Is the President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, a populist?
Michel Collon. Huge well-worn subject! As soon as someone shakes up the habits of people, all of the media tries to label that person suggesting that there is then no need anymore for people to think about the problems and the conflicts of interest involved. What does “populist” actually mean? Someone who flatters the people, making promises one cannot keep. In my opinion, this definition suits Sarkozy and the other European leaders better. They make promises while knowing they will not keep them. And Chavez did keep his promises? Michel Collon. When he took office in 1999, two Venezuelans out of every three had never seen a physician in their entire life. Since then, “Chavez the populist”, with the assistance of Cuban physicians, did organize medical centers. Not only for the poor suburbs of Caracas but also for the countryside and even the most remote regions of both the Andes and Amazon. He also eliminated illiteracy. In less than two years, 1.5 billion people learned how to read an
