Hugo Chavez’s left-wing socialist swing translates to crackdown on private property such as foreign oil company assets, as well as an ‘undisputed control of the three branches of government and windfall profits from the 2003-08 oil boom.’
As far as his promise to make life in Venezuela economically better, data show that all his bluster and bravado have been for naught. Venezuela is suffering from worsening chronic poverty with inflation at more than 30 percent. Ten years of Chavez and the oil-rich nation is on a ‘tragic economic collapse.’ His so-called revolution has hardly made a dent among his countrymen.
What is wrong with Hugo Chavez’s ten years in power is that his programs have not been sustainable and make only limited impact because these have been used for his political gains, and not for the fundamental welfare of Venezuelans. ‘The national wealth is not making it to those who need it most.’
But there are some that have become rich in Chavez’s Venezuela. They are called ‘Boligarchs.’ This is ‘the new elite born of Chavez’s Bolivarian Revolution, self-professed socialists with Hummers and yachts.’ This elite class is a showcase of the hypocrisy of Chavez’s socialism.
Chavez has declared that he will rule the country till 2050. He has already made appropriate changes in the national Constitution to assure him his plans. No wonder he ostentatiously supports ousted Honduran president Manuel Zelaya who also wanted to alter the Constitution to legalize his intended extension of term of office. With Chavez as mentor and ally, Zelaya just might be able to conquer Honduras again.
Via The Christian Science Monitor
