembly to approve “legislation on
the punishment of torture,
through a special law or reform to the penal code”. It was
approved in a first discussion
by the National Assembly earlier this year on June 12.
T/ Paul Dobson
P/ Agencies
A
s disabled people marched
in protest at austerity measures which are rolling
back their rights in many capitals of the world, particularly
Madrid and Athens, events
organized by disabled citizens
to celebrate their substantial
gains under the Bolivarian Revolution were held this week in
Venezuela to commemorate the
International Day for those with
Disabilities on December 3.
“Currently, Venezuela is the
reference point in the organization of people with disabilities
across the world. More than
10,000 disabled people have
received political and project
training”, explained Edgar
Araujo, President of the National Council of Peoples with
Disabilities (Conapdis).
Various organizations took
advantage of the main event in
Caracas to contribute their proposal to the national debate on
the Socialist Plan of Government
2013-2019 for the establishment of
a Ministry for Disabled Peoples,
which was received by Vice President of Venezuela’s National Assembly, Blanca Eekhout.
The organizations highlighted the legal and social gains
that have been made in the past
years for disabled people, starting with the revolutionary Constitution of 1999, and continuing
with the recent Labor Law.
“In article 81 of the Carta
Magna… we are defined as
people with disabilities, and
with this we left behind the social stigma, and we converted
ourselves into subjects with
rights”, stated Lenín Molina,
who suffers from motor disabilities, and represents the
Foundation of Social Action in
the Caracas mayoral office.
“We have seen a development
in the attention towards disabled people like never seen before in Venezuela, the government has dedicated important
efforts for the re-vindication of
this sector and for us to be able
to enjoy our rights”.
Araujo highlighted the legal framework that includes
disabled people into the socioproductive sector of the country. “For the first time we have
rights, we also have duties to
continue contributing in the
construction of Venezuela”, he
explained.
The 2007 Law for Disabled
People forced employers to provide medical attention, transportation, and inclusion in the
labor and educational sectors.
It also forces public and private
firms to have at least 5% disabled people in their workforce.
Araujo also explained some
of the linguistic-social changes
that the Chavez government
has bought with it: “This process began by dignifying the
way in which we were referred
to. Before, we were labeled
invalids or handicapped. Today we are first and foremost
people who have some type of
disability”, he stated proudly.
“There is still a long way to go,
but the important thing is that
we count on the support of the
state and the sensitivity of the
Venezuelan people”.
Venezuelan lawmakers
debate law against torture
T/ Correo del Orinoco
T
he domestic affairs committee of Venezuela’s National
Assembly held a session last
week to approve 15 articles of
the new Special Law to Prevent and Punish Torture and
Other Cruel, Inhumane and
Degrading Treatment.
The Vice President of the
committee,
Congressman
Jose Javier Morales of the
United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), said that the
green light was given to 15 articles and two were deferred.
Debates are expected to continue next week on the 18 remaining articles before the
committee makes its presentation at a plenary session of the
National Assembly.
He said that this legal measure will be important in helping prevent any type of cruel
or degrading treatment toward
persons serving jail sentences
by authorities. In his opinion,
the Law Against Torture is another demonstration of respect
for human rights that exists in
Venezuela. The country was
recently elected to serve on the
United Nations Human Rights
Council for the 2013-2015 period.
ABOUT THE LAW
The Law Against Torture
would establish prison sen-
.ŽsFriday, December 7, 2012
The artillery of ideas
The 2002 oil lockout:
10 years later
T/ Yuleidys Hernandez Toledo – Ciudad
CCS
P/ Agencies
B
uilding nearly a million
homes, strengthening the
national healthcare system, and creating productive
sources of new employment
are just a few of the things the
national government could
have done with the $20 billion
dollars lost during the oil lockout launched by the Venezuelan opposition on December 2,
2002. That’s the way Fernando
Travieso, economist and petroleum expert, interprets the
opposition sabotage of Venezuela’s vital industry some ten
years ago.
According to Travieso, interviewed by Venezuelan daily
Ciudad CCS, the opposition’s
conduct in late 2002 and early
2003 resulted in a 25% drop in
the country’s oil-based Gross
Domestic Product (GDP), a blow
to the economy that affected all
related industries and daily life
for the Venezuelan majority.
“The oil sabotage was, economically speaking, a catastrophe”, said Travieso. “With the
resources lost during the stoppage giant things could have
been done for the benefit of society”, he affirmed.
According to statistics released by Venezuela’s stateowned oil company, Petroleos
de Venezuela (Pdvsa), measured
in unsold oil during the twomonth lockout the public firm
suffered $14.4 billion dollar loss
in revenue. This massive hit to
Pdvsa’s annual income resulted
in a $9.9 billion dollar reduction
in contributions to the national
coffers. The final result: the
Chavez administration found
itself with a reduced capacity to
invest in, and advance, widelyneeded social programs, putting an almost-complete stop
to the national government’s
social investment plan for the
2002/2003 period.
