Venezuela needs a new generation of political leaders with strong moral character

The tragedy of Venezuela’s socialism

BY VICTOR MATA


The real crisis in Venezuela didn’t start with the late Hugo Chavez. He and President Nicolas Maduro, a dictator in truth, are the inevitable result of more than 40 years of stable economic development combined with a steadily eroding democratic political culture. The 21stCentury Socialism advanced by Chavez and now Maduro is the product of four decades of corruption and a bloated bureaucracy that advanced under a democratic system that has been subverted into totalitarianism.

Venezuela started it longest democratic period in 1958, after the overthrow of dictator Marcos Pérez Jiménez. Then, until 1998, the country was led by two left leaning political parties: the Social Democrats and the Social Christians. Venezuela sustained a strong democracy during that time, as demonstrated by that fact that its institutions, and the country’s executive branch, withstood several coup d'etat attempts. During this period of democracy, Venezuela built a strong economy; the fourth largest in the word by 1966 and the richest in Latin America by 1968. But this wealth was built on severe inequality. The political and business elite had forgotten the poorest and most unprotected citizens.

In 1998, the worst political crisis in recent times exploded. It was a protest against an unresponsive and corrupt administration and the unfair distribution of wealth. That crisis was evident in the electoral moment. Two of three presidential candidates came from the non-political world: Irene Sáez, a former Miss Universe, and a military man by the name of Hugo Chavez, who was from a poor family but displayed great charisma and leadership qualities. The third candidate was politician Henrique Salas Römer. Chavez’ electoral campaign in 1998 featured a strong populist theme and he campaigned on three points: first, Chavez said he represented a change for Venezuela -- something different for the country. Second, he whipped up the social resentment between the rich and the poor. He blamed rich people for the economic problems of poor people. Class warfare was his way to create a bond with most Venezuelans and get votes. Third, he promised to change the constitution and restructure other institutions because he said it was necessary to change the Venezuelan system and replace it with socialism.

...............

Read more: acton.org