Not simple as big landlords and cattle farmers make harsh resistance

www.vheadline.com Posted: Sunday, February 23, 2003 By: Dick Emanuelsson

Swedish freelance journalist Dick Emanuelsson writes: It was in the village Santine that the Land Reform Law was made public by President Chavez Frias on December 10, 2001. Thousands of farmers were present. In Caracas landlords and cattle farmers were demonstrating against the law -- together with the employer's organization Fedecamaras and the trade union confederation CTV.

It was the same venal forces that on April 11 would carry out a coup d'etat and erase the Land Reform Law and 48 other laws that the government has brought about to help the most poor Venezuelans.

Zulay Martinez, the beautiful 34 year old Mayor of the city Andres Eloy Blanco receives me in a simple barrack ... this is the house of the Mayor for this city of 22,000 inhabitants ... it is 40ºC in this calm farm area, with forests as well as thick rainforest that makes it a possible future tourist's paradise.

Dreams coming true

Three years ago the area became a community. Previously it was ruled by the corrupt social democratic Accion Democratica (AD) supported by 'Terratenientes' and 'ganaderos' ... landlords and cattle farmers.

It was a hard blow for these local politicians when this little woman defeated them with 60% of the population behind her in the community's elections ... and the atmosphere has really changed. The land reform is welcomed, and for the first time, many landless farmers can see their old dreams fulfilled.

But things are not simple; the big landlords and cattle farmers make harsh resistance.

"In many areas leaders of the landless farmers have been murdered and harassed by these powerful forces. Via their legal representatives, they try to delay the hand-out of  land to the farmers. But neither the land reform, nor the revolution is going to be stopped by these venal forces," says this thin woman who used to be a teacher in the city.

When the coup d'etat was carried out on April 11 last year, the old corrupt politicians tried to regain power in the community. But the people, farmers and other workers, stood up behind Zulay, who belongs to Chavez' party, the MVR ... The Bolivarian Party of the Fifth Republic. "A group of 30 people tried to occupy the Mayor's residence, but the great majority of the population hit back and brought an end to this local coup.

US companies chop down the rainforest

She criticizes bureaucrats within the state bureaucracy who have become a hampering factor in the development of the various revolutionary laws by using bureaucratic norms and regulations. This has also been true about the land reform ... "Chavez is well aware of this problem and he has taken measures" says the Mayor. "But in spite of that, the organization of the farmers and the farm workers is going rapidly. In the state Barinas, where our city is situated, there is today 25 farm co-operatives. Three years ago there was not a single one."

"We also have co-operatives that work with attending to the forests and re-planting and we also work to strengthen environmental care. Those things did not exist before. Here the corrupt politicians gave a US company a concession to chop down vast areas of rain forest ... now we are working with the government to re-plant these destroyed areas."

Dick Emanuelsson dickema@hotmail.com Translated from Swedish by Bjorn Blomberg blombergbjorn@hotmail.com