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The Australia-Venezuela Solidarity Network’s (AVSN) "People's Power” speaking tour by Daniel Sanchez, a leader of the Rebirth of the South Commune in the city of Valencia, Venezuela, and Yoly Fernandez, a community organiser in Mission Mercal, Venezuela's subsidised food program, was a great success, helping to strengthen Australian solidarity with Venezuela's people and revolution.

ABC TV's Foreign Correspondent program screened on August 11, titled "Hugo Chavez: Total Control" did nothing to shore up the ABC's reputation for well informed, accurate reporting. Eric Campbell's report from Venezuela was riddled with inaccuracies, half-truths and transparent biases that need to be corrected.

The program's main message - that President Hugo Chavez is "the dominator. aiming for total control" in Venezuela - is the stock-standard propaganda being peddled by a mainstream media that refuses to recognise or reflect the voices of the poor majority in Venezuela.

Hugo Chávez Frías

President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
Message to the UN and the people of the world

TRANSLATION OF THE ORIGINAL SPANISH TRANSCRIPTION FROM THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE UNITED NATIONS
Caracas, September 20, 2006

President Chávez: Madame President, Excellencies, Heads of State, Heads of Governments, and high ranking government representatives from around the world. A very good day to youall.

Stuart Munckton, 16 February 2007

“We, and millions of people around the world … believe another world is possible, a world free from war, poverty and hunger. Here in Venezuela the [government of socialist President Hugo Chavez] along with the majority of the people in our country are fighting hard to build this new world, despite the attempts of the old elite and the US government to prevent us from succeeding.” This is what 25-year-old university student Germania Fernandez told Pablo Navarrete, according to a December 1 article on Venezuelanalysis.com.

By Michael A. Lebowitz - Monthly Review
Friday, 02 February 2007

To outside observers who get their facts from the bourgeois media it would seem that Chavez is going "too fast". But the ordinary working people of Venezuela are demanding immediate action. They live in such conditions that they can wait no longer. An interesting comment by Michael Lebowitz.

Response to Hobart Mecury article

To read the Hobart Mercury Article
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A review of your correspondent Greg Barnes erroneous piece (22.01.07 The Mercury) shows it to well illustrate the reasons underlying the "People's Invitation" to President Chavez of Venezuela.

25 January 2007. By Federico Fuentes

On January 8, Venezuela’s socialist President Hugo Chavez swore in his new cabinet, including five new members, calling upon them to take an oath that they would “never rest arm or soul in the construction of the Venezuelan path towards socialism”. One the ministers sworn in was Hector Navarro, previously higher education minister and now Venezuela’s minister of science and technology.

Stuart Munckton
19 January 2007

“Venezuela’s Leap Backwards” was the headline verdict of the January 10 Washington Post editorial, which attempted to throw doubt on the legitimacy of the December 3 presidential election in Venezuela that returned socialist President Hugo Chavez to office with a record 7.3 million votes (63% of the total vote cast).

Noam Chomsky
International Herald Tribune, January 5, 2007

Last month a coincidence of birth and death signaled a transition for South America and indeed for the world.

The former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet died even as leaders of South American nations concluded a two-day summit meeting in Cochabamba, Bolivia, hosted by President Evo Morales, at which the participants and the agenda represented the antithesis of Pinochet and his era.