Colombian President Gustavo Petro denounced climate inaction and called for an end to the war on drugs in his impassioned speech to the United Nations general assembly on September 20, reports Ana Zorita.
land reform
The assassinations of six activists from the grassroots Revolutionary Bolivar and Zamora Current (CRBZ) in Barinas State on July 27 sparked immediate outrage and expressions of solidarity from Venezuelan and international activists.
Venezuela’s campesino marchers achieved their immediate objective on August 2 by holding a public meeting with President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas that was nationally televised. They presented proposals for far-reaching reforms to state agrarian policies and institutions.
Incumbent presidential candidate Nicolas Maduro prioritised visits to dissatisfied campesino communities over April 28-29 as part of a campaign strategy aimed at shoring up support in rural communities that have traditionally voted overwhelmingly for both ex-president Hugo Chavez and Maduro.
The countryside represents a critical constituency for the government in the upcoming May 20 election.
The South African parliament has voted for a motion to amend the constitution that will allow the government to expropriate private land without compensation. However, a true resolution of the land question must be in accordance with the needs of those who work and live off the land.
This means the destruction of all existing tribal and feudal relations in the rural areas — and the nationalisation of the land.