Sir
Further to your Editorial (Nature 450, 922; 2007), the academic freedom of Venezuela's autonomous universities, where some 90% of all scientific research in the country is carried out, has come under attack by the present government, which has opened a competing and parallel university system of questionable academic quality.
Contrary to what you imply, President Chávez has weakened the universities in his efforts to bring them all under government control. The country's premier research institute, the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research in Caracas, for example, is now under the control of the government, which plans to incorporate it into another submissive academic unit. Few departments at Venezuela's 47 universities have the staff and equipment for internationally competitive research.
It is not clear that Venezuelans will be able to "build on some of [the president's] genuine achievements" because many Venezuelans are in doubt about what these achievements are. In my area of expertise, government policies are hurting the meagre but honourable academic productivity of my country.