Chavez Issues Land Reform Decree in Venezuela

Hugo Chavez, the President of Venezuela, has signed a decree on land reform to make available to the poor.
Chavez says that less than 1% of the population owns 60% of the land in Venezuela so he is setting up a national land commission that will inspect private farmland and donate some of it to the poor if it is deemed as unproductive. He has said that he will fight a war against the large estates.

Chavez Issues Land Reform Decree in Venezuela (AP Video).wmv

Financial Times
Since coming to power six years ago, Mr Chávez has promised to carry out an agrarian reform as part of his self-styled "revolution". Yet in spite of a surge of land invasions, an official plan is only now being developed.

According to an official census, 60 per cent of agricultural land is owned by just 1 per cent of the population. Ranchers say that large estates are far more productive than small holdings, which Mr Chávez is seeking to foster.

"Any self-respecting revolution cannot permit such a situation," Mr Chávez said on Sunday. "That's a sign of feudalism."

The government's first target was seized at the weekend, with the official "takeover" of El Charcote, a 32,000-acre cattle ranch belonging to Lord Vestey, an English meat tycoon.

The seizure of lands has already begun and is likely to continue.

Venezuela Mayor Orders Private Land Seized
CARACAS, Venezuela - The mayor of Venezuela's second-largest city ordered the government to seize two swaths of abandoned private lands Tuesday, saying the property would be used for projects to benefit the entire population.

Giancarlo Di Martino, Maracaibo mayor and staunch supporter of President Hugo Chavez, told The Associated Press the lands include 62 acres within the city and an abandoned industrial zone running along the shore of lake Maracaibo about 20 miles to the southeast.

Di Martino's order coincides with a sweeping land reform being led by Chavez to turn over "idle" farmlands to the poor. Chavez declared on Monday that the government would survey farmland across the country and gradually redistribute unused acreage.

The land that they seized will be used to build public housing, a center for street children and a public sports center.
They have said that the owners of the land will be compensated.
As long as persons do actually receive compensation for their land, I really don't have a problem with this.

[edit on 12-1-2005 by AceOfBase]

rich gringoes and colonial El Guapoes targeted. so thumbs up to Chavez.

Soon lefty Chavez and Lula Silva of Brasil will be the new axis-of-evil.

Originally posted by iceTman
rich gringoes and colonial El Guapoes targeted. so thumbs up to Chavez.

Soon lefty Chavez and Lula Silva of Brasil will be the new axis-of-evil.

They're trying, trust me.
You should hear how they talk about Chavez on Fox News whenever his name is brought up.

Deja vu'?

Reads like the emergence of socialist Communism to me.
Spread the wealth among everyone.

AceofBase:

As long as persons do actually receive compensation for their land, I really don't have a problem with this.

I have a problem with it, IMHO.
Why?
I have read nor seen no indications that the government, be it local or national, is planning to compensate these previously owned lands. I mean gee, the second article openly decrees that the land was "seized". Seems to me that "seized" means taken, with no compensation given or intended.




seekerof

Originally posted by Seekerof
I have read nor seen no indications that the government, be it local or national, is planning to compensate these previously owned lands.
seekerof

The second article states the following:

The city of 1.7 million people plans to build public housing, a center for street children and a public sports center on the lands, Di Martino said.

He said the owners would be paid fair compensation. The owners couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

Whether they live up to the promise or not remains to be seen.

Good for Chavez, socialism well if making sure that the poor nationals of the country can have a piece of land and food in the table them Hurray for reform.

Take all those blood sucking rich out of the lands specially the foreign ones.

My littler island prime real state does not belong to the Puertorricans but to the private investors from US and other countries.

Thanks to Capitalism.

Yes, AceofBase, I would agree:

Whether they live up to the promise or not remains to be seen.

Then again, I did notice:

The owners couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

Typical Communism101.
I wonder why thse "owners" couldn't "immediately" be reached for comment?




seekerof

Seekerof, Venezuala isn't america and the press these days releases stories when "they have enough to release" Isn't that how ATSNN works too? . Are you making the allegation that these Rich Landowners are political prisoners and thats why they can't be reached? If the answer to any of the above is yes then, What are you basing this on any links? Hasn't the USA taken land and compensated the owners with a "considerable" sum before? I seem to remember that they have in order to expand highways for one. Thats just off the top of my head no links heard it on the news oh so many years ago during the greedy 90s.

BTW Why don't YOU try to reach them?

C'mon Sardion, Seeker and I have our differences on some issues but I don't think he said anything that justifies being jumped on.

As far as why they couldn't be reached by the reporter, we don't know have a certain answer to that.

This is what they say about the owners of the land:

The mayor said the lands are partly owned by a bank and a hotel, which has been closed for decades.

They may be located in another country or they may be a part of a large corporation and are not easily accessed.

Sorry didn't mean to "jump" on him Just wanted to pump him for more info if he had it know what I mean. I know Seekerof can do much better just trying to open up discussion not close it off. If that is what it seemed like then sorry, been up for 18 hours workin. I'm kinda tired of people equating Socialism with Communism and yes I do agree it is a very commie move Venezuala's gov't was elected so big difference in my books. Plus I just happen to love the country so there oh wait that was Brazil nvrmd

Of course, questions like "what is considered fair compensation" will never be answered. Also I see nowhere where it is stated that the people who receive the land will have to pay for it, or if it is a gift.

The only example I see is that a city seized some land, presumable to build public housing, etc., on. Sounds like a gov't land grab to me, since the gov't will retain control of the land.

Communism at it's finest hour.

But hey, it's their, I mean his country. They, I mean he, should be able to do what he wants with it.

When PR became a colony of the US, the new Puertorrican appointed government Mr. Munoz Marine, in a act of goodness started to give the poor Puertorrican a piece of free land called "parcelas" for the Puertorrican to build and work the land.

Th is "parcelas" were something that the people appreciated at the time after having the Spanish Haciendas controlling all the land for the Spanish government.

That was under the US and hardly call "communism"

But Alas there came the US capitalism and told the Puertorrican Government that it could not do that until US determined what land was to belong to the US for "strategic" reasons.

That is how Vieques end up with a military base on land that was for "parcels" for the fishermen, and so other prime areas like Humacao, for the Naval Base and others.

For years the lands were seized by the American Government and latter sold to American private investors.

Right now our littler Island prime land is all privatized and when it comes to the beaches we can not even walk through the sand in "private areas"

We have middle east Arabs, Americans, Japaneses, Hindus you name it they all have a piece of the Island.

[edit on 13-1-2005 by marg6043]

[edit on 13-1-2005 by marg6043]

Originally posted by marg6043
Right now our littler Island prime land is all privatized and when it comes to the beaches we can not even walk through the sand in "private areas"

It's like that in almost every Island nation now.
It's a shame when you live on an Island surrounded by beaches and oceans and there are only a few beaches that the people who live there can go to.

I think St. Kitts keeps the beaches open to the public but they are one of only a few Island nations that do that. I'm not even sure if they still keep that policy in place.