African Union Ties, Public Health, Socialist Theory
Dear Readers,
Last week, Venezuela's National Statistics Institute reported that 82% of the population is using the public health system. Also, the Health Ministry struck Coca-Cola Zero from the market for containing a cancerous chemical that is banned in the U.S. President Chávez strengthened Venezuela's ties with the African Union, expanded state-owned agriculture, and hosted a special edition of Aló Presidente on Socialist Theory. Please read or click on the headlines below to keep up to date on other developments in Venezuela.
News
Venezuela Orders End to Coca-Cola Zero Production
On Wednesday the Venezuelan Ministry for Health ordered the Coca-Cola Company to remove its product Coca-Cola Zero from sale for containing a cancerous ingredient, sodium cyclamate, an ingredient not included in the US version of the drink.
Chávez Hosts TV Series of Socialist Theory
On Thursday evening Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez hosted the first of what will be a series of special episodes of his weekly presidential talk show, "Hello, President." The focus of these episodes is the theory of socialist change, in contrast to the discussions of current events and exhibitions of government projects that are the usual themes of his Sunday afternoon broadcasts.
Phone Conversation Reveals Opposition Desire to Destabilise Venezuela
On Tuesday National Assembly legislator and president of the special commission that investigates assassination and coup attempts, Mario Isea, denounced an alleged opposition plan to destabilise the country or to possibly get rid of President Hugo Chavez.
Venezuelan Government Responds to Massacre of Indigenous Protestors in Peruvian Amazon
In response to the fatal clashes between indigenous protestors and the Peruvian government over the weekend, the Venezuelan Foreign Relations Ministry has released a statement expressing its solidarity with both the security forces and the indigenous people killed.
Presidents of Venezuela and African Union Discuss Upcoming Africa-South America Summit
The president of the African Union (AU), Gabonese economist and politician Jean Ping, met with Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and other government officials in Caracas on Tuesday to prepare for the Africa - South America Summit scheduled to take place in Caracas in the last week of September.
Venezuelan Socialist Party Gains One Million Members and Opposition Forms New Alliance
The United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) has announced that the party grew by more than one million new members during a month-long registration drive in May. Meanwhile, most of the principal opposition parties in Venezuela have formed a new alliance called the "Democratic Unity Roundtable" (Mesa de la Unidad Democrática).
Venezuela Expands State-Owned Agricultural Production, Processing, and Distribution
During his weekly talk show on Sunday Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez inaugurated the construction of a state-owned agricultural complex that will integrate the production, processing, and distribution of basic foods, and avoid price speculation by intermediaries. Also, the state oil company PDVSA announced it has risen in rank from eighth to fourth among the world's oil companies.
82% of Venezuelans Use Public Health System
According to a National Statistics Institute (INE) study, 81.8% of Venezuelans, or 22 million people, are using the public health system, and of these 75.4% said they were satisfied with the service.
Analysis and Opinion
Three myths dominate economic reporting on Venezuela: that the Chavez government benefitted from unprecedented oil revenues, that the government spent this money unwisely, and that the government and oil company are now bankrupt. All three myths are patently false.
A New Model With Rough Edges: Venezuela's Community Councils
For the Chavistas, the "revolutionary process" consists of people gaining control of their lives in the areas where they live, more so than in the workplace. This emphasis is reflected in the the fact that the community councils have received far more attention and resources than the worker-management schemes ever did.
International media defends network giant Globovisión as a victim of political censorship. This has obscured the key debate of private versus public rights on the airwaves and the limits of uncritically framing the issue as a violation of "free speech."
- James for the Venezuelanalysis.com crew
