[Peace-discuss] Fwd: African Venezuelans Fear New US Coup Against President Chavez

[Alfred Kagan]

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>Subject: Fwd: African Venezuelans Fear New US Coup Against President Chavez
>Date: Mon, 30 Sep 2002 20:34:13 +0000
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>The following article reveals just how far reaching this 
>administration's oil-based imperialism is and the extent to which 
>Afrikans in america may be misinformed, uninformed, under-informed 
>or just outright deceived.  I put the writer's note, which was 
>originally at the end of the document, at the beginning because it 
>is important for us to be conscious & pass along this kind of 
>information.  As above, so below.  As abroad, so at home.
>
>Resist.
>
>
>Writer's note: Africans and people of African descent are
>beginning to tell our own story. Most other people have no
>vested interest in telling the truth about us. Professor
>Correa of Barloyento University is an African Venezuelan, and
>he tells the story of the achievements of African
>Venezuelans, the United States's participation in the failed
>attempt to overthrow President Chavez, and the certain
>reversal of the social, economic, cultural and psychological
>gains to African Venezuelans if President Chavez is
>overthrown. He pleads with us to 1) discuss in open forums,
>churches and community organizations the U.S. attacks on
>Venezuela and the conditions there, and 2) write letters to
>the U.S. Congress asking that the U.S. respect the Venezuelan
>government and follow the rule of law and international
>treaties in dealing with Venezuela. You can trust his advice
>and act on it.
>
>I can be reached at Willliemackthompson_22335 at msn.com.
>
>
>----Original Message Follows----
>From: Pan-African News Wire <ac6123 at wayne.edu>
>Subject: African Venezuelans Fear New US Coup Against President Chavez
>Date: Sat, 28 Sep 2002 20:29:08 -0400
>
>San Francisco BayView
>
>September 25, 2002
>
>African Venezuelans fear new U.S. coup against President
>Chavez
>
>By Professor Alejandro Correa and Professor Emeritus Willie
>Thompson
>
>This month, for the first time in history, Venezuelan people
>of African descent have total control of their historic Black
>university, the Instituto Universitario Barlovento. They are
>already planning a university administered hotel and a
>restaurant for students, faculty and the community. This is
>an achievement of a lifetime, and the people of Barlovento
>gather around their seat of higher learning to reflect on
>their success.
>
>Another topic on their minds and hearts is the fate of
>President Hugo Chavez. He is Venezuela's first multiracial
>president and is called "Negro" (nigger) by his detractors
>because of his African-Indigenous features. Behind the
>enemies of Venezuela and Hugo Chavez are very large sums of
>money being spent to destroy the dreams of the people who
>historically have been discriminated against because of race,
>economic ideas, etc.
>
>These dreams of the African Venezuelan people may be deferred
>if the United States replaces Chavez with a rightwing
>businessman as president. Currently, three Blacks are state
>governors elected by the people; the secretary of education
>is black; two Indigenous Venezuelans are congresspersons
>elected directly by the people; Indigenous Venezuelans have
>the complete right to claim their historic lands; land is
>protected and available to Black and Indigenous Venezuelan
>farmers so that they can now engage in farming for the first
>time in generations; and Venezuelans of African descent are
>participating in conferences against racism around the world
>and establishing strategic relationships with international
>organizations. They have attended Congressional Black Caucus
>conferences in 2000, 2001 and 2002; the pre-conference
>against racism in Chile in 2000; and the United Nations World
>Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa, in 2001.
>The African Venezuelan community in Barlovento also hosted
>the Second International Reunion of the African Latin Family
>in 1999.
>
>Sixty percent of the population of Venezuela are people of
>African descent. The others are Mestizos of Indigenous and
>European descent and Indigenous. The support of the people of
>African descent in the United States is one of the most
>strategic factors in helping the people of African descent
>survive and prosper in Venezuela.
