FW: President Maduro Argues Right-Wing's Neoliberal Model ‘Destroys Everything’ as 'Mask Comes Off' & Venezuelan Opposition Shows its True Colours
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Matthew Willgress
Jan 19, 2016, 12:14:23 PM1/19/16
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VSC E-UPDATE, JANUARY 19 2016
The last week has seen Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro give his annual address, in which he criticized the neoliberal model the right-wing opposition wishes to impose on the country, which he said would “destroy everything” in terms of the social gains made in recent years. Friday’s address (read more here) marked his first to the country’s new National Assembly, dominated by legislators from the right-wing MUD coalition, who have vowed to oust Maduro from office. President Maduro and his Government this week also announced the creation of a new council aimed at addressing the country's severe economic difficulties (read more here,) and ongoing social achievements in areas such as reducing extreme poverty (more here) and extending education programmes (more here.)
The right-wing in the Venezuelan National Assembly have wasted little time in showing their true colours, with Isobel Finbow of Telesur English arguing that "since taking over as the majority force in the Venezuelan parliament, the right-wing opposition has adopted a confrontational attitude, burning bridges and wrecking chances of reconciliation." You can read Finlow's full piece here, which concludes that "the opposition has waited more than 15 years to regain power of institutions, and has now shown its impatience to derail the socialist government," and notes that "President Maduro said that the actions thus far of the MUD in the National Assembly show that they have now 'taken off the mask' and seek nothing more than confrontation and mayhem."
Early decisions of the right-wing majority included removing the photos and paintings of Hugo Chavez and Simon Bolivar from parliament (read more here,) discussing an amnesty for coup and violence plotters (full story here) and - originally and unconstituionally - refusing to recognize a Supreme Court ruling temporarily suspending four National Assembly representatives from Amazonas state pending investigation into alleged electoral irregularities.
Whilst this week the right-wing opposition did now accept the Supreme Court ruling (read more here,) it also introduced a law seeking to privatise Venezuela's groundbreaking housing programme. This proposal which would hand over the property deeds of the over 1 million homes constructed by the Great Venezuelan Housing Mission (GMVV) to the residents, who currently retain a permanent lease that cannot be transferred or sold. Ricardo Molina, ex-minister for Housing, has responded that the existing law prevents the houses build by the GMVV from entering into the speculative private market, which he claims is the actual aim of the opposition legislation. An in-depth analysis of the proposals and how they could deepen housing problems can be read here.
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