Robin Hood of the Poor in Venezuela

Hugo Chávez - Angel or Devil

On the foreign affairs stage, he appears together with Castro, hugs with Gaddafi and Syrian president Assad, and special affinity is grown towards their 'brother', Iran president Ahmadinejad. Due to the above mentioned and despite the fact that he was elected in democratic elections, the United States of America do not hesitate to call him caudillo or tropical dictator, marking Venezuela as the bastion of tyranny


By GORAN MANOJLOVIĆ
from Belgrade, SERBIA


Revolutionary fever called "Hugo Chávez" does not stop shaking and spreading around the globe. He is at the same time the most loved and the most hated man of Latin America, but what can be said with certainty is that his appearance leaves no one indifferent. His portraits are present in favelas in Brazil, shantytowns in La Paz, and, above all, in barrios - poor suburbs of Caracas. Chávez has become protector of and hope for the poor across Latin America and a nightmare for the American administration.

His critics accuse him of being a populist, demagogue and autocrat. However, everybody agrees that he is exceptionally charismatic man. Who is he? How he obtained power? What is his goal? What is his programme?

They call him Robin Hood of the poor in Venezuela, they welcome him in 'barrios' as prophet whom they have unconditionally trusted for eight years already. He says that he is not a communist; however, for years now he has openly supported Fidel Castro. Many even call him Castro's successor.

He was elected president in democratic election in 1998 in the tide of discontent of the poor, and has been re-elected two times since, with the largest number of popular votes that a president in Latin America has ever obtained. He does not build his popularity on his charisma, but on positive results of "Bolivarian Revolution". Promises made in pre-elections have been fulfilled, one by one. Quick steps have been taken to uproot illiteracy - in three years' time three million people learnt how to read and write. Health care was made free of charge. He has implemented strong agricultural policy, rooted out latifundia that he considered to be the biggest problem of modern Venezuela, and relocated land to the poor farmers. All these measures have improved the lifestyle of poorer layers of the population. However, middle and upper class accuse him of social apartheid and power centralization. His response is short "This is not the rule of Chávez, but the rule of people".

All these reforms have been executed owing to vast oil wealth in Venezuela that has been estimated at several billion dollars worth, with its reserves surpassing those in Saudi Arabia.

On the foreign affairs stage, he appears together with Castro, hugs with Gaddafi and Syrian president Assad, and special affinity is grown towards their 'brother', Iran president Ahmadinejad. Due to the above mentioned and despite the fact that he was elected in democratic elections, the United States of America do not hesitate to call him caudillo or tropical dictator, marking Venezuela as the bastion of tyranny. The U.S. fear of Chávez goes to those lengths that Bush's friend, father Pat Robertson publicly proposes his elimination. "...he represents great danger and, being in the sphere of our influence, we cannot let him operate, we have the means to eliminate him and I think that the time has come to do that ..."

Hugo Chávez, either we love him or hate him, is he devil or angel? As a young boy, he dreamt about America, he wanted to play baseball there one day, to become the stadium God. He did not become the stadium God, but he has become the God and hope for many. When mentioning their president, the poor do it with great affection, because they are not hungry any more. The poor Venezuelan youth attends Chávez's public schools, where they are taught the ideas of "Chávez's Bolivarian" revolution.



The life and works of Simon Bolivar have played a crucial role in education of young Hugo. Simon Bolivar, called "the Liberator", the man who freed the greatest part of Latin America from Spanish colonial power, represented a role model to Chávez, who was, together with other Venezuelans, raised on their lyrics and fed with the idea of united Latin America.

The influence of Bolivar on Hugo Chávez can be best shown in the act of renaming the Republic of Venezuela into Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the peaceful revolution into "Bolivarian Revolution" by the 1999 Venezuelan Constitution.

In the year 1971, he leaves his hometown Sabaneta and comes to Caracas to attend military academy and at that time he perceives the great gap between the rich and the poor. As a young cadet he attends the inaugural service of president Perez, and that is when Chávez writes in his diary "One day I will carry the burden of the state on my shoulders".

Social rebellion arose in 1989, which turned into uncontrolled violence and had, as a consequence, 300 people killed officially, and three times more unofficially. At that time it was clear that the country fell into deep structural and economic crisis. This event triggered him into action. In the night of February 4, 1992, he led the coup attempt of young officers who were not satisfied with the results of neo-liberal reforms executed by Perez's government. Chávez was arrested and sentenced to prison.

"Surrender your weapons my friends, we have been defeated for now (por ahora)", this sentence became legendary. This "for now" becomes a byword for Chávez's sympathisers in Venezuela. He was pardoned after two years, and again, continued his fight. In 1998 an army officer Chávez put aside his guns in order to take an oath. He was elected president in a legitimate and democratic election. His wish came true in "this revolution being pacifist, neither communist nor anti-capitalist" says Chávez; however, many call it "Chávist".

Chávez certainly owes his enormous popularity in Venezuela to his appearance in the most popular TV show called "Alo Presidente!" which can last up to six hours. The president gives a show in full sense of the word - sings, recites, gives history lessons, answers the questions of citizens, even removes the government ministers and officials from office. "Out! Thank you very much for your services Huan Fernandez, you are dismissed from your office! Out!"

His autocratic behaviour causes more and more dissatisfaction and demonstrations every year. When Chávez tried to change the management structure of the state oil company "Petroles de Venezuela" on April 11, 2002, huge riots broke out supported by his political opponents, unions and catholic church. In the fights between Chávez's supporters and his opposition, 17 people lost their lives and several hundreds were hurt. Chávez was arrested again, and Pedro Carmona, the union leader, was announced president. The U.S. momentarily congratulated new president on his victory. New president instantly absolved the National Assembly, Supreme Court of Justice and other institutions in an attempt to abolish, by the immediate procedure, state structures that had been previously established by Chávez.

Within 48 hours, Chávez returned to power with the help of his supporters. He then accused the U.S. and George Bush to have stood behind the failed attempt at coup and has, ever since then, seen the U.S. leader as his personal enemy. Afterwards, he became the epitome of anti-imperialism, anti-capitalism and altermondialism.

"I am a revolutionary, more determined with each day, because I become more and more convinced that the revolution is the only way we can break the capitalism, there is no other way!" His aim is creating multipolar world that would counter the United States of America. In order to achieve this, he creates friendships all around the world, in Bolivia, Ecuador, he has power allies such as president of Brazil, Lula, or president of Argentina, Kirchner.

Chávez may go overboard in his anti-Bush performances, like when, in November 2006 in New York, his sharp tongue cost Venezuela the United Nations Security Council membership: "the devil was here yesterday, and this place still reeks of sulphur" were the words which went around the globe in record time, because, for the first time, somebody plucked courage to openly criticize the president of the biggest world power.

It can be said that Chávez sees everything as either black or white, on local level as well. Those who do not support him, act against him. In 2004, his opponents succeeded in collecting sufficient number of signatures to force the early election of the president of the Republic, but to no avail. "El Presidente" won again and his revenge was ruthless. The list with over two million signatories was shown in public, which had cost many their positions and careers. Chávez again condemns "Those who put their signatures against me have to be known, because their names will be recorded in history!". Venezuela is a democratic country, but these recent events sound as a threat to democracy.

Venezuela is divided, middle and upper classes renounce him, but he is loved and unprecedented in barrios in Caracas.