The global political left now has a void with the passing of Venezuela’s populist and revolutionary President Hugo Chavez, as he was a major player of the revival of the South American leftist and anti-imperialist movement.
He was very instrumental in opposing the traditional dominance of the U.S. in Latin America as his staunch nationalism inspired most of the leaders in this hemisphere. But it was not just his staunch nationalism which inspired other Latin American leaders as he also gave tremendous material and diplomatic support to other countries in the true Bolivarian tradition.

But what made Hugo Chavez the kind of political leader he became? First of all, he was born Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias in 1954 in Saboneta, a village in the grasslands of Venezuela’s west into a poor and rapidly growing family which could not manage on a rural teacher’s small salary, and so Hugo and his older brother went to live with their grandmother, Rosa Ines Chavez. She would be a huge influence in his life.
Secondly, he grew up in a Venezuela that was transitioning from a past of dictatorships to one in which the dominant political parties ruled the country under a formal power-sharing agreement regardless of how Venezuelans voted.
Corruption and austerity measures were leading to increased dissatisfaction with the government. A newspaper poll in January 1992 found 81 per cent of respondents had no faith in the government.
The country grew increasingly corrupt, while generating increasing oil revenue from its vast reserves. Despite the country’s oil wealth, most Venezuelans struggled to get by. This perhaps was responsible for his radical political outlook.
Chavez was first exposed to radical ideas during high school, after moving to the state capital with his grandmother and brother so the boys could attend a high school.
After his failed coup, Chavez began to speak publicly about corruption, poverty and injustice. “The crisis is so deep, the gangrene is so profound, as Bolivar used to say, that it can’t be cured by palliatives,” he told a rally in 1994. “The only way is revolution.”
In 1998, Chavez was elected president with 56 per cent of the vote.
During Chavez’s first year in office, Venezuela benefited from skyrocketing oil prices. A constituent assembly rewrote the constitution in a radical new direction advocated by Chavez. It also centralised more power in the presidency and lengthened term limits. Once the draft was overwhelmingly approved in a referendum, Chavez’s Bolivarian revolution was underway.
That revolution could be described as part socialism, part Latin American anti-imperialism and solidarity, and part Chavez’s own personality.
Ever since he became President he began working towards addressing the plight of the poor and downtrodden Venezuelans and this obviously angered the wealthy and privileged class and their external friends in Europe and North America.
The ruthless exploitation of Venezuelan resources by American companies was brought to an end, and the wealth accrued from ending this exploitation was used to improve the lives of the poor.
Consequently, the local reactionaries in collaboration with their foreign lackeys began to work methodically and persistently to undermine and remove Chavez’s government. But instead, he became increasingly popular because of the tremendous improvement of the lives of the poor under his watch.
Unfortunately, his health failed him at a crucial time as he was at the crossroads in truly making a difference for the poor.
From our country’s standpoint, he extended a hand of friendship. As President Donald Ramotar noted, he was a great friend of ours and during his presidency he sought to promote harmony and solidarity between our two nations.
It is now left to those who take the reins of government in Venezuela to carry on the legacy of Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias. Adios Chavez!