Editorials
Friday, September 3, 1999

Venezuela’s president
threatens democracy

The issue: President Hugo Chavez seems to be trying to destroy Venezuela's democracy.

Our view: Washington should try to bolster Venezuela's democratic institutions.

Oil-rich Venezuela is South America's oldest democracy. It has an unbroken string of popularly elected governments for 41 years, dating back to 1958. But now that record is threatened.

Last December Venezuelans voted overwhelmingly for Hugo Chavez, a presidential candidate who promised to overthrow the political establishment in a "peaceful revolution" designed to end the poverty of much of the 23 million population.

A military officer who looks and sounds like Fidel Castro, he tried a coup once before, in 1992. That attempt failed so he tried to get elected -- and scored a landslide victory. After seven months in office he still enjoys an approval rating of better than 70 percent.

Now Chavez seems to be preparing to seize total power. In elections last July for a constitutional assembly, Chavez supporters won 121 of 131 seats. Among the members are his wife, his brother and several fellow conspirators from the 1992 abortive coup. They have launched a concerted attack on democratic institutions.

Last week the constituent assembly went far beyond its mandate of rewriting the constitution, deciding by decree to limit the power of Congress and reform the judiciary. The president of the supreme court resigned in protest.

The confrontation came to a head last week with violent street clashes. Television cameras transmitted images worldwide of legislators climbing over a fence around the Congress building in a futile attempt to retake their chambers from the assembly.

Chavez insists his is a "peaceful revolution," intended to get rid of a corrupt political establishment that has robbed the country blind. He denies being a "dictator-in-waiting."

Chavez defended the assembly's actions, saying, "The assembly is taking decisions that are not liked by the traditional political class that destroyed Venezuela during the past 40 years."

But critics say moves to wrest power from Congress, the Supreme Court -- and even municipal and state governments -- amount to a coup d'etat.

Chavez claims that new, more democratic institutions will emerge from the assembly's work, which is supposed to conclude within six months.

But the attacks on the old institutions -- as well as moves to increase the role of the military -- have set off alarm bells around the world. The Clinton administration issued a statement of concern.

The tide of democracy seems to be ebbing in Latin America. In neighboring Colombia, civil war and drug trafficking are tearing the country apart. Violent crime is soaring in Mexico. A series of economic shocks has kept down growth rates over the last decade, leaving hundreds of millions mired in poverty.

The Clinton administration has been accused of ignoring disturbing trends in the region. The developments in Venezuela suggest that Washington should be considering ways to bolster the country's democratic institutions against the encroachments of a would-be dictator.

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Lower crime rates
despite weak economy

The issue: Hawaii's crime rates continue to drop while the state's economy struggles.

Our view: The crime level has less to do with economic health than it does with a range of policies involving both crime prevention and punishment.

THE theory that the crime rate falls as the economy improves might partly explain the country's decline in crime in recent years. However, Hawaii's economy has been foundering throughout this decade and yet the state leads the nation in reduced crime rates. Clearly, the relationship between economic health and crime is less than direct.

The number of crimes reported in Hawaii last year dropped 11 percent from the previous year to the lowest level for any year since 1985 and the second lowest since 1975, according to annual figures released by the state attorney general's office.

Violent crimes decreased by 49 percent for murder, 13 percent for robbery, 9 percent for aggravated assault and 4 percent for rape. Property crimes, which supposedly reflect the state of the economy, also fell, by 14 percent for auto theft, 12 percent for burglary and 10 percent for other thefts.

Attorney General Earl Anzai and Honolulu Police Chief Lee Donohue credit increased law enforcement, incarceration and community programs for the crime reduction.

Donohue cites the federally initiated Operation Weed and Seed, combining city, state and federal agencies in trying to eliminate violent crime, gangs and illegal drugs from dangerous neighborhoods.

That may explain the crime reduction in Chinatown-Kalihi-Palama, the only area in the state that is targeted by the program, but it does not apply elsewhere. Kauai County, without such a program, had a sharper crime reduction than Oahu.

The debate will continue between those favoring preventive measures and advocates of tougher penalties. The recent crime reduction probably resulted from a mix -- increased drug treatment and gun restrictions, for example, along with longer prison terms and tougher law enforcement. A range of such policies is needed to continue the current trend.

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Published by Liberty Newspapers Limited Partnership

Rupert E. Phillips, CEO

John M. Flanagan, Editor & Publisher

David Shapiro, Managing Editor

Diane Yukihiro Chang, Senior Editor & Editorial Page Editor

Frank Bridgewater & Michael Rovner, Assistant Managing Editors

A.A. Smyser, Contributing Editor