President Hugo Chavez

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President Hugo Chavez






The passing of Hugo Chavez, the President of Venezuela,  will leave a serious void, in the leadership of Latin America and the Caribbean. President  Chavez was easily, the most influential ally the Caribbean had in international leadership circles. His sterling efforts to assist Caribbean Nation economies with the PetroCaribe project cannot be overlooked and this will no doubt continue to be part of his legacy to the region. It is most unfortunate that some Caribbean Nation states, were apprehensive in participating in PetroCaribe because they did not want to offend the United States and others who were very critical of President Chavez.
To his great credit, President Chavez never hid his admiration of Fidel Castro, the former president of Cuba, who is also a great friend of the region ,highly respected and revered by the dwindling  or perhaps extremely inactive  progressive nationalists  in the  Caribbean region.
President Chavez is correctly credited with reducing poverty in Venezuela and directing important food programs , to ensure that the most vulnerable benefitted from the wealth of his oil rich country
We are therefore safe in saying that a very progressive voice will now be absent in regional and international affairs and hastily agree with those who say that the Caribbean Nation has lost a true friend and comrade.

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