The following was written as a letter to a friend, but it also serves as a fair introduction to my initial impression of Chavez’s Bolivarian Socialism. It was written in response to questions surrounding the legitimacy of his so-called “revolution;” in response to questions that I still am unable to answer completely and with full confidence:
+ Is his anti-war stance enough to endear him to Western liberals?
+ Are his social programs real? Are they working?
+ Is his anti-imperialist rhetoric matched by truly populist policies?
I certainly don't have it all sorted out. My impression thus far is that Chavez’s social programs and work for the poor are almost entirely rhetoric, void of concrete action. While there are some new programs, it is uncertain how effective they are. The Venezuelan government has failed to release documentation on them making objective analysis very difficult. The only information that comes out about them is from Chavez himself in his weekly TV/radio show, Aló Presidente!
Chavez regularly speaks for three or fours hours on this program. Last week, he broke his own record by staying behind the microphone for longer than seven and a half hours! That length was quite an accomplishment even by his standards. He often has guests on the show and takes a handful of questions from those in attendance however the vast majority of program is dedicated to Chavez rambling on for hours about the news of the week, the evils of George W. Bush and the eminent danger of the Empire, and singing the praises of his friend and mentor Fidel Castro. He often literally breaks into song, recites poetry or tells jokes, usually cracking himself up quite a bit. He is very charming and it is easy to see how anyone used to being trampled on by the powers that be would be enchanted by him, especially given the opportunity to spend hours on end with him every Sunday afternoon and evening.
My sense, and that of many with whom I speak, is that he simply uses the poor to maintain power. For example, he has provided opportunities for some (albeit relatively few) of them to move up to heights of government employment never before possible. In 2003, he went so far as to fire 20,000 employees of the state oil company in order to free up some room for his supporters. The majority of those fired had signed in favor of a referendum to revoke his presidency. Those benefiting from such actions surely have reasons to support his administration. They probably have no choice but to do so.
Chavez has opened some clinics and subsidized some food markets in the barrios/rancheros, but is not creating opportunities for sustainable growth. In other words: no new jobs. There is a lot of temporary employment, but not with benefits, not with the potential to ascend in society. As far as I can tell, there are no new programs that amount to more than temporary hand-outs to secure political allegiance. Political patronage and cronyism are rampant. Yet, the obvious divide between the riches and poorest Venezuelans is widening, not narrowing. Pay-offs appear to be the name of the game, not social redistribution. People are paid to attend his TV show. People and are paid to attend his rallies. People are paid to paint murals dedicated to his cause. Those I know opposing Chavez have never been approached or paid to march in protest. I attended a march and rally in July in opposition to the shutting down of Venezuela’s mainstream RCTV Channel 2 because of its opposition to the government.
Believe me, I am very confused about it all (as are many others here) and I believe there is a way other than brute capitalism to serve the less fortunate among us, but it just doesn't look the one being attempted in Venezuela is such a way. It just seems like lies. What the lies are covering up exactly, I am as of yet unsure of.
The apparent disconnect between rhetoric and action is also compounded by the abundant and obvious corruption on multiple levels. This week, the big news is that a man aboard a government plane carrying an envoy to Argentina (from whom Chavez seems keen to purchase friendship these days) illegally carried US$800,000 into the country without declaration. An Argentine reporter unveiled the story and was immediately fired by his government. This is a particularly hard for the populace to take in light of the fact that there are strict currency controls in place here. Venezuelans are currently only permitted to purchase or trade for US$5,000 annually.
This, of course, is because the currency here (the Bolivar = Bs.) is only half as strong as the official rate suggests. In other words, for US$1 I can buy Bs.2000 officially or Bs.4000 on the black market. So, it's easy to imagine how one might game the system. Trade 2000 Bs. for $1 and turn around and trade that $1 for 4.000 Bs. That presents a pretty easy way to double your money, and you can be certain that those who are able (aka the wealthy) are doing just that. However, one can’t discuss corruption in Venezuela without mentioning crime. Criminals essentially have free reign on the streets here as they know they can simply pay-off the cops if they are got in the act. I have been told several horribly scary stories to illustrate this, so stay tuned.
In Venezuela today, inflation is at about twenty percent. Eggs, sugar and milk are relatively hard to come by. Domestic and international business investments are next to null. For most middle and upper class folks (and increasingly among the poor as public education improves), it is simply incomprehensible how this is possible in a country so rich with oil. Part of the shortage today is due to government shutdowns and takeover of private enterprises in those agricultural areas. Why? To what end? While it costs less than $2 to fill the tank of your car at the gas station, an average lunch costs $10 at the official rate. That’s a relatively expensive meal for people in almost any country. International travel has become almost unthinkable and home ownership is a dream most dare not even have. For whom is this socialist revolution fighting? It is unclear to me.
