Opinion on the Left has been divided since the news broke on Tuesday evening that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez had died of cancer. We asked two of our writers to give their take on the legacy of Hugo Chavez, both for and against.
Opinion on the Left has been divided since the news broke on Tuesday evening that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez had died of cancer.
As we reported yesterday, Hugo Chavez divided opinion. To some he was a tyrannical caudillo, yet for others he represented a push back against American capitalism.
We asked two of our writers to give their take on the legacy of Hugo Chavez, both for and against.
Liberator – Reclaiming socialism for the 21st Century
Grahame Morris is Labour MP for Easington and chair of Labour Friends of Venezuela
Those seeking to use the death of President Hugo Chavez to bring into question the progressive legacy of his government seem to be struggling to answer two key points.
Firstly, why did the people of Venezuela elect him and his coalition of supporters time and time again in free and fair elections?
And secondly, why did all elements of the left in Latin America from Lula’s PT in Brazil through to Evo Morales of Bolivia hail Hugo Chavez and Venezuela as an inspiration?
The answer is simple. Against those who claimed “history was dead”, Hugo Chavez emerged at the turn of the century as the first elected President to challenge austerity which had devastated Latin America.
The current crisis in Europe pales by comparison with the devastation wrought in Venezuela.
From 1980 there were more than 20 years of falling incomes. GDP per head fell one third. By the mid 1990’s, the crisis meant poverty hit 70 per cent of the population were in poverty, and one in three Venezuelans lived on less than $2 per day.
By the time, Hugo Chavez was first elected in 1998 the majority of Venezuelan’s were poorer than they had been in 1960!
A great achievement of Chavez’s presidency was to reverse this decline and dramatically improve the lives of the overwhelming majority.
From the five million people lifted out of poverty, to the children receiving free school meals, to the 250,000 social houses built last year, the Venezuelan people’s living standards increased immeasurably.
Of course, there is no need to fear democracy when you are delivering for the overwhelming majority. That’s why last October’s presidential election was Venezuela’s 15th set of national elections since Hugo Chavez became President.
That is more elections than took place in the 40 years prior to Hugo Chávez being elected.
To those who imply – but never quite dare say – that Hugo Chavez only won because of fraud or even threats to the opposition, the rebuttal of former US President Jimmy Carter is the most powerful.
He said “the election process in Venezuela is the best in the world” and that Hugo Chavez has always won “fairly and squarely”.
Contrast this with the two decades before Hugo Chavez when thousands of people who protested against austerity were assassinated and disappeared. In 1989 a bloody massacre by state forces led to an estimated 3,000 dead. No such cases occurred in Chavez’s Venezuela.
This rejection of neo-liberalism is in contrast with the failed model of austerity that has sparked the labour movement’s increased interest in the progressive changes underway in Latin America. Venezuela is at the forefront of these changes and this is recognised in Latin America itself.
Lula, the former Brazilian President, best summed this up last year explaining that:
“Progressive governments are changing the face of Latin America. Thanks to them, our continent is developing rapidly, with economic growth, job creation, redistribution of wealth and social inclusion. Today, we are an international reference point for a successful alternative to neoliberalism.”
He added, specifically on Venezuela. “With Chavez’s leadership, the Venezuelan people has made extraordinary gains. The popular classes have never ever been treated with such respect, love and dignity. Those conquests must be preserved and strengthened.”
In short, support for Venezuela and for the wider progressive changes in Latin America are one and the same. All progressives around the world should echo Lula’s words and celebrate the progressive legacy of Hugo Chavez.
He put the idea of 21st Century Socialism – based on democracy and social progress – well and truly on the global political agenda.
Tyrant – Hugo Chavez: the case for the prosecution
Rob Marchant is an activist and former Labour Party manager
It is surprising just how flimsy the evidence for the defence is, so let’s do the cross-examination first.
There are a few things that tend to be said in support of Chávez, mostly disingenuous.
1. “He raised incomes for the poor”.
He did but, in the words of Nye Bevan, by “stuffing their mouths with gold”. Despite the claims of his supporters, Chávez was neither a clever Robin Hood redistributer via taxation, in the European style, nor an inspiring political genius.
Point is, gifted an endless supply of oil, you don’t need to be either. Franisco Toro explains the effect brilliantly in The New York Times.
He says: “Petrostates aren’t like normal countries, where governments depend on the people and the companies they tax to ensure a reasonable funding stream.
“Instead, they depend on the black goo they pump out of the ground, and in turn the people and the companies depend on them. The basic balance of power between the state and the individual is upended.
“To the average Venezuelan voter, access to the basics of a decent life means access to his or her little parcel of the petrostate pie.
“That this ends up giving the incumbent carte blanche to pursue policies that are wasteful, corrupt, authoritarian and sporadically downright criminal doesn’t necessarily register.”
Finally, as many have observed, Brazil and Chile have done better overall at lifting people out of poverty, and have experienced booming economies to boot.
2. “He won and maintained power through democracy”.
In fact, there were myriad doubts about the 2012 election, among others, which are discussed at length in this piece. Whatever the brilliance of his hi-tech voting system, elections are surprisingly easy to rig at simple polling station level (cf. Tower Hamlets, London).
