Lagniappe
Gustavo Coronel:
Hugo
Chávez urgently requests
The government news agency, ABN, recently reported an urgent plea
by Hugo Chávez for the creation of a Venezuelan Anti-Corruption
Commission. The Venezuelan dictator claims that such a new group
is required to "support the fight against corruption, inefficiency
and bureaucracy." The National Assembly should put the group
together, says the dictator, adding that this commission would
be given "a helicopter, security and transportation"
and all the other necessary means to do their job. "They
should denounce all who should be denounced," he cried.
Eight years ago Hugo Chávez won the presidency
of Venezuela on the strength of his promise to eradicate corruption.
The popular frustration that led to his victory was due to the
long standing problems Venezuelan society had been experiencing
due to mismanagement and corruption in government.
It is hard to understand, therefore, that his
urgent plea to do something about this Venezuelan main malady
would only come in the eighth year of his presidency. During these
eight years the fight against Venezuelan corruption has simply
not existed. This fight should have started immediately after
his coming into power and could have been extremely successful
if it had been based on example rather than on rhetoric. In the
traditional Venezuelan homes education has never been done by
preaching but by example. If children are to learn how to eat
properly they should watch how their parents sit and behave at
the table and how they use the cutlery. It is of no value to them
to be given a book on manners if they see their parents eating
like cave persons. Collective behavior about corruption follows
similar rules. If the leader and his collaborators do not live
their lives in a transparent manner, if they do not teach integrity
and honesty by example, their preaching will largely go unheeded.
In their eight years of progressively authoritarian
rule, Hugo Chávez and his collaborators have set numerous
examples of nepotism, abuse of power, illicit use of Venezuelan
government funds, violations of the rule of law and overall disdain
for civilized government practices. The people of Venezuela cannot
possibly use these examples as valid lessons in civic decency
and transparency.
Take the case of the petroleum income received
by the country, estimated between US$185 and 220 billion during
this time. The utilization of this significant amount of money
remains largely unaccounted for in a country where bridges and
roads have collapsed and hospitals lack the most essential equipment
and medicines to serve the people. Close to $30 billion of this
money has been given away or promised by Chávez to foreign
governments and political groups, in exchange for their loyalty
and support in international organizations such as the OAS and
the United Nations. Some $5 billion have been used to buy weapons,
including thousands of rifles that have been partly put in the
hands of the Venezuelan youth. Much of the money has been diverted
from its proper use in the petroleum company to ill-planned social
programs designed for maximum propaganda value that do not solve
the long term, deep seated needs of the Venezuelan people.
Or take the manner in which all government institutions
have been put to work for a man and no longer represent the people
of Venezuela. Chávez has led the politicization of both
the armed forces and of the state petroleum company. Last February
4th, Chávez presided over a military parade in commemoration
of the anniversary of his bloody, failed 1992 coup against democratic
president Carlos Andres Perez. This use of the armed forces for
partisan political purposes clearly violated the Constitution
and the laws that regulate the Venezuelan military institutions.
Last November, he and the minister of Mines and Hydrocarbons publicly
said that all employees of the state-owned petroleum company should
go to vote for his presidential candidacy, threatening dissenters
with dismissal.
Equally reprehensible has been the manner in which
scores of high-level bureaucrats have been sacking the national
treasury. A new class of rich has emerged from the ranks of the
revolution. A report I wrote last November, published by the CATO
Institute, Corruption, Mismanagement, and Abuse of Power in Hugo
Chávez's Venezuela, describes in detail how the Chávez
government has simply replaced an old elite of corrupt bureaucrats
with a new one. This hyper-corruption has placed Venezuela among
the 10 most corrupt countries in the world according to Transparency
International's latest ranking.
Chávez has been directly responsible for
acts of corruption. His presidential campaign took contributions
of $1.5 million, both for the presidential campaign and for political
activities carried out after he had been elected, from Spanish
bank BBVA, in clear violation of Venezuelan laws. He ordered the
acquisition of a $65 million presidential airplane without budgetary
provisions. He raided the Venezuelan Central Bank's international
reserves, taking billions of dollars of those reserves to be used
for current government expenditures.
Chávez ambassadors in four Latin American
countries: Mexico, Peru, Chile and Argentina have been asked to
leave for engaging in illegal political activities, and one was
almost declared persona non grata by the Bolivian Congress.
Due to these and many other acts of financial,
management and political corruption it seems highly hypocritical
of Hugo Chávez to be asking, at this stage, for the structuring
of an Anti-Corruption Commission, one that will most certainly
be staffed with his unconditional followers and used for political
propaganda purposes.
By engaging in a massive policy of handouts which
give people an illusory and temporary sense of bonanza, including
subsidized food and very low quality but free basic medical attention
and education, Chávez still attracts many followers inside
Venezuela, willing to exchange freedom and democracy for food
on the table. However, this paid-for loyalty will only last as
long as he has enough money to fulfill increasing popular expectations.
Meanwhile, no structural or well-planned programs to combat poverty
and to create self-starting citizens are being put in place.
Gustavo Coronel
is a 28 years oil industry veteran, a member of the first board
of directors (1975-1979) of Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), author
of several books. At the present Coronel is Petroleumworld associate
editor and advisor on the opinion and editorial content of Petroleumworld.
Petroleumworld not necessarily share these views.
Editor's
Note: All comments posted and published on Petroleumworld, do
not reflect either for or against the opinion expressed in the
comment as an endorsement of Petroleumworld. All comments expressed
are private comments and do not necessary reflect the view of
this website. All comments are posted and published without liability
to Petroleumworld.
Fair
use Notice: This site contains copyrighted material the use of
which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright
owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to
advance understanding of issues of environmental and humanitarian
significance. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any
such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the
US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107.
For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml.
All
works published by Petroleumworld are in accordance with Title
17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit
to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the
included information for research and educational purposes. Petroleumworld
has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article
nor is Petroleumworld endorsed or sponsored by the originator.
Petroleumworld encourages persons to reproduce, reprint, or broadcast
Petroleumworld articles provided that any such reproduction identify
the original source, http://www.petroleumworld.com or else and
it is done within the fair use as provided for in section 107
of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use copyrighted material
from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use',
you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
Internet
web links to http://www.petroleumworld.com are appreciated.
Petroleumworld
News 02/12/07
Copyright©2006
Gustavo Coronel.
All rights reserved
Send
this story to a friend
Your
feedback is important to us!
We invite all our readers to share with us
their views and comments about this article.
Write
to editor@petroleumworld.com
Any
question or suggestions, please write to:
editor@petroleumworld.com
Best
Viewed with IE 5.01+
Windows NT 4.0, '95, '98 and ME +/ 800x600 pixels