According to David Paravisini, oil engineer and analyst,
the lockout organized by the
so-called Venezuelan Workers’
Federation (CTV), the Venezuelan Chamber of Commerce (Fedecamaras), a right-wing coalition known as the Democratic
Coordination (CD), and other
sectors of the Venezuelan opposition, caused a wave of scarcity in basic goods (milk, rice,
meat, etc.) since gasoline used
to transport foods became limited. At the same time, private
industry knowingly closed its
doors to citizens in need, turning scarcity into depravation.
As such, the Venezuelan people
were forced to live with the
daily consequences of a clearly
insurrectional lockout, a political maneuver aimed simply at
overthrowing the President of
the Republic.
Paravisini also explained that
the paralyzing of the oil industry,
which lasted 63 days, inflicted
damage to Pdvsa that has yet
to be overcome, leaving “over
a thousand wells…with some
50 million barrels of oil left in
them…broken during the lockout with yet no possibility (technically speaking) of getting them
back into production”.
NATIONAL STRIKE?
On December 2, 2002, the
CTV, Fedecamaras, and the
opposition’s Democratic
Coordination called a
“national strike” backed
by the so-called “meritocratic”
administrators
of Pdvsa – together, they
brought oil production
to a halt. The objective of
their action: force President Chavez, Venezuela’s
democrat ica l ly- elected
President, to resign.
This was the fourth
stoppage called by the
opposition within a year,
all of which came in re-
sponse to the signing by President Chavez of 49 revolutionary
laws in November 2001. The
first lockout came on December
10, 2001. The second came February 9, 2002, followed by the
third on October 21, 2002. All
three of these, however, were
limited to a stoppage in commercial activities (sales). Not
unrelated, the April 2002 coup
went much further, including
orchestrated acts of violence
and a failed attempt within
the Venezuelan Armed Forces,
which lasted only 48 hours, to
end Venezuela’s democratic experiment with socialism.
Of the aforementioned laws
passed by President Chavez,
one of the issues that provoked
the strongest resistance within
Venezuela’s oil-based elite was
the Law of Hydrocarbons regained “oil sovereignty” for the
nation and increased royalties
paid by foreign companies from
an embarrassing Fourth Republic (1958-1998) policy of 1%,
to its current level of 33.33%.
SABOTAGING INFORMATICS
WITH FOREIGN AID
On January 17, 1997, a company known as Informatics, Business, and Technology (Intesa)
was formed and tasked with
optimizing the structures of information technologies used by
Pdvsa. This company was born
with Pdvsa investing, and owning, a 40% share, while another
firm – Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) –
owned the rest (60%). Surprising
to many, however, was what the
Venezuelan Ministry of Communication and Information (minci)
later revealed: SAIC is a USbased company and has, among
other members of its executive,
ex military intelligence officials
| Analysis
7
and former directors of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
According to Minci, during
the oil lockout “INTESA exercised its ability to control our
computers by paralyzing the
charge, discharge, and storage
of crude at different terminals
within the national grid. It also
altered the functionality of
most oil substations, compressing and processing plants, etc”.
Intesa made sure, in advance,
that the manipulation of PDVSA’s networks was only possible
for those with access to secret
internal codes – a small group
of people working directly for
Intesa who knowingly joined
the oil lockout and kidnapped
Pdvsa’s entire network using
a clandestine, carefully-elaborated, pre-meditated scheme.
This scheme included the use
of hidden modems installed in
desks and office walls, the use
of phone and internet systems
to paralyze Pdvsa operations,
and the destruction of databases needed to keep operations
running.
This past October, Pdvsa announced that some thirty ex
employees had been sanctioned
with fines between $21 and $26
million dollars for their role in
the oil lockout. On November
11, 2012, investigative journalist
Jose Vicente Rangel reported
that numerous legal proceedings against saboteurs of Pdvsa
are currently “advancing”.
According to Rangel, “a group
of 185 ex Pdvsa employees, most
of which held administrative or
management posts, are under
investigation for acts against
the Venezuelan people and public property”.
Regrettably, many of these
saboteurs are also fugitives of
justice currently living in selfimposed exile.
Friday, December 7, 2012 | Nº 138 | Caracas | www.correodelorinoco.gob.ve
INTERNATIONAL
!PUBLICATIONOFTHE&UNDACION#ORREODEL/RINOCOsEditor-in-Chief%VA'OLINGERsGraphic Design Pablo Valduciel L. - Aimara Aguilera
Opinion
Border crossings: The Venezuelans are coming!
T/ John Densmore
P/ AFP
T
he milagro (magic) of
El Sistema, Venezuela’s
program of taking impoverished kids and teaching
them classical music, can be
summed up in one sentence
uttered by its founder, Dr.
