Most people
will shrug their shoulders when they hear that President Chavez has died. That
is because they have been sucked in by Western Media reports about how Chavez
was ‘ruining’ Venezuela and that he was responsible for the curtailing of
freedom in his country. The rich most certainly had less reason to love this
populist leader. They still have a great deal of influence in this South
American country and they are gathering their forces for a U-turn in Venezuelan
politics.
The poor and
many middle class citizens had much to thank him for, in the form of a fairer
economy, with a rise in the living standards for those at the bottom along with
increased hope for a better future. He had many enemies who fought hard to return
to the ‘good old days’ of rampant corruption and grinding poverty for a large section
of Venezuelan people. The poor are going to miss him and now they will see a
possible return of the industrialists and their cohorts. Much of what Chavez
had accomplished is in danger of being overturned.
His opponents
at the last election will come out swinging and a campaign of fear will be
mounted to return the establishment to their ‘rightful’ place. We shall all
look back at Chavez’s time in office’ some with anger but many with a feeling
that ‘just this once,’ the ordinary people of Venezuela had hope for a while.
Call it ‘class
warfare’ if you lost out but maybe it was something different---a chance to
create a more decent society, albeit one that did not suit the ‘old guard.’ I
can hear them rubbing their hands with glee, from way down in the South Pacific.
You will be missed, Mr President.
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