RIP: Hugo Chavez

I was shocked and saddened to hear about the death of Hugo Chavez yesterday. The highly charismatic Venezuelan president died of a heart attack in Cuba after nearly two years battle with cancer. He was just 58 years of age.

Photo courtesy of Greenreport, Italy

I don't profess to being an expert on either Chavez or Venezuelan politics, but there is no denying that he was a game-changer in Latin American politics and that he was an iconic figure in the world. Chavez did much to raise the living standards of the poorest of Venezuelans, even if it was to the detriment of the country's economic growth, as his vociferous detractors (and haters) would often accuse him. Or so they say.

He no doubt had his flaws as both leader and person, but there are many, many reasons to mourn the passing of Hugo Chavez:

Because his 'Bolivar revolution' was at least an attempt at a better, more equitable life for Latin Americans

Because he changed the lives for millions of his nation's poorest in a region where the gulf between the haves and the have nots is so immense

Because he was born poor, rose to the top and tried to make a difference as a leader

Because he made the rich and the plutocrats in his country genuinely scared and angry

Because he gave socialism a modern, Latin face

Because he was the catalyst for leftist governments to sweep into power in countries like Bolivia and Ecuador, and even the leftish turn of Argentina

Because he nationalized key state enterprises, at a time when neo-liberalism reigns supreme for the Naked Emperor that it is

Because he survived an outrageous rightwing coup in 2002 against him - and came back stronger than ever

Because he stuck it to American imperialismo whenever he could - and that's good enough for me

Because leaders like this are so very rare

Because he was Hugo

I feel for the millions of poor and socially sensible Venezuelans who are in deep shock and mourning over the death of their Comandante. He changed many of their lives forever, so I can only imagine their terrible sense of loss with his death. For all those of us who yearn for a more just and equitable world, a world devoid of the crass and neo-liberalist casino capitalism that crushes the planet, and who felt and knew Chavez was on our side, we too have a sense of loss.

He will be missed - very missed.

RIP Hugo.