Jose Abreu: “If you put a musical instrument in the hand
of a kid, he or she will not pick
up a gun”. It is somewhat of a
miracle, although it is an old
idea. The creative impulse
(which resides in everyone)
can act as a curandero, or
healer, to re-imagine deadend paths down which poor
children are headed, and
find new roads that are limitless. America is slow to realize this. With weak economic
times, we always cut funding for the arts, when that
is a time to increase fields
that foster new imagination,
new ways of thinking. Holding on to our narrow vision
that South America stole our
name, we know something
is happening south of the border, but we “don’t know what
it is, do we, Mr. Jones?” And
it’s completely under the CIA’s
radar.
Well, New York is about to
get a dose of what has healed
400,000 young Venezuelans.
On December 10 and 11, the Simon Bolivar Orchestra, under
the baton of Gustavo Dudamel,
will return to Carnegie Hall
for two concerts. The LA Philharmonic’s new wunderkind
conductor, Gustavo Dudamel,
is a living example of the results of El Sistema. His enthusiasm for El Sistema is boundless because he knows that he
was saved, and wants to give
back. Gustavo and his maestro, El Sistema’s Dr. Abreu,
really care about these kids.
It is culture shock to sit at
the Walt Disney Concert Hall
in Los Angeles and look down
at 100 twenty-something musicians with jet-black hair
and olive-complexioned skin.
They rip into the repertoire
of European classical music
like there’s no tomorrow. The
Simon Bolivar Orchestra from
Venezuela plays the music of
200-year-old white European
composers with such gusto
that audiences immediately
jump out of their seats as if
they were at a rock concert,
yelling, “Encore, encore!”
On a recent PBS Special
about Dudamel, Tavis Smiley
asked the correct question and
the maestro gave the correct
answer: Smiley inquired as to
whether Dudamel was playing “dated music,” to which
the
ever-present
Gustavo
replied, “It’s not the same...
we’re reinterpreting it!” And
reinterpreting it they are. It’s
as if none of us saw it coming:
Beethoven’s butt needed a direct shot (mainline) of Salsa!
The Venezuelans have Latin
music coursing through their
veins. Never seen a symphony
orchestra stand up and dance
while playing? Just check out
some of the Simon Bolivar
Orchestra’s euphoric performances of Leonard Bernstein’s
“Mambo” from all over the
globe. The obvious enthusiasm
comes from most of the musicians knowing that El Sistema
is probably their only chance
of getting out of the dire environment into which they were
born. That’s why they practice
their asses off: it’s not a handout, but a hand up.
The shadow side of all this
passion is that the seasoned
players of the LA Phil warn
young musicians that pacing
will make for a longer career.
Like Rafael Nadal, the passionate young Spaniard on
the tennis court, Dudamel, the
gifted young conductor from
Caracas, occasionally suffers
from physiological problems.
Gustavo and Rafa are just a
couple of years apart (31 and
29 respectively), yet Nadal hits
every ball as if it’s the last, putting everything possible into
it. Dudamel is the same with
every note of every symphony
he’s conducting. The tennis
player has knee problems; the
conductor’s shoulder and neck
give him occasional trouble.
But, of course, there is something thrilling about watching
someone “go for it” in every
moment. The concentration
is palpable.
So yes, there’s a revolution
going on, and I had a sense
that it was coming when I saw
“The Dude” guest-conduct the
LA Phil, but I didn’t know the
extent of it. I didn’t know that
when Dudamel’s hometown
musicians came to LA, my
eyes would be glued on Felix
Mendoza, the Bolivar’s tympani player -- the instrument
that I’d played in high school.
Like his conductor, Mendoza’s
entire being is engaged when
he plays. Tympani players
spend a lot of time counting
bars with classical music,
because they’re mainly required to provide the dramatic climaxes. To see this young
man, who looks like he could
have wound up in a gang (except when he smiles!) actually
“grooving” to Mahler, while
doing the math of counting
until he comes in, is mind boggling. What this is, and what
El Sistema has produced, is a
border crossing. If Latino musicians can understand European classical music as well as
or better than their white European counterparts, a healing occurs. Racism diminishes. If Caucasians can get into
salsa, if African-Americans
can appreciate country music,
if, if, if...
Gosh, and all this is coming from a country that our
previous president called one
of the “Axes of Evil”. Art and
culture are the glue between
peoples. If we can be open to
understanding the “other,”
we just might get along better.
Venezuela is doing something
right. More than just right, it
is a worldwide classical music phenomenon. It’s almost
embarrassing that with all of
America’s resources we are
cutting funding for the arts,
not expanding it. We are a
great melting pot, the great
experiment that has more diverse cultures than any other
nation. And a way to fasttrack all cultures on earth to
get along is through the power
of the arts... each other’s.
John Densmore is a founding
member of The Doors.