If it is the head of his Bowling Club or the manager of the local football team, if the people who use the facilities are in a better position now than when they took over, he is a success.
When it comes to politicians he applies the same criteria, are the citizens of the country better off for having this particular person running things, if so then he can be deemed a success.
This brings me to the passing of Hugo Chavez, the President of Venezuela who died last week.
Between the time of his election in 1998 and his death in 2013, has the lot of the people he ruled over improved?
Under Chavez, Venezuelans’ quality of life improved according to the UN Index and the poverty rate fell from 54% when he took office to 29% in 2011 according to the U.N. Economic Commission for Latin America.
Using income derived from oil, minimum wages were increased sharply and Chavas created 'missions',
dedicated to improving access to health, education, social security, food and farming land for the poorest sectors of his society. Over 1 million Venezuelans now participate in free adult literacy classes, leading to Venezuela eradicating illiteracy by UN standards. Malnutrition related deaths fell by 50% during the Chavas Presidency but it wasn't just his own country that benefited from Chavas taking control of his own countries resources, he set up deals with his neighbours under a bartering scheme called Petrocaribe where cheap oil was provided in exchange for free medical care and subsidised food for the poor. Cuba received 90,000 barrels of oil a day in exchange for 40,000 Cuban medics and teachers.
Don't expect those who ignore what Chavez achieved during his time in power to applaud these impressive achievements but the rest of us can agree that he set about solving the problems of the most vulnerable in his society.
In 14 years he brought hope to millions of those who, without him, would have had nothing but more of the grinding poverty and despair of the previous Governments so at the end of his time, apllying my fathers crietria, was the lot of the people he ruled over improved?
I wonder just how willfully ignorant or ignorantly blind you have to be to claim it was anything but improved.
Well done Hugo, a life well lived.
8 comments:
Lucy, the loss of your files is a major tragedy as is the loss of Chavez.
Of course, Chavez was hated by the U.S. because he nationalized the oil industry and used the money to help his people. He also helped the people of other nations to reject the creeping cancer which is American imperialism.
The U.S. ensures that a tiny percentage of the rich ends up with most of the wealth which shows clearly what type of vulgar, greedy, warmongering lowlife they are.
Take care!
75% of what i lost i can get again but i'm gutted over losing some written things i won't see anymore.
Chavez was a thorn in the side of the people who say that Capitalism is the only show in town, it isn't and Socialism was working very well there and the Capitalists hated that. Hope that what Chavez started will continue and the Americans and the West won't slide back in and the gains the people made under Hugo are slid away again.
He helped a lot of people - enough said. A success in my book and there are not many politicians who can boast that after they leave office.
David, i have noticed that my comments at your site have not been appearing for a while, not sure if it is something i am doing wrong or if they are going into the junk folder as some do here and i have to go fishing them out later.
Chavez rode oil his entire time in office. Run the numbers at $30/barrel oil and see how well Venezuela would have done during his term.
And not only did he solidify Venezuela as a petrostate, he grossly mismanaged its national oil company by politically discriminatory hiring and ravenous capital consumption. I feel bad for the poor blokes who run Venezuela in 5-10 years who will get compared to Chavez as if they were competing on even terms.
All and all Chavez went out a bit like Elvis, just after he started getting fat and weird but not so long after that folks don't mainly remember him for his younger days.
Nog and Keep Life Simple would be the willfully ignorant or ignorantly blind part satisfied then.
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