Margaret Thatcher once famously said, “The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.”
Hugo Chávez, Venezuela’s former president, personified socialism. And South Africa’s own EFF, led by the infamous Julius Malema devoutly follow Chávez’ policies. They’ve even adopted the red berets worn by Chávez and his followers.
“So, what lessons can South Africa learn from Venezuela, and Chávez’s presidency?” Ambassador Malcolm Ferguson asked the packed seminar at University of Johannesburg on 12 May. Ferguson was presenting a talk entitled The Red Berets of Chávez: Lessons for South Africa.
Ferguson was formerly South African ambassador to Israel; later he performed his ambassadorial duties in South America and acted as the former Chief Director of the Middle East foreign service before retiring.
“No party in South Africa can win an election without addressing poverty and inequality,” he said emphatically.
“It’s much like the situation in Venezuela.”
Chávez changed the face of debate in Venezuela forever as the first president to exclusively dedicate his rule for the benefit of the poor. And under his reign the living standards of millions were raised, thanks to his strong emphasis on healthcare and specifically, on education.
There seemed to be a of lot of positives in the Chávez-led government, particularly at the time of his rule. Infant mortality rates fell, poverty was reduced by a staggering 20.8 percent and the easy access to education meant that living standards for millions rose dramatically.
“So why is Chávez’s government intensely criticised now?” Ferguson asked. “The truth is, he had seriously negative consequences for Venezuela. The country now boasts one of the highest crime rates in the world. Social unrest is prevalent. The economy is dramatically diminished due to over-reliance on oil, and Venezuela’s national debt has soared. Plus, the inflation rate there is now the highest in the world and the country has a severe drug problem.” Chávez’s rule was characterised by short-term redistribution and spending, rather than on long-term growth and investment.
His rule was dictatorial – he decimated the independent media, arrested judges who did not comply with his requirements and shut down trade unions. Anyone opposing him was seen as an enemy of the state.
So, what can South Africa learn from this example? “The big advantage South Africa has as a country is that it does not have enormous amounts of oil reserves,” Ferguson explained.
“We can’t become dependent on that. However, South Africa’s biggest challenge is education. It’s imperative that our education standards have to rise. If a teacher doesn’t have high status in society, it’s hard to attract the best people to educate our children.”
“We should learn from the Chávez government,” Ferguson warned.
“We cannot promote more division in our country.”
