Venezuela's President Chavez still commands strong support among poor http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20021226/ap_wo_en_po/la_gen_ve nezuela_supporting_chavez_1
By STEPHEN IXER, Associated Press Writer CARACAS, Venezuela - Gasoline pumps have almost dried up and staple food stocks in many places are dwindling, but President Hugo Chavez still commands broad support, especially among Venezuela's majority poor. Chavez's foes launched a general strike on Dec. 2 to force him to resign or allow early elections, before a possible recall vote in August. They are betting that strangling Venezuela's oil-dependent economy will motivate Venezuelans to demand his resignation or force a vote. But millions of people, especially among Venezuela's poor and working class, insist they won't allow a return of the two-party system that Chavez displaced in 1999. "He can't leave us. It would be terrible," says Beatriz Nunez, 51, a Caracas storekeeper who has ignored the strike led by organized labor, business leaders, civic groups and many private media. Nunez was among those who elected Chavez to power by a landslide in 1998 and re-elected him in 2000. They still see the former paratrooper as their only hope for change in a country where vast oil riches have failed to reach the masses. An estimated 80 percent of Venezuelan's 24 million people live in poverty. Chavez campaigned on a promise to eradicate a corrupt 40-year-old democratic system that rewarded loyalists and shortchanged the poor. As he tries to do so, through land reform and other programs, his popularity has dropped, especially among the upper classes who revile him. Chronic political instability and poor management - Chavez has seen dozens of Cabinet changes - led Venezuela's economy to shrink 6 percent in the first nine months of 2002. Inflation reached 30 percent and unemployment 17 percent. Half the work force is in the informal sector. Outside many districts of Caracas, crowds still clutch portraits of Chavez, wear imitations of his trademark red beret and regularly gather at his public appearances. Many plead with him personally to solve their economic problems. Others are content just to see or touch him. "They know he is their last hope. It's Chavez or a return to the old politics, which were 40 years of failure," says Guillermo Garcia Ponce, a leading ideologue of Chavez's "Bolivarian Revolution." Few among the opposition are reaching out to these people. Moreover, Chavez has won strong loyalty pledges from top military brass in recent weeks, though he did purge dozens of officers after a brief April coup. Chavez's approval rating stands at about 30 percent, according to a November poll by private pollster Datanalisis. Among the poor shanty towns ringing Caracas, his popularity is as high as 45 percent. Few polls are conducted in the countryside, where public works programs abound. Chavez has introduced social development programs, but results have been mixed. The high-profile Plan Bolivar 2000 ended in failure and a flurry of accusations of misspent money. Plan Bolivar 2000 employed soldiers and civilians across Venezuela to build roads, administer healthcare and repair schools for the poor. The project bombed after its coordinator, an army general, was dismissed amid corruption allegations. Other projects have been more successful. "People's banks" give credit priority to rural farmers and small enterprises traditionally excluded from the commercial banking system. Roaming people's pharmacies and medical clinics offer cut-rate prices or free services. Hundreds of patients have been flown free of charge to Cuba for medical treatment. The government has sponsored several "community" radio stations where residents have a say in their communities. Chavez became a popular hero after leading a failed military coup in 1992. Imprisoned for two years, he began an alternative political movement, named MBR-200, which pledged to do away with the political status quo. He recruited former guerrilla leaders and a swath of politicians from left and center to style his project. Chavez's most radical support is organized in hundreds of so-called Bolivarian Circles - neighborhood groups coordinated by the government that perform grass roots social projects. Critics call them a civilian militia, alleging they instigate violent attacks against the political opposition. But most Chavez supporters are far from radical, unified by a desire to change the country and willing to patiently wait for results. "Chavez talks sense," said William Di Pietro, 44, an unemployed computer technician. "He's a change from the past but there's still a long way to go. This thing could take decades." Chavez knows that and repeatedly tells his followers - every Sunday, on his "Hello President" TV and radio talk show - that change takes time. He's called the years 2000-2010 a "decade of silver" for Venezuelans. The years 2011-2021 - when the 48-year-old Chavez, despite efforts to oust him, envisions hanging up his gloves - promise a "decade of gold." ------------------------------------------- Macdonald Stainsby http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/rad-green http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/leninist-international -- In the contradiction lies the hope. --Bertholt Brecht _______________________________________________ Leninist-International mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/leninist-international
