02/09/2022
Interview with Politburo member of the Central Committee-CPV Pedro Eusse
From the editor. We present the translation of an interview with a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Venezuela, Pedro Eusse , published on the website of the International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties.
Member of the Politburo of the Central Committee-CPV Pedro Eusse
Political parties in Venezuela have to face many problems, especially left-wing parties that criticize the current system of government.
Among them is the Communist Party with its critical view of what is happening in the country.
To clarify the position of the party, Contrapunto interviewed Pedro Eusse, member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Poland and national secretary of the Workers' and Trade Unions' Movement.
Challenges before the party
Asked about the challenges facing the CPV in 2022 and about the situation in Venezuela in general, Eusse assured that many of the controversies will be discussed at the upcoming 16th party congress:
“This is the year of the 16th Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, which we will hold in an atmosphere of growing aggravation of class contradictions in the world and in Venezuela, in general terms, stemming from the deep crisis of world capitalism in its imperialist phase, aggravated by the protracted pandemic and the claims of transnational monopoly capital to absolute subordination of the world order, which leads to an aggravation of inter-capitalist and inter-imperialist contradictions.
Delegates of the XV Congress of the CPV
CPV before the crisis
Also, the national secretary of the Labor and Trade Union Movement said that the main responsible task of his party, its leadership and activists, is to confront the crisis that has overwhelmed Venezuela.
“In Venezuela, we communists have the difficult task of confronting a serious crisis, strengthening the CPV as a revolutionary instrument of the working class and working people, overcoming ideological-political and organizational weaknesses, in order to effectively promote the revolutionary choice of the people, capable of resisting both the onslaught of US imperialism and its henchmen from far-right opposition, and a government led by the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), which imposes policies that are contrary to the interests of the working class and the masses, policies that serve through oligarchic collusion only to the capital and the elites of the corrupt bureaucracy.
Political Opportunities
Pedro Eusse noted that one of the most important tasks of the CPV and its activists is to achieve absolute class independence in political, organizational and logistical actions in the face of hostile economic and political forces.
He also considers it necessary to "fight on any terrain", defending the interests of the working class, the working people of the city and the countryside; build up strength to resolve the crisis in a revolutionary way.
According to Eusse, the moment has come when the Communist Party must be particularly demanding in terms of its organizational strength and combat capability, based on serious theoretical and political training, with a clear class consciousness based on patriotism and internationalism, with iron discipline, close ties with the workers, the peasantry and by the masses as a whole; act as a genuine revolutionary vanguard of the working class and working people.
Demonstration organized by the CPV
Is there socialism in today's government?
“No, because this government is not socialist. There has never been socialism in our country, its construction has not even begun. True, in official propaganda the cliches "socialism", "revolution", "workers' government" are widely used, but in fact the economic and labor policy, especially since 2018, has a clearly neo-liberal direction, that is, it imposes the tyranny of the "free market" and creates conditions for maximizing capitalist profits, seeks to reduce the regulatory role of the state in the economy, sacrificing workers with wage cuts, elimination of collective bargaining agreements and neglect of worker safety in the workplace.
“In this way, the government of Nicolás Maduro fights the crisis and criminal imperialist “sanctions” by granting “comparative advantages” to foreign capitalists and the local parasitic bourgeoisie (erroneously called the “revolutionary bourgeoisie”), such as tax exemption and the cheapest labor force on the continent, maybe even in the world. To this end, they developed the so-called “anti-blockade law” and the law on special economic zones that provide benefits and other privileges to foreign capital.”
President of Venezuela N. Maduro and head of Rosneft I. Sechin
Failed socialism
Eusse assures that socialism was not built after the late Hugo Chavez came to power.
“In truth, the preaching of false socialism did not begin with the current government, but with President Chavez, when he put forward the thesis of “socialism of the 21st century”, which included a reformist (non-revolutionary) concept based not on the class struggle typical of Marxist theory, but on the theory of reconciliation of classes, which is typical of bourgeois social democracy.”
Eusse also noted what the process of progressive reforms meant to him:
“During the reign of Chávez, with some reservations, the Venezuelan people felt the result of progressive reforms: in the form of redistribution of income and strengthening of national sovereignty; while under the present government, after reconciliation with the right opposition, almost all progressive achievements have been destroyed. A process of regressive neo-liberal reforms began, with re-privatization, deregulation, over-exploitation, state authoritarianism, violence against workers, peasants and revolutionary activists, anti-democracy, growing elitism and rampant corruption.”