I do think that taxes have gone up, and certainly the middle and upper classes are more displeased about that than are the poor. But there's also a general feeling of disgust about what the money is being used for. While Chavez tours the world and offers to pays off the debts of Belarus (Europe's “last dictatorship”) and Argentina and sends oil to Cuba, Dominican Republic, Argentina and Bolivia (in exchange for doctors, hotel workers, runt cows and God knows what in Bolivia), the streets here are filthy, the central State university is falling into deep disrepair and the public school system is all but obsolete for all but the poorest of the poor. Raising taxes to improve social services is one thing (in fact one I support almost unconditionally), but those services simply aren't visible here today.
Another recent example is takeover of the trolly-car system (called Avila Magica) taking visitors to the top of the Avila (mountain separating Caracas from the Caribbean Sea). After rehabilitating the park from a state of total abandonment and with more than twenty years remaining on their contract with the government, Chavez reclaimed ownership last week. Why not just raise the taxes on it? Actions like this take place almost weekly and without warning or much explanation. There's a lot of "it's in the national interest" talk, which we are also familiar with in the US.
If Chavez really wants to help the less fortunate, why does he need to shut down media allowing dissent? There is absolutely no room for dissent here. Yes, some still exists, but lines not to be crossed are clearly visible. Do you want to lose your business? Do you want to have to provide the business licensing office with a green paper as well as a yellow one? Do you want to wait an additional year for your permit? Do you want your group to be uninvited to this year’s community celebration? No? Well, you’d better fall in line. The message is clear and pervasive. Chavez has even openly stated that media outlets who don't like the way things are going in Venezuela should leave the country. In addition, anyone within the government speaking out against Chavez is dismissed. Or as was the case with a high-ranking and outspoken official last year, killed (his death was of course blamed on the opposition). Earlier this month, Chavez let it be known that foreigners who speak out against the government are to be expelled. He who speaks the truth need not fear dialogue and discussion. So why is Chavez so opposed to a free exchange of ideas?
Chavez likes nothing more than to talk about the evil Empire and Bush. But Chavez and Bush have a great deal in common. They both understand that if you tell a lie enough times, it becomes the truth. Bush operated under that mantra in order to solidify support for the war. Chavez now does the same in order to shore up support for the revolution.
Perhaps what is most discouraging here is the ambivalence and social division—the polarization. The blue state-red state nonsense in the states looks like a pillow fight compared to the utter fracture in Venezuela. While almost every private conversation involves politics, a public forum for conversation and the discussion of alternatives no longer exists. You ever know who might be present, who might be from the other side, who might turn you in. Your husband might work for a public institution, and… well, he wants that raise this year, doesn’t he? How will you pay for the birth of your second child without your inflation adjustment? These threats and questions are real. But you won’t see them in the official records. They’ve all been fixed. It’s presented as if everything is working just perfectly here, as if this is democracy in its purest form. Chavez would have us believe that the power in Venezuela is truly in the hands of the people.
Therefore, my initial analysis is that the revolution is a fraud. Very astutely, Chavez presents a product the world is hungry for, and the uninformed left bought it without hesitation. In truth, Chavez is using a particularly polarized moment in the world’s political climate. It's clear to most that concessions need to be made by the industrialized world powers in order to make certain that everyone is fed. We have enough food after all. Agricultural subsidies in the US and Europe continue to starve farmers in many countries and barbaric immigration restrictions in many developed nations serve as justification for continued corruption and oppression in others. These issues are for the first time being revealed in a very clear way to enlightened Westerners as well as just about anybody with a television. We now all have to see the dying farmer on the evening news. That was not the case twenty years ago. That sight makes plain an immense divide separating the life of a starving farmer in Venezuela or Zimbabwe and the life of a middle-class family in Charlottesville, Virginia or Paris, France.
That divide understandably infuriates anybody with half-a-heart sitting at all left-of-center. It is only natural that we want an alternative. Chavez knows this and is using that rise in global anti-capitalist sentiment in order to shield the public from his very frightening power grab in Venezuela. If you thought the Republican Congress was out of control, just imagine an administration with complete control of the legislative, judicial and executive branches, as well as the military, the police, the electoral system and nearly all natural resources. Ladies and gentlemen, President Hugo Chavez has no one to answer to. No one.
It's time for the political left to stand-up and say enough is enough (yes, Sean Penn, I’m talking to you)! While we may desperately want a more equitable distribution of the world’s resources, the Chavez way is not the way. Venezuelan socialism is not French social democracy, and the Western liberal would do a much greater service to the Venezuelan people if they would pause in their celebration of Chavez’s Bush-bashing long enough to see the big picture.
An enemy of an enemy is not necessarily a friend.
