China model can save Venezuela's embattled project
- By Heiko Khoo
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E-mail China.org.cn, April 19, 2013
The revolutionary movement must, however, take stock of the rise in support for Capriles and the opposition. The Venezuelan revolution is entering a dangerous period where fundamental decisions about the destiny of the revolution need to be taken. Inner demons, like crime and corruption, which undermine support for the revolution, must be contained and defeated.
The tearful send-off given to Hugo Chávez by millions of Venezuelans and their solemn declarations to continue his revolutionary mission continues to reflect the will of the majority; but eulogies to Chávez are not enough to defend the revolution. In order to neutralize and split the opposition, President Maduro must base himself on the heightened consciousness of his own constituency. He must rapidly and boldly shift the balance of forces decisively in favour of the revolution.
A weakening in the position of the United States and a leftward shift in South American politics has placed Venezuela's socialist project at the center of the world balance of power. Just as the United States maintains its barbaric embargo against the people of Cuba, so the U.S. military, economic and political elites want to halt Venezuela's socialist revolution by any means.
The fact is that China now plays a decisive role in sustaining Venezuela's revolution. Infrastructure projects that were plagued by corruption and incompetence a few years ago are now being realized with the support of a US$42bn loan from China's State Development Bank. Chinese state-owned enterprises are working wonders in railway construction, communications technology, and above all in the construction of public sector housing. China is building three million low-cost homes for the Venezuelan people and is engaged in a wide range of projects central to Venezuela's socialist project.
The reason China is able to provide such multilayered and concrete support for Venezuela's revolutionary process is because its economy is dominated by publicly owned banks and industries, organized around the objectives of the 12th Five Year Plan. The planned sector of the economy acts as the primary motivating force of the Chinese economy. The plan guides investment by state banks and serves the needs of the majority by improving their livelihood.
This Chinese lesson should be taught all over Venezuela and South America. Public ownership of the banks and the largest companies is what provides the foundation for China's economic success. Despite the determination and revolutionary energy of comrade Hugo Chávez, he took decisions in a rather eclectic fashion. Economic planning remained limited to specific projects, rather than constituting the core of a unified socio-economic totality.
In order to extend the political and social base of the Venezuelan revolution, the government should commission 5, 10, 20 and 50 year plans. These should be the results of research, consultation and mass democratic participation. Public ownership of the largest banks and the commanding heights of the economy can provide the optimal resources needed to make Venezuela's long-term socialist plans invincible.
The author is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:
http://china.org.cn/opinion/heikokhoo.htm
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