If you don’t believe this kind of manipulation is possible, I suggest that you read point 9 of this piece, a chilling extract written by an EU observer at a Venezuela count who notes an irregularity. It makes things very, very clear indeed:
“There are 20 more votes in the machines than voters’ signatures…A little later, as I’m taking some time out in the corridor, my mobile phone rings and a voice I don’t recognise warns me to stop interfering in things that do not concern me.”
Oh, yes. Completely free. Undoubtedly fair.
3. “Venezuela has a robust free press”
It is robust, but it is certainly not free. Venezuela also has state TV propaganda stations, and has closed down some critical media outlets. Believers in free speech do neither of these things.
And now the prosecution: well, how long have you got?
Economic disaster: This oil-rich country is now an economic basket case, which has devalued its currency five times in nine years.
The scarcity of truth: From this classic “Chavez’ Three Lies” of three things which turned out to be exactly the opposite; to, even in death, the regime apparently pretending he was still conscious for nearly three months, right up until the point when this became untenable on Monday.
Curtailed freedom and human rights: The country is given five out of seven for Freedom House’ Freedom Index, the worst in South America. There are many examples of where it has been necessary to have a Chavista party card to access public services.
More 20th century USSR than “21st century socialism”.
Messing around with the constitution: The great democrat has regularly attempted to increase his constitutional power, and succeeded in 2009 in removing term limits. This tinkering is listed in point 8 of this piece.
Repression of trade unions: While encouraging Chavista unions, he has repressed members of non-Chavista unions. Many trade unionists have disappeared or been murdered.
Friend to monsters: Ahmadinejad, Assad, Lukashenko, Mugabe. The only man alive with a higher dictator-love index is surely his other friend, George Galloway.
Surge in violent crime: Tripling of murder rate under Chávez.
Why does the left persist in its insane, Stockholm-syndrome love for el Chavismo? Apart from the “my enemy’s enemy” maxim which we so often fall prey to, there is another: the insidious racism of low expectations.
These people deserve more. We do not know that much about Capriles but, with a little luck, perhaps he might just be the man to beat the twisted system and gain power. But doing so will be a supreme challenge, and the dice are well loaded against him.
To reach hundreds of thousands of new readers and to make the biggest impact we can in the next general election, we need to grow our donor base substantially.
That's why in 2024, we are seeking to generate 150 additional regular donors to support Left Foot Forward's work.
We still need another 124 people to donate to hit the target. You can help. Donate today.
87 Responses to “The Left Foot Forward Debate: Hugo Chavez, tyrant or liberator?”
Rob Marchant
Whataboutery. Are you defending Chávez’ friendships or aren’t you?
CrestovaWren
Why are there Chavez supporters like this MP in the Labour Party?
I mean, we rightly make a fuss about the Tories and their unsavoury links in Europe to Right Wing Poles? Well, here’s a man who was bosom buddies with and supporters of some of the worst tyrants in the world – including Assad, who he continued to support until the very end.
And no, this isn’t like the attempts of the international community to get Gaddafi to give up his nuclear weapons by appearing in photo opportunities with him. Chavez supported Assad, Mugabe, Ahmadinejad BECAUSE of the evil they did.
This tells you something important about a sickness in the Labour Party. I have lost count of the number of comrades with whom I knocked on doors at election time all the way through the 90s, who now basically think of the Labour Party as a bit like the BNP. That’s hyperbole, because the number of really extreme Labour MPs are few. But the numbers of MPs and activists who tolerate extremism is… well, its basically the whole of the Labour Party.
We can’t go on like this.
George
I don’t think Rob Marchant has done his case, such as it is, any favours. His article comes across a bit too ‘dodgy dossier’. The elections are free and fair, but Rob Marchant read a tweet or something once that says otherwise, so the whole process can be called into question. Poverty did decrease, but shock! This was done by using the country’s natural resources to expand public programmes (and what is wrong with that?). The economy is tanking, except – oh wait! – GDP growth is nearing 6%. If our economy was in this condition we’d be laughing.
The blinkered and ignorant will never accept it, but Chavez has been such an inspiration precisely because he combined policies of social justice, dramatically alleviating the quality of life of Venezuela’s considerable poor, with democracy.
Pete
There are some odd comments here. Former US President Jimmy Carter has described Venezuelan elections as “the best in the world”, and even the opposition – which previously launched a military coup and general strike – said the 2012 voting process was “satisfactory and it functions well and functions quickly”.
Let’s add it up. Under Chavez:
* the number of people on the electoral roll grew from 11m in 1998 to 19m
* most of the media remains controlled by opposition parties
* the 2011 “Latinobarometro” survey of Latin American views, showed Venezuela has the region’s highest support for democracy at 77% compared to an average of 58%.
* there have been 15 major elections on a national basis, of which Chavez and his allies won 14
Even if you don’t like they guy yourself, it’s hard to argue that he isn’t what the Venezuelan people keep asking for.
insidefilm
We lived in Venezuela for a year ( we have been back 3 years now)what we saw and experienced first hand when we were living there was a country where the poor and excluded were given access to free health care, free education,subsidised food and the opportunity to participate in building a fairer more equal society-the most amazing thing was the genuine love and affection in which Chavez was held by the people of Venezuela.It has become quite obvious that there is a determined effort to undermine his legacy and to foster ignorance and hostility but Chavez represented the possibility of political and social change and he will continue to inspire those who struggle for a world where people and not profit comes first.