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A red salute to Comrade Hugo Chavez!

CPGB-ML | 06.03.2013 16:20 | Social Struggles | London

We salute you Commandante Chavez. A great fighter for socialism and staunch anti-imperialist. Statement following the sad loss of a heroic leader.



A great revolutionary light has been extinguished, but the cause for which President Hugo Chávez fought lives on as his abiding legacy, for it is the finest cause in all the world – and he served it truly.

It is with profound sorrow that we learned of Comrade Chávez’s deteriorating medical condition and death, but his great spirit – which helped to transform the economic and political relations of his fellow workers, the Venezuelan masses, and the Americas – lives on.

Hugo Chávez will live forever in the hearts of the working masses of Venezuela, the Caribbean, Latin America, and all who struggle for the liberation of humanity.

All men must die, but death can vary in its significance. The ancient Chinese writer Szuma Chien said that “Though death befalls all men alike, it may be weightier than Mount Tai or lighter than a feather.” And Comrade Mao Zedong added that “To die for the people is weightier than Mount Tai, but to work for the fascists and die for the exploiters and oppressors is lighter than a feather.” (‘Serve the people’, speech given at a memorial for Comrade Chang Szu-teh, 8 September 1944)

Though he gained power via election, defeating a former beauty queen, Chávez struggled relentlessly to implement social reforms, by constitutional means, to improve the lot of the working people.

He did so in the teeth of the fierce opposition of the wealthy Venezuelan bourgeois elite, who had originally penned the constitution to serve their own interests.

There can be no doubt that Chávez numbered among the great revolutionary spirits of his time. His name is rightly associated with those of Fidel and Raul Castro, Evo Morales, Daniel Ortega and other Latin-American revolutionaries. Many of his followers considered he followed in the footsteps of their great revolutionary hero Che Guevara.

He strove to liberate the masses from poverty and US imperial domination; to serve the people and to arm them politically and organisationally.

For this reason, he was loved by the Venezuelan working masses, and for the same reason he was hated by the wealthy comprador capitalist elite and their media, who ceaselessly connived and collaborated with the US imperial goliath against his presidency and his government.

If it was the ballot box that brought Chávez to power, it was also the bullet – the threat of the revolutionary violence of the oppressed, whose representative he undoubtedly was – that maintained him.

It was the great love and popular support of the Venezuelan masses, for Commandante Chávez, and the loyalty of the rank and file of the Venezuelan military that frustrated the CIA’s illegal coup attempt in 2002. The US has never apologised for its dirty propaganda, political interference, and violent military campaign against the democratically elected president of Venezuela, and against the Venezuelan people and state.

For the US imperialists, although bogged down in their colonial campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, never ceased to regard all Latin America as their ‘back yard’, their ‘lebensraum’, their ‘natural’ colony to exploit, and they ceaselessly conspired with the local elite to depose Chávez.

The imperialists and reactionaries never forgave Chávez for his nationalisation of the great oil and mineral resources of Venezuela; for his social and medical programmes to improve the health and lives of Venezuelan people based upon this national wealth; for his successful and creative advocacy of socialist principles. Nor did they cease to rage at his practical, economic and political cooperation with communist Cuba, and with the popular progressive and anti-imperialist governments in Bolivia, Ecuador, Honduras, El-Salvador, Zimbabwe, north Korea and elsewhere. When he successfully campaigned to change the constitution to tip the balance of power to benefit the poor, their anger rose to fever pitch.

Of course, the US cannot apologise for its unceasing attempts to bring Chávez’s government down, for its intentions remain unchanged: to re-conquer, to subdue and to repossess Venezuela’s huge wealth, to pour her resources into US imperialism’s failing economy, sustained as it is only by bloodshed and plunder.

As we mourn our fallen hero, therefore, we pledge also to redouble our efforts to defend the values and that Comrade Hugo Chávez upheld.

Imperialists all over the world will no doubt be rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of rolling back the popular gains in Venezuela. We must remain vigilant, in opposing the attempts to recolonise Venezuela and Latin America.

We send our heartfelt condolences to the Hugo Chávez’s family, comrades and supporters, and a final red salute to our fallen comrade!

Patria o muerte!
Long live socialism!

___________________
Memorial meeting for Hugo Chavez
Friday 8 March at 7pm, The Lucas Arms, 254a Grays Inn Road, London WC1X 8QZ
ALL WELCOME
__________________

CPGB-ML
- e-mail: katt@cpgb-ml.org
- Homepage: www.cpgb-ml.org

Comments

Hide the following 6 comments

dippy doo

06.03.2013 17:23

yeah whatever

guy liked power, had power and used power.
gave the power what they want so he could retain power

stroppy old git


RIP Hugo Chavez.

06.03.2013 18:54

"yeah whatever guy liked power, had power and used power.
gave the power what they want so he could retain power"

He also fucked the U.S Oligarchs over when they tried to seize power in Venezuela with their puppet Pedro Carmona.

Had they have succeeded, the Capitalismo would have privatised the oil industry and lived a merry and very rich existance off the proceeds, while flinging the odd bit of burnt snot to the hungry peasants. And no, before you ask, that isn't generally a very autonomous thing to do.

Because as we all now, Capitalists only respect those who learn to respect the Romans.

So yeah, he had power, but he also had an opportunity to take the cretins on face to face. Which he did.

That's worthy of respect.

anonymous


The reality of his time in power

07.03.2013 10:04

Chavez was no Socialist despite his many claims to be. In fact during his time in power the billions my country received in oil revenue were squandered on vanity projects and massive arms purchases despite the fact we faced no military threats from any of our neighbours.

Between 2005 and 2009 Russia signed 12 contracts worth more than $6.4 billion to supply arms to Chavez including fighter aircraft, helicopters and Kalashnikov assault rifles.
In 2010 he spent a further $3.7 billion on an air defense system and further aircraft. In late 2011 he signed deals for Russian T72 tanks that even the army said they didn't need.

All this while over three quarters of my countrymen were still in poverty, where only 1 in 5 have a regular supply of clean water. During his time as President life expectancy for women fell by two years ! Strikers were imprisoned, journalists lost their ability to write for being critical of him and even doctors lost their jobs if they treated opposition leaders.

We are better off without him

Venezuelan Socialist exile in London


REMOVE THIS THREAD IMMEDIATELY

07.03.2013 11:58

CPGB-ML are an ultra-hierarchical organisation & political party, as specifically prohibited by IMC guidelines

Quote - "The newswire is... not a notice-board for political parties or any other hierarchically structured organizations" -

 https://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/static/editorial.html

And they represent an ideology that murdered Anarchists the world over

Les Mis


Arms purchases

07.03.2013 13:02

The US embargo against the Chavez regime has blocked a number of proposed purchases including some from France, Czech Republic and Spain however Russia has ignored the embargo and sold them billions of Dollars worth of equipment. These purchases have mostly been made at the request of the military and Chavez knew he needed to keep them onside to ensure no more revolutions.

CAAT person


Hey exile , you talk shite

07.03.2013 23:21

If he was not popular , then people would not have voted for him in 15 elections over 14 years.
He didn't help lift over 5 million people from poverty with oil money that would have otherwise been in shareholders pockets.
Free school meals for kids.
250,000 social houses built last year alone.

As i already said 15 elections in 14 years , more than in the previous 40 years.

Thousands assassinated in the previous decades to Hugo's time for protesting austerity.

No need to fear democracy when delivering to the majority, exile?

Better off without you , old chap.

And as for having no enemies , don't you remember the Bush coup in 2002.
Very powerfull , heavily armed sicko enemies.

main street