Organizations and individuals can sign the petition at: https://forms.gle/YNFqQKXXJnckvvvh6
Petition for signatures in rejection of the Anti-Blockade Law and demanding a popular referendum
Recently, the self-proclaimed National Constituent Assembly approved a project of “Anti-Blockade Law”, presented by the national government on September 29, in which extraordinary powers are granted to the Executive to nullify a series of rights of the Venezuelan people and of national interests established in the National Constitution. Among other things, it would allow the Executive to manage the assets of the national State at its discretion and in secret.
The undersigned categorically reject this leonine and undemocratic law that harms the rights of workers and the entire Venezuelan people. It is a project to give way to mass and large-scale privatizations, with the foreseeable consequences of a greater exploitation of the labor force and elimination of collective bargaining. In fact, sovereignty is surrendered and territories are violated.
To make matters worse, the approval was made “express”, without any discussion by the Venezuelan people, and not even by the legislative body in question. The members of the ANC were not given the project they voted. Access to it was denied to those who made repeated requests to see it prior to the vote; thus only having access to listen to a reading of it at the moment of the vote. Additionally, several were presented with obstacles to attend the session, reaching the unusual event of preventing several ANC members entry to the voting precinct.
This instrument not only goes beyond the procedures established in the Constitution itself, but also, under the pretext of confronting the sanctions arbitrarily imposed by the United States government, it offers all kinds of faculties to national and foreign private investment (Art. 27); modifying the current legal framework to promote a greater participation of private capital in the joint ventures of the Orinoco Oil Belt and the Orinoco Mining Arc, as well as legalizing and expanding the commercialization of gasoline by the private sector (Articles 27 and 28).
Through this law, the government will have discretionary powers to suspend the validity of laws (Art. 17 and 18), having free hands to enter into international treaties, manage, assign or deliver public assets, and create separate funds from the National Treasury, managed independently of the Public Budget (Art.16).
With this law, the Venezuelan State renounces the right to submit disputes to national jurisdiction, referring such disputes to foreign courts, that is, to those generally controlled by the countries where the transnational capital originates. Nationalizations could be reversed, returning assets that have been the subject of some executive, legislative or judicial measure or suspension of concessions (Art. 27), it also establishes the confidentiality of procedures carried out by the State, eliminating public access to information (Art. 14, 34 and 35). It even proposes penalizing those who insist on access to this information of national and public interest (Art. 36).
The Executive’s argument for this law is the sanctions imposed by the US government. Those of us who subscribe to this call are absolutely against those sanctions and aggressions of a clear imperialist nature, which deepen the hardships of the Venezuelan people. We categorically reject the entire series of confiscations of national assets, freezing of assets, embargoes and various sanctions that the United States and various European powers have imposed on Venezuela. We do not grant the slightest right to these nations to impose sanctions on our country or take property from it. We demand the immediate cessation of all such “coercive” attacks and measures.
Precisely because of this position of firm defense of the national interests and of the Venezuelan people, we reject the law in question and the way in which it has been “approved.” The undersigned, based on articles 62, 71, 74 and 236 of the National Constitution, demand that, in the case of a matter of great national importance, it be submitted to the broadest national discussion and popular consultation, concluding this process in a abrogative referendum, so that the Venezuelan people, the real subject directly affected in multiple aspects by this law, have the opportunity to give their verdict on it. A referendum that must be called and guaranteed with full freedom of organization and control by political and labor organizations, with space on television and radio, and without any persecution.
We consider the organization and mobilization of workers, peasants and people to demand this fundamental and inalienable right of the Venezuelan people of the first order of importance. Let the people decide. We call on the various labor, popular, peasant organizations, political and intellectual currents committed to defending the interests of the country and its popular majorities, to together set up a national movement that promotes a broad and unitary democratic and popular mobilization with these objectives, to stop the application of this law, which is deeply damaging to the interests of the Venezuelan people and workers.
To sign the petition as an individual or organization, you can enter the following form in Google:
Marea Socialista (MS)
Liga de Trabajadores por el Socialismo (LTS)
Unidad Socialista de Trabajadores (UST)
Partido Socialismo y Libertad (PSL)
Observatorio de Ecología Política de Venezuela
Sirtrasalud Distrito Capital
Colectivo Cultural Toromaima