Venezuela’s presidential election/Cancer and the body politic

Before voting this year, Venezuelans have a right to know the state of Hugo Chávez’s health

EVEN by the standards of one of the world’s great conspiracy theorists, it was wacky stuff. On hearing the news that Argentina’s Cristina Fernández had become the fifth left-of-centre Latin American leader to be diagnosed with cancer in the past three years, Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez, himself unlucky enough to be one of them, mused that the United States might have developed technology to “induce cancer” in its political foes. “I don’t want to make any reckless accusation,” Mr Chávez said disingenuously, “but it’s very, very, very strange.”

This could be just another piece of self-evident nonsense from Mr Chávez. After all, several of the other stricken leaders have friendly relations with the United States and the health scares have thus far increased the popularity of both Mr Chávez and Ms Fernández: Latin American politics has featured a maudlin streak ever since the early death (yes, from cancer) of Eva Perón. But Mr Chávez may have been putting up a smokescreen. The recent cancer cases offer not just stories of personal suffering but also a striking contrast in the way that the leaders affected have handled the news about their health.

Four have been exemplary in releasing timely information about their condition, overcoming the human instinct for secrecy in such matters. Brazil’s president, Dilma Rousseff, was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer in 2009 on the eve of the campaign in which she was elected. Paraguay’s president, Fernando Lugo, was equally open when treated for the same illness. In October, when Ms Rousseff’s predecessor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, was diagnosed with throat cancer, he made a point of ordering his doctor to release full details of his condition to the press. Ms Fernández, who this week underwent surgery for thyroid cancer, has behaved similarly.

The odd one out is Mr Chávez. He has said that he had an operation in Cuba in June to remove a lump from his pelvic area; he insists that, after four sessions of chemotherapy, he has been cured. But he refuses to reveal what kind of cancer he had, nor have any of his doctors appeared in public to offer a prognosis. The obvious inference is that the problem may be more serious than he is letting on. Some foreign intelligence sources suggest that Mr Chávez has an untreatable sarcoma.

Democratic accountability should trump medical secrets

If this is true, he would not be the first political leader to try to hide a medical problem. François Mitterrand ruled France for 11 years while nursing prostate cancer. John Kennedy had daily injections of steroids for a rare endocrine disorder. But it is hard in today’s more open societies for such secrecy to be maintained. For instance, Indian officials have been tight-lipped about the illness afflicting Sonia Gandhi, uncrowned queen of the country’s ruling party; and the cloud of unknowing contributes to government paralysis in Delhi.

As for Mr Chávez, having largely misgoverned his country for the past dozen years, he is running for yet another six years as president in an election due on October 7th. Venezuelans have a right to know whether his health is good enough for there to be a reasonable prospect of his serving out his term. Cheery official assurances count for nothing unless backed with medical detail. This is especially important since Mr Chávez has systematically concentrated power in his own hands. His sidekicks are jockeying for position and he has started shuffling the pack of top jobs (see article).

Is that mere coincidence? Venezuela’s constitution, inspired by Mr Chávez, allows the president to change his vice-president at any time. He should now make it clear who he sees as his political heir. Continued silence will provide Venezuelans with yet another reason to vote for the opposition.

from the print edition | Leaders 

http://www.economist.com/node/21542415