NEWS/BLOG

Chavez Wants More Power

Venezuela had been a country where both working and retired expats have felt welcome for decades. Great beaches, friendly people, cheap beer, cheap gasoline.... What more could anyone ask for?

Change is afoot. President Hugo Chavez, who was re-elected by a wide margin last month, claims he is committed to democracy, but he is now leaning toward authoritarianism. He has asked the National Assembly, which is entirely pro-Chavez, for “special powers which would enable him to enact laws by decree for a period of 18 months. The National Assembly will wait until next Tuesday to grant final approval.

The laws Chavez want to enact include nationalizing the Electricidad de Caracas and C.A. Nacional Telefonos de Venezuela (CANTV) the country’s largest publicly traded company. He also wants to increase taxes for Venezuela’s rich.

Some 400 to 500 protesters, blowing whistles and carrying flags, voiced their opposition in a peaceful protest in Caracas this week.. 

So what?  Nationalization is nothing new.  The Venezuelans will continue to be friendly and the beaches lovely.  Poor people will continue to benefit from the Democratically elected Chavez’ reforms and the rich will continue to bitch about Chavez.  In part this is because he is an “Indio”, dark-skinned and from the lower classes, not light-skinned and European in his appearance. In other words, not “one of us” to the rich.
The diplomatically disastrous Presiduncey of George W. Bush has inflamed relations with so many countries and Venezuela is but one of them. 

Once this moron and his NeoCon gang is out of office, we can hope that relations will improve with many countries, including Venezuela.  Until then you may find it a bit awkward going there, but worth the trip, nevertheless.

Hugo Chavez is not a Dictator, but a democratically elected and re-elected populist leader who has benefited the poor and reined in the wealthy oligarchy that previously held sway in Venezuela.  If the US State Department had not backed a botched coup against Hugo Chavez, we might have better relations now.  One cannot blame President Chavez for not being fond of George W. Bush, the man who tried to depose and assassinate him.

As for his friendship with Fidel Castro or his plans to bring a modern form of socialism to Venezuela, also I say “So what?” Many countries other than the US have normal diplomatic relationships with Cuba and only the US keeps up its mindless blockade, largely due to the political power of the right-wing Cuban voting bloc in Florida.  As for socialism, we have normal relations with China and with Sweden both very socialistic societies.

My advice for expats and visitors to Venezuela:  Look beyond Washington’s bluster under George W. Bush, already rated as one of our worst Presidents, with one diplomatic disaster after another.  Enjoy Venezuela and the Venezuelans when you go there.  If your friends there are rich you will probably hear endless griping about HC.  If your friends there are in the vast majority - middle or lower class on the economic scale - you will hear a more positive evaluation of HC.  It’s up to you who you choose to believe.