Hugo Chavez's Traces In Venezuela: Charismic Leaders Hard To Coup

JAKARTA - Hugo Chavez is not an arbitrary figure in the world's political map. The actions of his leadership not only amazed the Venezuelan people, but the people of the world. He is able to take advantage of natural resources, especially the Venezuela oil to be used for the prosperity of the people.

Chaves, who is known for left ideology, began to position himself as an opponent of the United States (US). This attitude brings praise. However, that doesn't mean that Chaves' leadership is smooth. His power was coup.

Movement inspiration can arise anywhere. that's what happens in the life of Hugo Chavez. At first Chaves chose to join the military to support his hobby of playing baseball. Incidentally the Venezuelan Army has the best baseball club.

Instead of focusing on baseball, Chavez is actually active in the mission to defend the country. The man who was born on Sabantata July 28, 1954 is often deployed to eradicate left rebels who support Cuba. Problems arise. The rebellion came mostly from farmers.

Chavez began to wonder the cause of the uprising. He tried to trace the path of the rebel's thoughts. He found the fact that the rebellion arose from the people's dissatisfaction with government policies.

Incidentally, Venezuela's government policy is far from improving the people's welfare. They actually prospered investors. Chavez also sympathized. He began to read a lot of left books. Chavez had the opportunity to transmit his knowledge while in the military academy in 1981.

People who worked with Chaves grew up. However, the government first smelled the behavior of Chavez and his friends who called themselves the Revolutionary Bolivarian Movement-200.

Chavez was exiled and no longer given the opportunity to teach. Chavez and his followers also fought back. They staged a coup in 1992. The coup failed, but succeeded in lifting Chavez's popularity.

The Venezuelan government sentenced Chavez to two years in prison. His freedom was greeted with great fanfare. He then swerved from the military world to politics. He founded a political party, the Fifth Republican Movement Party (now: the United Socialist Party), his name.

He participated in the 1998 elections and won. He became President of Venezuela. Chavez's leadership brought fresh air. Hundreds of national and foreign private companies were nationalized, especially in the oil sector.

Profits from nationalization are used for pro-people policies. He even declared himself anti-American. This attitude made him admired by many world figures such as Fidel Castro, Evo Morales, Ahmadinejad, and others.

After being sworn in on February 2, 1999, Chavez ordered the creation of a new constitution, in line with the Boliva-revolution Revolution making Venezuela a socialist country. The revolution is taken from the name of Venezuelan and Latin American independence hero, Simon Bolivar

He brought many changes. The World Bank noted that the poverty rate in Venezuela fell from 62 percent in 2003 to 29 percent in 2009. The illiteracy rate also fell from seven percent to five percent in 2001-2007. Its government was supported by soaring oil prices of up to 146 US dollars per barrel as well as social programs in the health and education sector, in collaboration with Cuba. Venezuela supplies oil to Cuba, instead Cuba sends hundreds of doctors and sports coaches, "said Sapto Yunus in his article in Tempo magazine entitled Looking for the Successor of the Bolivar Revolution (2013).

Chavez's policy is indeed a blessing for the Venezuelan people. However, on the other hand, not a few are dissatisfied with Chavez's leadership policy. The pro-entrepreneur military also felt it.

The policy of nationalizing oil is considered only to prosper the Chavez people. This condition makes the social gap even wider. Chavez's government's nature is also being read. Chavez is believed to be directing Venezuela towards a one-party system.

A system that makes middle-class politicians not get a place in Venezuela. The coup was launched by the US-backed opposition camp. Military Chief of Staff, General Efrain Vasquez Velasco and Deputy Minister of Defense, General Luis Alberto Camacho Kairuz are on board.

They came to the Presidential Palace and urged Chavez to step down on April 11, 2002. Chavez was arrested and detained at the army barracks in Carcas. The vacancy in power was then filled by interim leader Pedro Carmona.

The head of Venezuela's largest business association was appointed with the intention of removing Chavez's entire influence. Pedro actually made a rash decision. He tried to dissolve parliament, freeze the Act (UU), and disable the Cabinet.

This condition shocked the whole of Venezuela. Chavez supporters flocked to the streets. They asked the transitional government to return Chavez to the pinnacle of power. The pro- Chavez military forces are also emerging, especially Chaves is not a new person in the military world.

They are preparing to defend their leaders. This condition has the potential to lead to civil war. However, it didn't happen. The coup failed. Chavez returned to the helm in just 47 hours. Chavez was returned by military loyalists and the support of the great Venezuelan people.

Meanwhile, on the streets of Caracas, thousands of demonstrators supported Chavez or opposed the way he was ousted took over state television to sue him back. Police fired water cannons and tear gas. Dozens of people died in the violence.

Several military commanders remain loyal to Chavez, although one of its commanders, at an air base in downtown Maracay, rebelled. For several tense hours it seems that factions in the divided armed forces will be preparing for war, but this is not the case," said Alex Bellos in his writing on The Guardian website entitled Chavez Rises from Very Peculiar Coup (2002).

Hugo Chavez died of lung cancer at the age of 58 in Caricas, Venezuela on March 5, 2013. He had four children from two marriages, all of which ended in divorce.