The reason why Cuba was the ONLY choice for Chavez is several fold:
- Only in Cuba chavez and the Castro brothers can control to a large extent the flow of news, decide what picture is released and when. After all, with Fidel diseases they have gained ample experience on how to manipulate public opinion with morbid imagery.
- Since no more surgery is expected for the time being, Cuba has at least one world class facility which is reserved to the high ranking Cuban officials (the rest of Cubans can go to their rotting health care centers). What Chavez needs that is not in Cuba is medicine which can be bought from anywhere it is needed (for that he has the Venezuelan checkbook of state); he can bring in any doctor he wants (for the right amount from the same check book he can get 90% of the specialists in the world who cannot pass on the opportunity of adding his name to their client list while touring Cuba for the kick of it).
- Since Chavez is now pathologically insecure about his surroundings he can only trust the Castro brothers to cover for him since he knows that they are the most interested people in the world that want his recovery so he can remain in office and keep sending the stipend.
Thus anyone who entertained the idea that Chavez would go to Brazil was deluding himself and ended up a fool, including the Brazilian hospital of Sao Paulo who was hoping for a big publicity stint.
In a way I am not going to begrudge the right of Chavez to get treatment wherever he wants to. I am not even going to question the expense since it is international practice that the head of states tabs is picked by tax payer, in Washington DC, Paris or Caracas. I would still point out that Chavez could have received health care in Caracas of at the very least the same quality than in Cuba and probably at a much lower cost, with 99% of world specialists willing to go to Caracas.
No, the problem here is not what Chavez does for his recovery which I hope will succeed so he gets one day to face trial for his crimes. The problem here is that leaving Venezuela he went yet further in demonstrating to us that Venezuela is a mere Cuban colony. Two items for my point, the second one infinitely worse than the first one in its symbolism.
The succession internal war seem to have started big time inside chavismo. Thus there is a definite need for the Cuban masters to put an end to it, least they lose control of the situation as Chavez starts suffering from the secondary effects of chemotherapy. Of all the few things Chavez did or said during his rather breif return the most important one must be a warning to his PSUV followers that local "caudillismo" had to be erased in full. In fact, the limited powers he delegated to Jaua and Giordani (V.P, and finance minister respectively) seem to be enough to bring back to order potential dissidents while he is away, much more than for effectively running the country during what we assume will eb an absence of several weeks. For example Jaua can continue on his own expropriation. The symbolism is clear, whichever does not toe the line of waiting patiently and calmly for the return of Chavez, be it opposition or chavista, will be expropriated on the spot. Let's be clear on that, any expropriation in the next month will not affect in any way the economy of Venezuela which is already a wreck, only the political effect of expropriation matters today.
Also, in the same announcement Chavez insisted on the need of ideological training for anyone within the PSUV who wants to go any higher. In other words, the transformation of the PSUV into a bona fide communist party is retaken and reinforced, a sure sign of orders from Cuba who understands that a solid communist party in Venezuela is the best way to ensure its interests if Chavez croaks, in 2 months or 2 years.
The second thing Chavez did that is truly shocking for me, is that he discarded the constitutional provision that Caracas is where laws are made in Venezuela. Not only he said that going to Cuba was not going to another country but to "la patria grande" (the enlarged fatherland?) but he created an electronic signature that he will use from Havana to make legal any law or decree issued during his absence. That is right, an electronic signature that can be manipulated by anyone while he passes out during chemo, manipulated by anyone from his entourage, the Castro brothers or any Cuban officials the Castro brothers may use to that effect.
Does anyone has still a doubt as to whom is ruling Venezuela? That we are are a self declared Cuban colony?
Does anyone has still a doubt as to whom is ruling Venezuela? That we are are a self declared Cuban colony?