Why George Galloway supports Hugo Chavez

Looking to be elected for a fourth term as the President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez was chosen by 54% of the voters on 7 October, 2012. Considered a pariah by many of the leaders of developed countries and having been branded in mainstream Western media as an autocrat and a demagogue, Chavez has nevertheless garnered the support of many figures of the European left.

One of them is George Galloway.

As global decision makers ostracise Chavez, Galloway’s support for the Venezuelan leader is completely coherent with his anti-imperialist struggle, which has led him to protest against the war in Iraq and to defend the civil rights of the Palestinian people.

In his 12 years in power, Hugo Chavez has managed to maintain the economic independence of his country, notably by nationalising the oil resources – Venezuela’s lifeline. Although it is perfectly fair to critique the highly populist form taken by Chavez’s power, people like George Galloway see him as an inspiration for the left throughout the world. In fact, as the political spectrums in Europe shift dramatically to the right and as parties traditionally associated to the left inexorably drift towards the defence of neoliberal policies, certain countries of South America are at the forefront of the struggle against the imperatives of a subtle form of neo-colonialism hidden behind the masks of globalisation and free market.

George Galloway gazes at Venezuela, which refuses to let multinational corporations take control of its resources, at Ecuador, which is standing up to the United Kingdom on the Julian Assange issue, or at Argentina, which refuses to submit to the diktats of the IMF: he sees political leaders who promote a modern set of policies that are associated to a word that has become rare in Europe – socialism.

Whether you agree with him or not, you are bound to respect George Galloway’s coherence as an outspoken voice for a global unapologetic left, that he associates to equality, autonomy, and respect.

George Galloway  is coming to THiNK2012. Nov 2-4, 2012. Goa

– Ayan Meer

(The views expressed in this column are the writer’s own)

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