>
>President Hugo Chavez was elected in a democratic election
>with more than 70 percent of the 11 million votes cast. One
>of his first actions was to call for an election of a
>National Constituency Assembly whose mission was to reform
>the 1969 national Constitution. During 40 years of democracy
>this Constitution was used to avoid empowering the people.
>The election of the National Constituency Assembly allowed
>the participation of students, business related
>organizations, community representatives and parties opposed
>to the president in the Assembly.  The entire society had its
>opportunity in the Assembly.
>
>The National Constituency Assembly designed a new national
>constitution, which was widely discussed all around the
>country. Then a national election was called to consider the
>acceptance of the new constitution. The Venezuelan people, in
>direct election, said, “We do accept the new constitution" in
>1999. New national elections were called at all levels of
>government to test the acceptance of the new constitution and
>renegotiate the public powers.
>
>President Hugo Chavez, again, won the election with over one
>million votes more than his closest opponent. The party
>supporting Chavez also won, as did several state governors
>who belonged to the party.
>
>During his three years in place - the complete term is six
>years - President Chavez has been an advocate for the
>education of the poor. After 50 years of being eliminated,
>schools were created with full schedules from 8 a.m. to 4
>p.m., allowing children to stay longer in recreational
>programs and special classes.
>
>Never before have small businesses flourished with the full
>support of the government at the local and national levels.
>Chavez has opened the doors for the participation of those
>who have long been excluded.
>
>When President Chavez came to power, 80 percent of the
>population lived below poverty. Overcoming this difficult
>obstacle requires a joint effort at all levels of society.
>Unfortunately, the support has not echoed in the upper
>economic brackets of Venezuelan society.
>
>What have they done? Organizing a coup is not the way to
>support the government.
>
>Venezuela is the fourth largest oil producer in the world and
>the second largest oil exporter to the United States.
>President Chavez has never threatened the export of oil to
>the U.S. He has visited the U.S. about five times, holding
>meetings with businesspersons, seeking to stimulate foreign
>investment in Venezuela in order to raise the level of
>employment and mitigate the conditions of the poor.
>
>Unfortunately, the sectors of society wanting to reverse
>these important advances decided to violate Venezuelan
>democracy. A group of renegade military generals formed a
>coalition with “businessmen" -  land owners whose ancestors
>stole it from Indigenous Venezuelans and used enslaved
>African labor to build the Venezuelan economy and society.
>
>Some members of the press also belong to the business
>establishment. Three main private TV stations led a campaign
>against the evolution of democratic change in the same style
>Hitler used against the Jews: “Say a lie a thousand times and
>everybody will believe it as a truth."
>
>These forces formed a coup to destroy freedom in Venezuela.
>For three days they controlled the government and instituted
>practices not seen in Venezuela since the '50s, during the
>days of the military rulers. Venezuelans in their 60s were
>astonished to see such violations of civil rights.
>
>Leaders of the coup imprisoned President Chavez, isolating
>him from any public contact, lying about a presidential
>resignation, dissolving all legitimate national powers at all
>levels. Then they started hunting down the legitimate member
>of Congress and of the president's cabinet.
>
>Even the Supreme Court was forced to resign. They did all
>that in a period of three days. Further, they derogated the
>1999 constitution.
>
>In response, however, people of all races and backgrounds
>took to the streets, the military bases and public buildings
>to liberate President Chavez. He is in control again.
>
>Venezuelans watched with deep concern how Ari Fleisher,
>Bush's press secretary, and Condoleezza Rice, Bush's defense
>advisor - a black woman - avoided calling the coup against
>President Chavez what it really was: a vulgar, right wing
>coup against a democratic government. Both have used vague
>rhetoric to criticize Chavez's administration rather than
>condemn the coup. The Bush
>administration in general looked with sympathy at the coup
>and issued no declaration condemning it.
>
>The New York Times also has presented the facts in a less
>than objective way. Rather than going into the countryside to
>talk with the people, Times reporters appear to have visited
>only the Caracas suburbs to assess public opinion.
>Furthermore, the local media consider only the opinions of
>wealthy people. All other opinions are considered unworthy.
