This Tuesday, the People’s Power Minister for Communes and Social Movements, Jorge Arreaza, acknowledged the organization of the Movement of Settlers of Venezuela, a platform of popular and autonomous struggle around the right to housing in the country.
“The Movement of Settlers has the characteristic that, from the moment that, for example, the Pioneer Camps take over a space or land. They create a community, organize themselves in Communal Councils, hold Citizens’ Assemblies, and have their spokespersons. Then when they build their houses, they have had their communities for years as Communal Councils and Communes,” said the head of the communal office from the Miraflores Palace, where President Nicolas Maduro received the spokesmen and spokeswomen of the Movement.
Minister Arreaza highlighted that the organizations present at the presidential meeting have several points to raise “one is the respect for their struggles and defense they have carried out for years. Also, how the State achieves that the country joins forces to defend those struggles and fulfill what Commander Chavez proposed so that the people can be the great self-managed producer of life in the community. Production for life, not for enrichment”.
Within the proposals, the head of the Office of Communes pointed out that these legislating people are in defense of the Laws that were approved and enacted in the times of our Commander Chavez: “with new legislative proposals for this new stage of transition of Socialism, for this time, here are your people, president, organized and at your service.”
In response, President Nicolas Maduro ordered the creation of a direct communication channel to deal with complaints regarding violations of the Law, abuses, and eviction attempts, “to act to protect the people,” a task he assigned to Minister Arreaza and his counterpart Ildemaro Villarroel. He also instructed to review the Regulation of the Residential Workers Law to adapt it to the new times, a task which will be in charge of the Executive Vice-President, Delcy Rodriguez.
Likewise, he requested the head of Communes to visit all the Pioneer Camps in the country to know the weaknesses and needs of the organized communities.
Since early morning, the Venezuelan Movement of Settlers concentrated and marched towards the Miraflores Palace to make known their proposals and experiences based on self-management in housing matters, which have been presented and debated in the National Assembly.
The Movement constitutes the following social organizations: The Urban Land Committees, the Residential Workers for Venezuela, the Pioneer Camps and the New Socialist Communities, the Movement of Tenants, the Movement of Organized Building Occupants, and the Front of Organized Groups for Good Living.
