This column, by Munno Bhai in Urdu, was published in the Daily Jang in the 7 largest cities of Pakistan on January 12. Its estimated circulation was more than one million and many more people read it. There was an enormous response and there were hundreds of congratulatory phone calls made to Munno Bhai for writing this column.
It can be imagined that right below the southern border, of the only superpower, after tolerating the offence of naming Venezuela as the " Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela" now they have to face the agony of the country being named as the " Socialist Republic of Venezuela".
How intolerable this would be for the imperialists. It is definite that for the saviors and stalwarts of world capitalism this incident would be more worrisome than the destruction of the world trade centre in Manhattan, New York. After winning another six year presidential term in the December 3rd elections, Hugo Chavez before taking the oath created the United Socialist Party and then announced he would transform the country into a Socialist Republic. He has also announced the implementation of the socialist economy and the nationalization of Telephone, Communication, Electricity, power companies and the other main sectors of the economy.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union the only superpower with a colossal military might has been challenged by the former army commander Hugo Chavez. He said that in 1998 3.6 million and in 2006 7.3 millions people did not vote for Hugo Chavez but for socialism and socialist economy. Hence, said Chavez, it is not just my task that I am indebted to provide the masses with free education, health, electricity, housing and an honorable life.
The Venezuelan economy is dependent on oil and the United States, after Saudi Arabia and Iraq, buys most of its oil. Through the left-wing policies of Hugo Chavez Venezuela has achieved one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Its economic growth has been in double figures in the last five years. One glimpse of Chavez's policies can be seen in the sector of health provision.
In exchange for supplying 10,000 barrels per day to Cuba, Venezuela has acquired the services of 25,000 Cuban doctors who are working in the urban slums and villages with as many new hospitals opened up.
With the pleasant memories of the Cuban doctors in the hearts of the people of the earthquake areas in Pakistan it can be well imagined that how much the masses in are benefiting from this policy of Hugo Chavez. On January 10 Chavez announced that he would like to have a law, "the mother of the revolution", passed by the members of parliament to get the authority to nationalize electricity and telecommunication sectors. He also announced that he would nationalize all those sectors that were privatized by the profit hungry plunderers of the world capitalists system. Everything that was privatized would be nationalized and a socialist republic of Venezuela would be giving an example of a socialist economy for the world to see and admire.
In the words of Hugo Chavez, this socialist economy would not be under the control of the bureaucracy as was the case with the planned economy in Russia. It would be under the democratic control of the masses under the leadership of the United Socialist Party.
Chavez also said that he would not lead the revolution but the revolution would lead Hugo Chavez. He announced that according to the wishes of the majority of the population of Venezuela the oil refining industry would be nationalized.
While taking the Oath as president for his third term in front of Celia Flores the president of the National Assembly Chavez said, "Venezuela, Socialism or Death, I take the Oath". Due to his popularity and mass support Chavez believes in the success of such a colossal change in his country and Latin America. He has full confidence that the toiling masses will not let any intrigue succeed against the socialist revolution in Venezuela.
The professors sitting in front of maps of Venezuela at Harvard University's reference section now face the danger that the end of history is not possible. Margaret Thatcher's prediction that ‘those who talk about the death of Socialism are living in a fool's paradise' is also proving to be true.