Zulia, another Washington bid
• Shady strings of separatism being pulled in a new attempt to destroy Venezuela’s Bolivarian Revolution

BY JUANA CARRASCO MARTIN—Special for Granma International—

CLOSE to 40% of the 2.5 million barrels of oil produced by Venezuela is daily pumped from the oilfields of Zulia, its agricultural produce supplies 80% of what is consumed by the country, it possesses an important port and Maracaibo Lake that increase internal economic life, and that state of four million inhabitants in the west of the country – one million of them legal or undocumented Colombians – has a governor opposed to the government of Hugo Chávez.

Possessing a strong regionalism expressed in a particular way of speaking, a diverse folklore, more conservative social procedures and even separatist intentions that have flowered on more than one occasion, the Zulia scenario is a tempting one for a new Washington maneuver within its many and unfruitful attempts to defeat the Bolivarian Revolution. At this juncture, a group known as the Rumbio Propio (Own Way) has planted a claim for autonomy and a referendum in October on such a thorny issue.

Manuel "Manny" Rosales, landowner and proprietor of Miami trade centers, the elected governor of Zulia, and the U.S. embassy in Caracas headed by William Brownfield, have denied having any links with the separatist organization and, while it could be difficult to prove such a relation, neither is it easy to believe that those ties do not exist, bearing in mind the money that the George W. Bush administration has assigned to confronting Chávez and his social project, constant attacks by the highest levels of the Republican White House and the ferocious external propaganda campaign reiteratedly echoed by the powerful Venezuelan media.

Other closer indications of something being plotted, although still not evidence, are the excellent friendship between Rosales and Browning and the frequent visits by the U.S. ambassador to Zulia, which he has described as the best state in Venezuela. In May last year, he affirmed in Maracaibo: "I lived for two years in the Independent and Western Republic of Zulia 25 years ago and because of that I know perfectly well what it means to be in a climate of warmth."

However, an investigation is underway into Rumbo Propio, the organization headed by Néstor Suárez, former minister of agriculture; university professor Alberto Mensueti; and retired soldier Hildemaro Ferrer, that could result in treason or conspiracy charges, as noted by Venezuelan Attorney General Isaías Rodríguez, who for now has dismissed their links with the Zulia governor and the U.S. diplomat, although President Hugo Chávez has made a public accusation. "U.S. imperialism is going back to its old ways by trying to utilize that alienated, denationalized fifth column that is on the march to separate Zulia from Venezuela and seize" the oilfields of Maracaibo Lake, Chávez affirmed in his weekly "Aló Presidente" program.

"It is such a crazy idea that it would not merit any commentary, but as head of state, as president, as commander in chief of the national armed forces, I am saying to Venezuelans and will guarantee them that if anyone attempts that, they will fail, because they will be coming up against a united Republic, a united people, against the armed forces of Venezuela," he added.

One has to look at the facts to see what is in play. Maracaibo, capital of the state of Zulia, has seen publicity hoardings with secessionist messages, demonstrating a map of that region from which an arrow emerges with the slogan "Rumbio Propio for Zulia" and messages such as: "The family, the market and private property: the pillars of a free society" or "Liberal capitalism , hope for the poor."

In real terms, throughout its entire history of liberal capitalism prior to the Bolivarian process, the Maracuchos – as Zulia’s inhabitants are known – their many poor never saw a shadow of that hope that they now want to promise them; however, only when the Bolivarian Revolution put into practice its beneficial social missions, landowner Manny Rosabal gave himself the "task" of undertaking taking similar actions to counteract them.

As more than a few analysts have pointed out, there are attempts to create a similar result with Zulia as when the United States helped to "create" Panama at the cost of Colombia so as to construct the Canal and thus control world maritime transportation; or the Kuwait "created" by the United Kingdom at the cost of one of the rich oil areas of Iraq.

Oil is behind all the actions of the U.S. government and if a catastrophic war like the one in Iraq was launched for that fuel in the process of extinction, what would it not do to regain control of the nearby Venezuelan oil that has escaped from its hands and for which it now has to pay world market prices, and without the guarantee that it will not flow to other international markets.

The current way selected by the counterrevolution of right-wing Venezuelans and Washington imperialists is by passing through the division of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela with the parallel intention of weakening and defeating the Chávez process.

With Rumbo Propio a new card is being played in the inappropriate way of "troublemakers" and "little governments", as the liberator Simón Bolívar described in his time those opposed to his project of unity for the great Colombia for which he was prepared to die. On January 8, 1823 he wrote: "The five viceroyalties and five captaincies of the Spanish empire are fragmented in 25 countries; the 13 U.S. colonies are united and make up the most powerful nation on earth. Divide and you will defeat; unite and you will reign."

Bolívar’s legacy is present today in Venezuela and unity will be a determining factor in burying another conspiracy on the part of those who want to belittle the Bolivarian Republic which, from this March, in a symbolic response, has an eighth star on its flag, despite the hoardings announcing "autonomy," a press loud-mouthing "separatism" and sudden attacks to sow confusion, like that of Manny Rosabal celebrating Zulianity Day.