Venezuela: Jorge Rodríguez Calls on Deputies to Listen to the People (+Orlando Figuera)

This Friday, the president of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, led the first National Meeting of the Secretariat of Parliamentary Affairs of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) at the Teresa Carreño Theater in Caracas. The historic meeting brought together national deputies, regional legislators, and council members from 335 municipalities across the country.

During his speech, Rodríguez stressed that the role of parliamentarians is not bourgeois representation, but to accompany and channel the direct demands of the people.

Rodríguez stated that the revolutionary parliament must be based on actively listening to the people. “Our main function is to listen to the outcry of the Venezuelan people,” he stated, urging officials to leave the institutional premises and the Federal Legislative Palace to go to the communities.

According to Rodríguez, ignoring the voice of the citizens is tantamount to betraying the oath taken upon assuming office.

Rebuilding well-being and energy sovereignty
Within the framework of the legislative agenda, the president of the National Assembly urged deputies to explain and discuss the spirit of the legal reforms, such as the Hydrocarbons Law, with the grassroots.

Rodríguez pointed out that the central objective of energy resources should be social investment: “The only thing that underground oil is good for is to say that we are the largest reserve on the planet. I would prefer to be the largest producer, and for that crude oil to be turned into hospitals, schools, and roads.”

Discussion of the Amnesty Law and reparations for victims
Regarding the Amnesty Law, recently approved in its first reading in the National Assembly, Rodríguez asked the special commission, chaired by Deputy Jorge Arreaza, to include articles to guarantee reparations for victims.

He recalled emblematic cases of political violence, such as that of Orlando Figuera, and demanded that the Spanish government extradite the individual responsible for his murder.

“Forgiveness is one thing, but tolerating horrendous crimes is another,” said Rodríguez, who invited representatives to take the debate on this law to the streets to listen to both the families of those incarcerated and those who were affected by political violence in previous years.

Spain should extradite the ‘cruel murderer’ of Orlando Figuera
The president of the National Assembly demanded that the Spanish government immediately extradite the individual responsible for the murder of Orlando Figuera. Figuera was a young man who was burned alive during the 2017 guarimbas for looking like a Chavista.

Rodríguez stated that the alleged murderer acted with extreme cruelty by dousing the victim with fuel and setting him on fire due to the color of his skin and his political affiliation.

He asserted that the normalization and stability of Venezuela are objectives that make certain sectors uncomfortable. However, they are fundamental to guaranteeing the safety of the citizens.

He also urged the people’s representatives to defend peace and joy amid the extreme challenges Venezuela is experiencing. “These are complex, difficult, yet constructive days—days of reconciliation, of coexistence, of defending joy. You, the members of parliament and councilors, must defend the peace of the republic in your respective positions,” he stated.

Venezuela Unanimously Approves Amnesty Law in First Discussion

Rodríguez proposed the deployment of “comprehensive parliamentarism” to consult on the Amnesty Law directly in the communities.

Rodríguez was emphatic in stating that the debate should prioritize listening to the victims and the families of those deprived of their liberty, assuring that the ultimate goal of the national assembly is to create laws that protect peace and prevent violence from taking hold in the country.

 

(Últimas Noticias ) by Olys Guárate

Translation: Orinoco Tribune

OT/JRE/SF