04/02/2010

Bolivarian Government has transferred 11 billion bolivares to Communal Councils

Caracas, Feb 03. ABN.- Only four years have passed since the first Law on Communal Councils was passed and the Bolivarian Government transferred 11 billion bolivares (4.23 billion dollars) to these people's organizations. There are 31,000 communal councils in total nationwide.

The information was given by the Minister of People's Power for Communes Erika Farias, who also stated that said resources has been transformed into houses, power lines, drinkable water and sewage systems, sport facilities, schools, and many other infrastructure works and services that help people to overcome poverty.

During her participation at the TV talk-show “Desperto Venezuela,” broadcast by the state-run channel Venezolana de Television, Farias stated that the Government has financed more than 30,000 projects promoted by Communal Councils.

Regarding the eleven years of the Bolivarian Revolution, the Minister underscored that one of the main achievements reached by this process is that the people can become into its own Government thanks to the transfer of resources, tools and means from the central power to the different kinds of social organizations, all of which began with the enactment of the Law on Communal Councils in 2006.

The Commune Minister reminded that the reform to this Law executed last year strengthens people's possibility to reach more spaces of decision making.

“The new Law expands people's participation,” Farias reiterated and she ratified that communal councils are the base to build a socialist society.

Also, Farias explained that if it is true that communal banks organized in cooperatives were eliminated in the reform to create a financial organ controlled by the Government to manage the resources, such concept has been rescued for the communes and included in the Law on People's Power that it has been already approved in the first discussion by the National Assembly.

Likewise, Farias highlighted the importance of the communes as a higher stage of people's organization. “In such territory denominated commune, people's government will be executed; that is to say, the people will develop their own comprehensive development towards freedom, through the transfer of means, resources and properties from the State.”

According to the Minister, about 33,000 spokespeople from the communal councils participated in the training process carried out in 2009.