Home » Archives » April 2006 » More self-rule sought for the oil-rich `Texas of Venezuela' (opposing Hugo Chavez)
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04/07/2006:
"More self-rule sought for the oil-rich `Texas of Venezuela' (opposing Hugo Chavez)"
A small group in the Venezuelan state of Zulia -- a state critical to the nation's oil industry -- has caused a stir by pushing for more autonomy.MARACAIBO, Venezuela - The state of Zulia has always thought of itself as the Texas of Venezuela -- a land dominated by oil, cattle and largely conservative politicians. So it's no surprise that some of its people would want more autonomy.
''We want our own government,'' said Néstor Suárez, an economics professor and president of the pro-autonomy group Own Way. ``We are against big central governments.''
That central government, of course, is run by President Hugo Chávez, whose politics and economics are moving toward socialism in the mold of Cuba -- expanding social-service programs and seizing some ''idle'' lands and factories.
Suárez -- whose movement favors traditional capitalist policies -- said the group is still in its early stages but is not seeking independence from Venezuela. He likens its goal to Spain's Catalonia province and China's Hong Kong, areas with semi-autonomous economic and political systems.
But Own Way's ideas nevertheless are causing a national stir, with Chávez charging that the Bush administration, which he has repeatedly accused of trying to topple him, is backing the proposal in an attempt to grab Zulia's vast oil reserves.
The United States has called all of the accusations ridiculous.
Still, Zulia is important. With about four million people in an area the size of West Virginia, it has the second-highest population and is one of the richest of Venezuela's states. Its Lake Maracaibo is one of the country's main oil-producing areas.
freerepublic.com
The same thing is happening in Bolivia. Of course it is also 'ridiculous' to assume that the US has a hand in this.
