Maduro: Venezuela was a colony of the gringo oil multinationals

The acting president and candidate for the April 14 elections for the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), Nicolás Maduro, said that "Venezuela, for nearly a century, was a colony of the gringo oil multinationals." He added that the country was looted by companies and by the bourgeoisie that "stole the money" from oil revenues.

During an inspection of the Orinoco Oil Belt in Monagas state, east Venezuela, Maduro said that corporations "used to exploit workers and discriminated against Venezuelans." In this regard, he said he was confident that workers would defend the oil sector "with their own lives" if "the bourgeoisie tries to privatize it someday."

Maduro stressed, "When we say that the oil belt holds the world's largest reserves, we say (Liberator Simón) Bolívar is alive." In this regard, he added, "In order to speak about Bolívar, we have to talk about Chávez because he brought him (Bolívar) to the 21st Century, because he (Chávez) turned him (Bolívar) into working women and working men."

Maduro swore allegiance to Chávez and the working class, particularly oil workers. "I have the legacy of Chávez. I assure you that we will come in 2, 4, or 6 years, and we will ascertain that you, working men and women, have built an energy power at the Orinoco Oil Belt," he said.