The purpose of these neighborhood committees is to reward people for ratting on their neighbors with the incentive that they will get to keep what is confiscated or receive some pat from the dictator. Chavez will have the children "reporting" on their parents too, now that he has re-written the school curriculum.
Last month, for example, Chávez announced a plan to form "Bolivarian circles," neighborhood clubs that would instill the principles of the 19th-century hero such as moral character, love of country, and solidarity. That plan immediately stoked fears that Chávez, feeling besieged, really wants a network similar to Cuba's Revolutionary Defense Committees. Chávez support fragile, but remains intact (growing unease of drift toward dictatorship) (July 17, 2001)
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In June, Chavez decided to create citizens' groups charged with taking care of their neighborhoods. To some, the move evoked images of Cuba's infamous revolutionary block committees. Most criticism has been leveled by Venezuela's teachers, who oppose Cuban funding and Cuban-inspired curricula in public schools. -- Cuba, Venezuela Increasing Ties (August 5, 2001)
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Venezuela leader discounts setback (Chavez loyalists attack legislators)
Venezuela Paper Calls Chavez Dictator-- ``What a poor and tragic destiny awaits us if we don't stop this apprentice dictator in time,'' the newspaper said.
(January 10, 2002) Put's brother in charge of land and agriculture