Special Interview: David Danny International observer ahead elections in Venezuela May 25th.

teleSUR English

David McDonald Denny, from Barbados, is the General Secretary for the Caribbean Movement for Peace and Integration and was invited by the Venezuelan government to be one of the international observer during the Regional and Legislative Elections on Sunday, May 25th.

Transcript

00:00And in this context, let's take our signal to our headquarters in Caracas with our colleague

00:04Ana Marrero to have more details as she has a very special guest with her

00:07to talk about this important election that is going to be held in Venezuela this Sunday.

00:13Hello Ana, welcome to This From the South.

00:17Hello Luis and hello to our audience from the South.

00:21We are here in Caracas where our special guest, Mr. David McDonnell Denny.

00:26He is here with us in From the South with a special interview about the elections that are being held tomorrow here in Venezuela.

00:35Hello Mr. David Denny, how are you?

00:38I am fine and I am very happy to be here with you.

00:41Thank you very much.

00:43Well, we can start with this interview.

00:46Thanks.

00:46Okay.

00:48The first question will be like in what context the elections take place

00:54and of course the part that are going to be the first time regional elections from the Venezuelan side in Guyana.

01:02Well, my organization, the Caribbean Move for Peace and Integration, endorsed this position by Venezuela

01:11to hold an election in that section of Guyana

01:16because we see this as part of an integration process for the government and people of Venezuela.

01:25We also see this as a process that would allow genuine independence for the people who are living there

01:34because we are totally against ExxonMobil, which is backed by U.S. imperialism.

01:44We are totally against them in terms of the mining in Guyana

01:49because we feel that there should be a greater level of discussion between Venezuela and Guyana

01:54as it relates to this area rather than U.S. imperialism,

02:00enforcing themselves on the people of Guyana and the people of Venezuela

02:05and also threatening the government and people of Venezuela with military maneuvers in that area.

02:11Yeah, and also you came here to Venezuela as an observer of these elections.

02:19Can you tell us a little bit of context of these and how you came here to the country to observe these elections?

02:27Okay, the Caribbean Move for Peace and Integration have a very good working relationship

02:31with the United Socialist Party of Venezuela.

02:34And the party invited us as an international observer

02:40and we are very happy to be here to be in Venezuela to participate in this process

02:46because when I return to Barbados and the Caribbean,

02:49I will be in a better position to report to the people of Barbados and the Caribbean

02:56about the positive nature of this election in Venezuela.

03:01So far, I had the opportunity of participating in rallies and talking to Venezuelan people on the streets

03:08and tomorrow, election day, we'll get the opportunity where we'll be able to visit a number of the polling stations

03:16and I will speak with several of the political parties there at the polling stations.

03:21I will also get an opportunity to speak with the people in Venezuela

03:25so that when I go back to Barbados, I can honestly report on the election in Venezuela

03:32that not only means a lot to the people of Venezuela, but the entire Caribbean region.

03:37Yeah, and also here in Venezuela we have a fight against the fake news

03:49and the harsh news that have been made about these elections, about here is no democracy,

04:00about here is all manipulated, but here is democracy because the people are directly voting,

04:07they are secretly voting for what they want.

04:09So what can you tell us about this situation, because we can see and we have seen that we have here a clear method of vote.

04:22You know, we have a clear way of deciding ourselves for what we want,

04:27but the fake news are saying the opposite.

04:31Yeah, you're correct because the Western media is spreading a lot of misinformation about the situation in Venezuela

04:40in terms of the conditions and in terms of the electoral process in Venezuela.

04:46That's why it is so important for us in the Caribbean to have representatives here at this,

04:53you know, as international observers so that we can properly report to our region about the situation in Venezuela

05:00and I must say that the Western media is spreading a lot of negative and fake news about the situation in Venezuela

05:10and we have to find a way to reach our people, especially in the English-speaking Caribbean,

05:18so that they will better understand what is happening in Venezuela

05:22because Venezuela is one of our sister countries and Venezuela is a nation that has always stand in solidarity with our region.

05:33Yeah, and now we go back to Guyana, because what's the significance do you grant to these elections in Venezuela,

05:43taking into account that this will be the first time the territory of Guyana's Cuba will exercise the right to the vote?

