Editor's Comment: Governor Jose Gregorio Briceño's expulsion from the ruling political party (PSUV) reveals one of the tactics employed by the imperialists against the Venezuelan state. Briceño wasn't a "defector" as some are wont to portray him; rather, he was an infiltrator. President Chávez had it right with his comment, “I think the governor Briceño arrived where he had to arrive."

It's interesting to track Briceño's path to win the governorship of Monagas state in eastern Venezuela. He began in 1979 as a member of Acción Democrática (AD), a counter-revolutionary political party here. He was "expelled" from the AD 1991 and he founded another political party, Movimiento Independiente Cedeño (MIC). He then became mayor of Cedeño Municipality in the regional elections of 1992 and was re-elected in 1995. In 1997 he founded a new political party named MIGATO and it was not by chance that MIGATO became part of PSUV in 2007. Briceño was elected deputy of the National Assembly and later governor of Monagas in 2004 and 2008. But a rat is a rat for life.

The imperialists know they cannot defeat the Venezuelan revolutionaries in an honest, democratic election. Their recourse is to attack the revolution by undermining the economy, with acts of violence and corruption, outright lies in their international media campaign and by infiltrating the revolutionary camp with the likes of Briceño.

We salute the PSUV for ridding the party of this rat and the people know there are others like him, crawling in the crevices of party walls to weaken and destroy all that has been achieved since President Chávez was first elected in 1998 and 1999. It is our hope that during and following the election victories that are sure to come in 2012 there will be a house-cleaning in the PSUV to strengthen and advance the process.

- Les Blough in Venezuela

Monagas State Governor Suspended from Venezuela’s Socialist Party
Venezuela Analysis
by Ewan Robertson

Mérida, 15^th March 2012 – The governor of Monagas state in eastern Venezuela, Jose Gregorio “the Cat” Briceño, has been suspended from the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), and faces a disciplinary procedure which could possibly lead to his expulsion from the party.

The Governor of Monagas state, Jose Gregorio “the Cat” Briceño, was suspended from the United Socialist Party of Venezuela yesterday (El Universal)

According to a press statement read out by Venezuela’s Vice-President and vice-president of the PSUV (central region) Elias Jaua yesterday, the suspension is for “serious offenses against the revolution,” which together comprise “the violation of the ethical rules and behaviour of a PSUV member”.

The accusations of misconduct include making public criticisms of leading socialist party figures, attacking the “strategic lines” of the party, and ignoring internal party mechanisms to resolve differences.

On 12 March, Briceño was interviewed for opposition orientated TV station Globovision, where he accused President of the National Assembly and PSUV Vice-president, Diosdado Cabello, of seeking to place figures opposed to Briceño in the local PSUV in order to surround him with “a pack of dogs”. The Monagas governor further attacked PSUV Vice-president for the eastern region, Yelitza Santaella, as “an errand runner” for Cabello, who was interested in taking his position as governor.

In yesterday’s statement Jaua declared that “in a wilful and counterrevolutionary manner, Briceño incurred the offense of the party and ignored the mechanisms to clarify internal differences”.

He also rejected speculations made by opposition media sources on wider internal divisions within the PSUV, holding that they had broadcast Briceño’s declarations “as a banal argument to try and see an internal division where it doesn’t exist”.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez emitted via his twitter account that he “fully supports” the PSUV decision. “I think the governor Briceño arrived where he had to arrive,” he stated.

Yesterday, before the announcement of his suspension was made, governor Briceño said to press that there was no reason why he should be expelled from the PSUV. “I haven’t attacked the PSUV, in my declarations I referred to individual politicians that since 2008 have been trying to destroy me in order to take control of the governorship of Monagas” he argued.

He also said that he thought Chavez was being misled as to the political situation in Monagas.

Briceño stated he will wait until 4 August to announce whether he will run for re-election as governor. State governor elections will be held in December this year.

Fallout over Water Purity in Monagas

The governor also argued that another reason for his suspension from the PSUV was a disagreement between himself and PSUV figures in the government over the re-opening of the water treatment plant Bajo Guarapiche on the Guarapiche river, following an oil spill on 4 February.

Briceño maintains that the water in the Guarapiche river is not yet ready for distribution to the population, delaying the re-opening of the treatment plant. On 8 March he reported that traces of petroleum had been found after tests at the plant, and that “the river isn’t contaminated but the sediments of the river are”.

Meanwhile environment minister Alejandro Hitcher, speaking on state television VTV this morning, stated that “now the water is ready…we have the analysis,” while mentioning that 95% of the spilled crude had now been cleaned from the river.

The minister rejected the notion that an international analysis would be needed to examine the water, given that Venezuela has national experts and is complying with World Health Organisation parameters.

“If the governor of Monagas state and the [local] mayor continue wanting to create a crisis and not give the water, we are going to have to intervene in the [water treatment] plants,” he added.

Source: Venezuela Analysis