Chavez rule not mourned

We shall not shed any crocodile tears over the departure from this life of Hugo Chavez, the all-but-dictator of Venezuela. After 14 years of bad government, the country — which by all rights should be a rich one — is poorer than when the strongman began his reign.

Life there is miserable, streets unrepaired and garbage uncollected, as Guardian correspondent Rory Carroll writes in his book about the Chavez years. That enraging combination of bureaucracy, inefficiency and insecurity that was characteristic of life in the old Soviet Union was replicated by the New Bolivar, and his influence may live on for some time.

We hope, even as his party continues to rule, that the United States will reach out to the government and people of the country as much as possible. This neighbor deserves a good neighbor, even if the transition from Chavez’s misrule takes a while.

Comments

1) Comment by InPVille - 08/03/2013

@Spudaroonski: Venezuela is highly dependent on oil revenues, which account for roughly 90% of export earnings, about 50% of the federal budget revenues, and around 30% of GDP. In recent years, President Hugo Chavez has been systematically increasing the government's control of the economy by nationalizing firms in the cement, steel, petroleum, communications, and electricity sectors. The 14 years during which President Chavez was in power has seen great improvements in the lives of the people of Venezuela -[**]- "We must inform the nation that 2011 will end as the the most violent year in the nation's history," the Venezuela Violence Observatory (OVV) said in a news release. -[parag]- Its figures - based on research by several Venezuelan universities - suggest that in 2011 Venezuela had a murder rate of 67 per 100,000 inhabitants." It was about 25 per 100,000 before Chavez.: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-16349118 -[**]- currency devalued 66% since Chavez assumed power in Venezuela: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/11/venezuela-currency-devaluation-impacts-idUSL1N0BB5PV20130211 -[**]- water rationing & power outages: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8467339.stm -[**]- Food Shortages: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4599260.stm -[**]- Venezuela Inflation rate at 27.6% in the highest in all of Latin America: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/05/venezuela-annual-inflation-rose-2012_n_1187462.html -[**]- I guess you are correct. How could things be any better there???

2) Comment by bourbon-soda - 08/03/2013

"It is a general popular error to suppose the loudest complainers for the public to be the most anxious for its welfare." - Edmund Burke, 1729-97

3) Comment by [e-mail] - 08/03/2013

Venezuela got poorer while the Chavez family became billionaires; funny how it always works that way for dictators who claim that they are doing it all "for the people". Every dictator, every time.

4) Comment by bourbon-soda - 08/03/2013

Did Obama finish the book yet? Search "obama-chavez handshake reuters" and select hit << uk.reuters.com/article/2009/04/20/us- obama-handshake-analysis-idUKTRE53J6EK20090420 >>

5) Comment by jdk944 - 08/03/2013

@spud - I'll listen to the words of Native Venezuelan's, who now live in the US, on this issue. They HARDLY "trumphet" what you state. Oh, you mean the same Dictator who increased the government's control over those oil companies?? The one supported by Cuba with some 40,000 Doctors as, quid pro quo for heavily subsidized oil? Fuel prices in Venezuela are the cheapest in the world at about 18 cents a gallon. But all this does is pander favor from the Venezuelan people, but in a highly inefficient fashion. After all, these heavy subsidies mean domestic oil consumption has risen from 36% to 47% of the total energy mix in the last decade, which has created a scenario where Venezuela has less oil to sell into the global market due to higher domestic demand. Not only does this mean less government revenues, but due to the lack of investment in domestic refining capacity, for every ten barrels it sells to the US, it now has to import two barrels of refined product…at a higher price.

6) Comment by Spudaroonski - 08/03/2013

Let's see, in Venezuela extreme poverty has dropped from nearly a quarter to 8.6 per cent last year; unemployment has halved; and GDP per capita has more than doubled. Oil exports have increased from $14.4bn to $60bn in 2011. The fact is the rich hated him and the poor loved him. He was their legally, democratically elected leader but since he wouldn't bend to the will of Washington he was vilified here. Cheer up though because I'm sure we'll try and prop up a new Venezuelan leader who will be more pliable and allow our corporations to go in and exploit their natural resources (OIL) for our benefit not theirs. Good neighbor? Please.