Well, I have not heard one word about it in the mainstream news...


By Georgia East and Philippe Buteau, Sun Sentinel

6:39 p.m. EDT, June 26, 2011

Sunrise (FLA)

A report that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is critically ill in Cuba is giving Ramon Peraza Jr. a dose of optimism about political change in his home country.

Chavez, who was last seen in public on June 9, took a bad turn following surgery in Cuba, El Nuevo Herald reported, attributing the information to unidentified U.S. intelligence sources.

Peraza, who is studying for his master's degree in business administration, works in his family's Venezuelan restaurant, Café Canela, in Sunrise. He said he immigrated to South Florida about four years ago because students with anti-government political views had no chance of getting jobs.
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The possibility of Chavez having to pass the torch heartened him.

"This is a good opportunity for opposition in the 2012 presidential election,'' said Peraza. "Transitions are good for democracy.''

While Chavez isn't at immediate risk of dying, his situation is complicated, the intelligence sources told The Miami Herald's Spanish-language sister publication, according to Bloomberg News. Daughter Rosines Chavez and ex-wife Marisabel Rodriguez were flown in a military aircraft to Havana and the president's bedside late last week, according to El Nuevo Herald.

Venezuela's Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro said Saturday that Chavez needs the support of his compatriots in "this big battle for his health," Bloomberg reported. A lack of information surrounding Chavez's surgery for what he said was a pelvic abscess has raised questions about the true state of his health and triggered debates about whether he should be running, from Cuba, South America's largest oil producer.

Many in South Florida said they were waiting to see if Chavez would make a public appearance at the annual independence celebration for Venezuela on July 5, where he is supposed to be a main speaker. If he doesn't attend, they said, it could signal his health issues are serious.

"People are waiting to know what's happening, what's the reality of the president's health,'' said Carlos Fernandez, of Weston, onetime president of the Chamber of Commerce of Venezuela.

He said in 2003 he became a political prisoner of the Chavez government, and faced a 15-year sentence. At that point, he relocated to South Florida.

His wife is still in Venezuela he said, along with other family members. He is waiting for a change in leadership to return to his homeland.

"Of course, I want to go back,'' Fernandez said through a translator.

There is speculation that Chavez's recent silence could be a ploy to stage a dramatic public comeback, especially in light of the upcoming presidential election at the end of 2012. Experts say in the meantime, the leaders could be testing political waters to see what alliances are forming.

"The big question is, 'Why the silence?' " said Brian Fonseca, an adjunct professor of political and international relations at Florida International University. "If the silence is intentional, he could be trying to see who's really loyal in Venezuela."

Many have criticized the Venezuelan government for failing to release much information about the president's health.

Pedro Mena, spokesman for Mesa de Unidad Democrática in South Florida, a coalition of Venezuelan opposition parties, is one of them.

"All we know is the speculation that we are hearing. There has been a total lack of reliable, updated information. This is totally irresponsible," Mena said.

What would happen if the socialist leader's health were to seriously decline?

"Whatever happens — if Chavez dies or is physically incapacitated — it's up to the [Venezuelan] Supreme Court to certify that and the National Assembly to choose a new president until the 2012 elections,'' Mena said.

Having Chavez out of the public eye in Venezuela for a couple of weeks has sparked a lot of debate because it's so unusual, said some former Venezuelan residents.

"We see him as this immortal figure, so having him out of the country in a hospital is something you don't expect,'' said Carlos E. Nunez, 22, of Doral, who was born in Valencia. "My take at first was this is a political move to get out of the country for a few days. But he's out now for 16 or 18 days, so I don't think it's that. There's something going on we obviously don't know.''

Elizabeth Bruna Pineda, 22, of Weston, who was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, said Twitter updates from Chavez are not enough.

"I think the secrecy around his health is completely ridiculous,'' said Bruna Pineda. "He just can't up and leave the country and govern through Twitter.''

Lesly Simón, president of the Venezuelan-American Chamber of Commerce of South Florida, said she believes that all the speculation about Chavez's health only serves to create confusion.

"Everyone needs to calm down and wait for the official word. All this speculation hurts the country and keeps everyone on pins and needles," said Simon, who stressed that her organization is not a political group.

"I do believe that the [Venezuelan] government needs to be more explicit," she said. "This situation does no one any good."

Staff writers Maria Travierso and Deborah Ramirez, photographer Joe Cavaretta and researcher Barbara Hijek contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2011, South Florida Sun-Sentinel