Ideology and a real revolutionary approach
“The CPV promotes a revolutionary worldview, Marxism-Leninism, the application of scientific theory to the service of the working class and working people for a holistic and dialectical knowledge of reality and for moving towards a truly revolutionary transformation of society, develops the theory of scientific socialism, opposing the idealistic and false theses of pseudo-progressive reformism, that imaginary " socialism, devoid of scientific support, which disarms the working class so that it cannot fulfill its revolutionary role, subordinates it to the elite, which in turn is controlled, through state institutions, by the interests of the bourgeoisie, ”Eusse confirmed.
In his opinion, the application of the principles of scientific socialism (in the presence of sovereignty and social progress) will make it possible to outline a strategy for the systematic development of productive forces that fully meet the needs of industry, under the leadership of the working class in alliance with the peasantry and a broad popular movement, using natural resources and the entire production the potential not to be exploited by foreign and national capitalist elites, but to meet the material and non-material needs of the entire people.
"Venezuela is being demolished into neoliberalism"
According to the communist, Venezuela is undergoing a "neoliberal shift". This is coupled with the crisis of peripheral capitalism and the fall in export earnings under a heavy siege from US imperialism.
“Venezuelan workers are under crossfire: on the one hand, the structural crisis of a peripheral export-oriented dependent economy, on the other, imperialist aggression that hits us all hard, on the third, a government committed to the bourgeoisie and the nouveaux riches that sees no other way out. In addition to handing over the country to foreign capital and sacrificing workers, a pandemic is raging against the backdrop of hyperinflation and an almost complete collapse of healthcare.”
“The strategy of sovereign industrialization was never adopted (although there were attempts) either during Puntofigismo (the two-party system in Venezuela that existed before the arrival of Chávez), or for the next two decades after the Bolivarian Revolution. Oil revenues, to a greater extent and in winding ways, went into the pocket of large international capital and into the accounts of criminal structures involved in importing scarce products, ”Eusse emphasized.
“Therefore, the criminal and cruel plunder of the country continues. The US and its accomplices, with the help of local mercenaries, operate with complete impunity. As a result of all of the above, the Venezuelan working class is currently in its worst economic and social situation in many years. At the same time, the despotic, anti-democratic, anti-worker and anti-communist character of the ruling elite manifests itself - which is the height of cynicism - under the slogans in the name of "socialism".
What to do to return the country?
According to Eusse, it is necessary to create a truly revolutionary government.
“We need a truly revolutionary government. A government based on the workers, peasants and the whole people. This is achievable if the balance of forces is in favor of the working class and the working people of town and country ."
Accordingly, Eusse assures, it is necessary to organize and unite the struggle of workers, peasants, various communities and the people as a whole in order to restore and protect our rights, but with the prospect of seizing political power, implement a program in the service of the working people, which proposes to save the gains of the Chavez era, but which transcends the reformist confines of the Bolivarian Revolution and advances towards the triumph of a genuine Socialist Revolution.
“But for the interim period, as a tactic, we call on the working class and the people in general to rise up to fight for the preservation of wages, pensions and social benefits, to promote popular mobilization for the adoption of two bills: a law on a sliding salary scale indexed to the basic consumer basket, and the law on the maintenance and revaluation of social benefits”.
Eusse also emphasizes the need to fight against the criminalization and prosecution of the labor movement and popular struggle in order to achieve the release of dozens of workers in the near future, including activists who remain behind bars on unjust charges. Also seek justice in court cases on the disappearances and murders of popular fighters and revolutionary activists (including three communists).
“All this, while maintaining a steady accumulation of quantitative and qualitative forces, for the benefit of the proletariat and the Venezuelan working people,” Eusse concluded.
https://www.rotfront.su/kp-venesuely-et ... tvo-ne-so/
Google Translator
Funny we gotta get this piece from Russia...
In theory I agree with the VCP, and I ranted often to this effect for years. However, oft times theory and reality do not align. When this is recognized theory must adjust to reality. In the case of Venezuela it seems to me the question is "what is possible?", and this question in the context of The Ravaging Beast Of The North. That is:"How much socialism will the US tolerate before it goes berserk?" Who knows? Many of the welcome reforms of this Bolivarian Revolution have been more of the 'welfare state' sort and there has been almost no expropriation of the means of production except in the case of derelict properties, which it would be harder to criticize. But I suspect that a full scale assault upon bourgeois property would elicit a severe and likely violent response. Now the Beast is weakening but is not yet so weak as to not strike viciously. Were it not for climate/environment we might just wait the Beast out until it is too weak to respond vigorously. But how long?
As to the realty of Venezuela I am unclear. It might be past time to strike at the heart of things, for the time being it seems that revolutionary enthusiasm might be waning and might not hold up under the ensuing punishment. I hope I am wrong. For the time being I think that the VCP's tactics in this 'interim period are correct.