VENEZUELA: Chavez increases aid, slams Bush

Stuart Munckton

"Cowboy" Bush failed US citizens in his handling of the crisis caused by Hurricane Katrina, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said in a televised cabinet meeting, Reuters reported on August 31. Chavez attacked Bush, who he referred to as "the king of vacations", for remaining on holiday despite knowing the hurricane was about to hit New Orleans. Chavez accused the US government of "leaving its own population adrift".

Speaking on his weekly television program Hello President on September 4, Chavez explained that total Venezuelan aid to the victims of Hurricane Katrina would be increased to US$5 million, from an original offer of $1 million, due to the severity of the crisis. According to a September 6 Venezuelanalysis.com article, on top of this aid, Venezuela is sending a tanker with more than 1 million barrels of petrol to alleviate the petrol shortage in the hurricane-struck area, which has sent petrol prices through the roof. This emergency shipment, diverted from other customers, will be on top of Venezuela's scheduled shipments of 1.2 million barrels to the US in September.

"Before anything else we gather the sentiment, the solidarity, the love of the people of Venezuela and send it to New Orleans, Louisiana, and to the entire coast of the Gulf of Mexico", Chavez said on his show, during which he also launched another scathing attack on the US government. Pointing to the Bush regime's exorbitant spending on the occupation of Iraq, Chavez said the US "attempts to dominate the world and does not attend to the needs of its people".

"How many children died there that could have been evacuated by land, by air, by water? Not one helicopter was moved before the hurricane came. Not one public use vehicle was moved. No bus nor military truck. Nothing."

From Green Left Weekly, September 14, 2005.

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From GLW issue 642