Venezuelan Grassroots Groups Push For A United Movement

[Venezuelanalysis.com's Michael Fox reports an unprecedented 2-day long grassroots assembly held last weekend in the Southern Caracas barrio of El Valle. At the assembly hundreds of representatives of Venezuela's grassroots social movements hashed out plans for the formation of the Revolutionary Grassroots Front of the South - a new united movement through which they hope to combat the growing bureaucracy within the Chavez government, and to push their own grassroots agenda.]

Grassroots leaders meet in El Valle to discuss a unitary platform. Credit: Michael Fox

Venezuelan Grassroots Groups Push For A United Movement

January 22nd 2008, by Michael Fox - Venezuelanalysis.com

Caracas, January 22, 2008 (venezuelanalysis.com) -- Hundreds of representatives of Venezuela's grassroots social movements met in the Southern Caracas barrio of El Valle this weekend, to hash out plans for the formation of the Revolutionary Grassroots Front of the South--a new united movement through which they hope to combat the growing bureaucracy within the Chavez government, and to push their own grassroots agenda.

Spokespersons from ANMCLA (National Association of Free and Alternative Community Media), FNCEZ (Ezequiel Zamora National Campesino Front), Cultural Centers, and numerous community organizations and movements met and debated in nearly two dozen working groups all weekend long. 

Among the proposals discussed were the creation of a grassroots government council, a grassroots legislative parliament, the formation of a new grassroots generated Constitutional reform, and a coordinated direct action plan, all independent of the Venezuelan government.

"This national grassroots meeting has fulfilled our expectations because we've been able to bring together almost all of the grassroots organizations in all of Caracas and some other states that could come," said Zaida Mujica, a member of La Pastora Cultural Center, who helped to organize the event.  "This isn't going to stop here, this same initiative is going to be carried out in the communities with the intention that each community has it's own struggle manifesto, and what is really going to strengthen this revolution, this process is truly popular power, and continue to recuperate these values that popular power is not decreed, it cannot be driven by the institutions. Popular power is the people themselves."

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