05:49Well, as I mentioned just now, I told you that this electoral process in Guyana is very important for that area

06:01because it creates the conditions for the people in that area to have representation in your national assembly, one.

06:13Two, it also creates the conditions for the people to develop the region as part of Venezuela

06:23and as an independent state away from some kind of exploitation by U.S. imperialism.

06:33So it's really a people's election that is taking place in Guyana

06:41and my organization, the Caribbean Movement for Peace and Integration, fully endorsed that process.

06:49Yeah, and now we can move to another important topic,

06:53which is the solidarity that Venezuela has taken with the Palestinian cause, with Haiti

07:00and also with Burkina Fassal, because is it being a sister nation with those countries?

07:07Well, let me say, as I mentioned, Venezuela is one of the leading countries in our region

07:14that express solidarity to Caribbean people.

07:19When Haiti finds itself in a crisis situation immediately after a major earthquake,

07:24it is Venezuela that went into Haiti and helped with the constructing of houses in Haiti for the Haitian people.

07:35Cuba has always been there also to extend solidarity with the Haitian people

07:40in the area of medicine and academic scholarships.

07:44So I fully endorse your solidarity with the Haitian people.

07:48Venezuela has also offered academic scholarships to the children of Palestine.

07:56You have sent solidarity materials to Palestine.

08:02You have stand in full solidarity with the people of Palestine

08:06against what is happening to the people of Palestine.

08:10And I was very happy to know that Venezuela also have developed a working relationship

08:18with the president of Burkina Fassal, because when President Maduro visited Russia

08:26just a couple of weeks back, both presidents met.

08:31And I think that was a very important meeting,

08:35because Africa is right now boiling and the African society is moving in a progressive direction

08:43and we need to develop South-South relationships.

08:48And I think that Venezuela can lead that process for our region,

08:54because I remember when Venezuela led the process against the free trade areas of the Americas

09:00and created a space for our region against that agreement.

09:07And you created the Bolivarian Alternative.

09:11And then you created the Petro-Caribbean Agreement

09:14that would have benefited many of our Caribbean nations.

09:17So for me, the solidarity work from Venezuela is very, very important,

09:24especially for small nations in our Caribbean region,

09:28so that we are very happy to work with Venezuela.

09:33We are very happy for the work that Venezuela is doing in terms of solidarity with Africa, Asia, the Caribbean.

09:44And we are very happy with this kind of work, and it's very important work.

09:47So for our movement in Barbados, we stand in full support of the government, the people of Venezuela.

09:56And we are also happy to know that you can do that kind of solidarity work

10:02that can help the poor and powerless people of the world.

10:05Yeah, and something to, it's like common to ask, but the relations between Venezuela and Barbados?

10:16Well, so far I can say that, you know, that Venezuela and Barbados have very good relationships

10:22because Venezuela have an embassy in Barbados.

10:26Barbados have an embassy in Venezuela, so they're very good working relationships.

10:32Venezuela and Barbados have started some trade, you know, in the agriculture industry,

10:39so there's some trade relationship between Barbados and Venezuela.

10:42There's an airplane or travel arrangement between Barbados and Venezuela on Saturdays and Wednesdays

10:54where Conviesta visits Barbados and bring people from Barbados to Venezuela

10:59and then people from Venezuela to Barbados.

11:02So in terms of people-to-people contact and working relationship, that's a very good relationship.

11:08So for me, I think that there are very, very good relationships between the government

11:13and people of Barbados, you know, and Venezuela.

11:17And that's something very good.

11:19Well, with these last questions, we have come to the end of this interview, Mr. David,

11:26but we were glad to have you here in our program.

11:29Thank you very much.

11:30Thank you also, and I'm very happy to be here, you know.

11:33Well, we'll be back to La Havana, Cuba, with From the South and Luis Alberto Matos.

11:41We're back to you.

11:48Thank you, Ana, and of course, thank you to your special guest for all this information

11:52and all the inputs on this historical day that is going to happen tomorrow in Venezuela

11:56as Venezuelans would vote in these regional and legislative elections.

12:00Let's now take our first break.

12:02Remember, you can join us on TikTok at Tepesu English,

12:04where you'll find news in different formats, news updates, and much more.

12:09Stay with us.

12:22Bye.

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