Director of América XXI
Reprinted from América XXI
“The coup is already defeated,” declared Nicolás Maduro at midmorning on Tuesday, April 16. By that time, seven people had been assassinated by fascist gangs activated the night before, in attacks on offices of the Unified Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), CDI clinics [health clinics run mainly by Cuban doctors] and housing recently handed over by the government to displaced families.
But at the same hour of the day the general strike failed to materialize. It had been called by the fascist high command headed by the defeated candidate of the April 14 election.
This explains the true relationship of forces, as expressed in the constant mobilization of millions and millions of people from December 9 [when President Hugo Chávez left to receive further medical treatment in Cuba; he died March 5] to April 11, when Maduro closed his electoral campaign. On that day seven central avenues of Caracas were overflowing with men and women committed to the revolution. That true correlation of forces is not reflected in the election results.
It proves the prowess of the Revolution to have obtained 50.75 percent of the vote. But only an electoralist view (whether bourgeois or reformist) would interpret reality in terms of the vote. One should pay attention to these indices in order to measure the level of consciousness at any given moment, but they do not in any way explain the social situation, much less the dynamics of the Revolution.
Meeting with the executive board and the entire group of operations managers of the PDVSA petroleum state-owned company [April 16], Maduro repeated that there will not be a pact with the capitalist class: “What we have here is Revolution, Revolution, Socialist Revolution,” he affirmed, and a mighty roar could be heard coming from outside, from thousands of oil workers who had gathered spontaneously.
On the contrary, Maduro said, we can radicalize the Revolution and attack the causes of the withholding of food and basic goods, and all the problems that our country faces, he continued, to the fervent standing ovation of the enterprise managers. All this was transmitted by national radio and television networks.
Rafael Ramírez, president of PdVSA, then gave an exhaustive report on the state of the enterprise, fully operative and with workers prepared to reject any attack such as those that occurred on the night of April 15, when fascist groups were repelled as they tried to enter the plant facility.
Despite the escalation, the general situation is normal. And Maduro is in energetic official activity, taking advantage of every occasion to exemplify the attitude of firmness against the extortionist threat of a coup.
He announced that a national march planned by the opposition for April “will not enter Caracas. We will not allow another April 11 [the day a march and violence by the right-wing was organized as a prelude to the April 11, 2002, military coup].”
Maduro added that the opposition is in a situation from which it is unable to extricate itself. There are three governors of the opposition who, if they continue with the position adopted by the ultra-rightwing command, will find themselves facing a direct response: “I do not recognize a governor who does not recognize me; I do not recognize a coup governor. The budget they receive I will give to the people.”
Maduro also denounced the United States government as responsible for the escalation toward a coup and said that proof of its direct involvement through the local fascist leadership will be forthcoming.
Defeated once more, the imperialist conspiracy will continue. It is the task of every revolutionary in the world to contribute to the building of a very broad front in defense of the Bolivarian Socialist Revolution. This is where the correlation of forces will be determined, between the United States, and the peoples and governments seeking to liberate themselves from its oppression. All must engage in this battle.
Luis Bilbao is director of the magazine América XXI, and was a founding participant of the PSUV. Combined translation by Gloria La Riva, Miguel Hoffman and Machetera.