>So, if you are poor or if you are not in agreement with the
>media, then you are not considered a part of the public
>opinion.
>
>U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd has expressed dismay over the
>Bush administration's behavior regarding the situation in
>Venezuela. His position is an example of goodwill and is
>appreciated by Venezuelans.
>
>There's an international effort to destroy the public image
>of President Chavez. Let us briefly analyze it.
>
>1) Hugo Chavez has visited Iraq, Iran and Libya. Because he
>is a friend of those nations, he is branded an enemy of the
>United States. Venezuela and the countries visited by
>President Chavez are members of the Organization of Petroleum
>Exporting Countries (OPEC). Together with these countries,
>Venezuela regulates oil prices and must agree with them on
>strategies for maintaining profitability while at the same
>time making prices affordable to the oil importing countries
>such as the U.S. With 60 percent of its national budget based
>on oil income, clearly Venezuela must talk with members of
>OPEC. This doesn't make Venezuela a partner in terrorism as
>has been insinuated by the U.S. and the media.
>
>2) Hugo Chavez is a friend of Cuban Prime Minister Fidel
>Castro. It is insinuated that he is therefore an enemy of the
>U.S. Venezuela is a free and self-determining nation in its
>business relations with Cuba. It has a right to have business
>relations with China or any other country.
>
>3) It is said that Hugo Chavez didn't condemn the attacks on
>the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, and is therefore an
>enemy of the U.S. But President Chavez most certainly did
>condemn the Sept. 11 attacks and said, just as France and
>Russia and the Pope did, that he doesn't support a heavy and
>indiscriminate attack against Afghanistan which might cause
>civilian casualties. The Bush administration considers
>neither the presidents of France and Russia nor
>the Pope as enemies of the U.S. and is not willing to plan
>and finance a coup against those leaders because they express
>humanitarian points of view.
>
>4) President Chavez is said to be a supporter of the
>Colombian guerrillas and is therefore involved in terrorism.
>The truth is that President Chavez has condemned terrorism in
>Colombia.
>
>Furthermore, the Venezuelan government under his
>administration has been a mediator in peace talks between the
>guerrillas and the Colombian government.
>
>5) The people of the U.S. should think deeply about U.S.
>support of the failed coup and its leaders and its plans to
>change the regime in Venezuela. The result of President
>Chavez's trip to oil exporting countries was agreement on a
>solid oil price. In Venezuela, the price of oil is extremely
>important for education, health care and public services
>generally. The first declaration of the leaders of the failed
>coup was the abandonment of the quota system, which caused
>oil prices to drop.
>
>Writer's note: Africans and people of African descent are
>beginning to tell our own story. Most other people have no
>vested interest in telling the truth about us. Professor
>Correa of Barloyento University is an African Venezuelan, and
>he tells the story of the achievements of African
>Venezuelans, the United States's participation in the failed
>attempt to overthrow President Chavez, and the certain
>reversal of the social, economic, cultural and psychological
>gains to African Venezuelans if President Chavez is
>overthrown. He pleads with us to 1) discuss in open forums,
>churches and community organizations the U.S. attacks on
>Venezuela and the conditions there, and 2) write letters to
>the U.S. Congress asking that the U.S. respect the Venezuelan
>government and follow the rule of law and international
>treaties in dealing with Venezuela. You can trust his advice
>and act on it.
>
>I can be reached at Willliemackthompson_22335 at msn.com.
>
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>//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\///\\//\\//\\///\\//\\//\\/
>Amira Nuha
>www.staff.uiuc.edu/~mgdavis
>
>"Educate a man & you educate an individual.  Educate a woman & you 
>educate a nation."
>Ghanaian Proverb
>
>
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-- 


Al Kagan
African Studies Bibliographer and Professor of Library Administration
Africana Unit, Room 328
University of Illinois Library
1408 W. Gregory Drive
Urbana, IL 61801, USA

tel. 217-333-6519
fax. 217-333-2214
e-mail. akagan at uiuc.edu