Participatory Democracy in América

The preamble of the 1999 Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela states that one of the Constitution’s goals is to establish a participatory democracy achieved through elected representatives, popular votes by referendum, and popular mobilization. It points to the document itself as being a product of this new participation, and it in fact was.

Social organizations were invited to participate through a multitude of venues such as forums, workshops, and committees. They were also encouraged to draft their own proposals for consideration by the Assembly. Unlike in the years of Constitutional reform when social actors had little success getting their concerns met, more than 50% of the 624 proposals brought to the table by civil society were included in the 1999 Constitution. The document’s coverage of a broad range of issues reflects this diverse public participation.

There are no less than 111 articles spelling out civic rights that address topics such as culture and education, Indigenous rights, adequate housing, land distribution, worker safety, protection of family and children, and priority of the environment. Political participation is addressed in articles 71-74, which describe the popular referendum mechanism that affords the public a direct voice in legislation and the power to recall any publicly elected figure. Article 341 explains the public's right to initiate constitutional amendments and subjects all proposed amendments, regardless of their origin, to referendum vote. The military was granted the right to vote, allowing a large sector of young (mostly) males from predominately poor backgrounds to participate in the political character of the country they defend.

Importantly, the document not only lays out the rights of the citizenry, but also the duties of the state and the public in attaining and maintaining the ideals of the nation. There are six articles elaborating the duties of all citizens. These articles formally establish the intent of the Fifth Republic administration to enlist the general public in the pursuit of national goals.

Article 132 states that everyone has the duty to fulfill his or her social responsibilities through participation in the political, civic, and community life of the country with the goal of promoting and protecting human rights as the foundation of democratic coexistence and social peace.

Article 133 repeals forcible recruitment into the armed forces, but recognizes everyone’s duty to perform civilian or military service as may be necessary for the defense, preservation, and development of the country.

Article 135 says that the state’s obligation to the general welfare of society does not preclude the obligation of private individuals to participate according to their abilities. These duties describe participation much beyond the electoral process. They compel the public to see themselves as not so much the governed masses, but as active builders of their own society.  full VHeadline article

Whoa. A constitutional duty to participate in political, civic and community life.

In June 2003, the president announced that Bs.15 billion of the federal budget would go to finance cooperatives. In addition, the 2001 Special Law of Cooperative Associations that lays down the ground rules for registering and managing a cooperative, states that “In equal conditions, cooperatives will be given preference by financing and credit institutes” as well as preference for government contracts. In a country where the business sector has been traditionally dependent on government and oil industry contracts, this is a significant incentive.

Also in favor of cooperatives is Article 24 of the Law of the Intergovernmental Decentralization Fund (FIDES), which assigns at least 20% of the annual resources allotted to States and Municipalities to the financing of projects presented by organized communities, neighborhood associations and NGOs.

A cooperative is a legally registered association united with the aim of fulfilling common needs and solving common problems. Cooperatives are flexible autonomous bodies whose members each have an equal voice and whose properties belong to each member equally. Cooperatives are based on values such as mutual assistance, self-reliance and responsibility, democracy, equality, and solidarity. Members are held to the ethical standards of honesty, transparency, social responsibility and duty.

...Through cooperatives the State aims to induce communities to assume responsibilities of co-governance in the supervision, control, administration and execution of public works and services, education and culture. This model of social organization decentralizes power beyond Mayorships and town councils to the citizen, giving the public legal instruments for a modern exercise of sovereignty. Cooperatives have taken hold in nearly all threads of social movements. Individual cells within each organizational entity have begun to group themselves in neighborhood cooperatives, which in turn are joining regional cooperatives that are nested within national networks of cooperatives.

...The Bolivarian administration granted organized communities throughout Venezuela the right to local broadcasting licenses. Despite opposition from traditional professional media associations such as the Venezuelan Broadcasting Guild (Camara Venezolana de la Industria de la Radiodifusion), at least 9 TV and 38 radio stations ... some of which started out as “pirate” broadcasters ... are now legally on the air, along with a host of yet unlicensed broadcasters. In compliment there are nearly 500 community newspapers and countless news websites as well.

Many of these news sources originate in barrio communities and all of them are run by grassroots, “amateur” teams that have learned their trade in hopes of serving their communities and breaking the monopoly of information distribution that has strangled the nation.

This is the government we (as the United States) are trying to dismantle.

There is much more to this article.

Past posts on Venezuela
More articles on our involvement in Venezuela
More on "participatory democracy" in Venezuela
Authentic democracy in South América