Marcelo Saavedra-Vargas

November 29th, 2007

www.grupoapoyo.org [1]

The Constituent Assembly has caused a spiral of violence coming from desperate oligarchic and fascist minorities that want to collapse the process of changes in Bolivia.

A fact very hard to swallow

Since the arrival of Evo Morales to the presidency of Bolivia, the racist oligarchy, represented by some organizations and political parties, has not been able to accept the fact of an Indian becoming Head of State. These counter-revolutionary organizations are:

o the Interinstitutional Committee (an umbrella group of various rightist organizations reclaiming the full status of capital for Sucre –the historical capital of the country);

o the Union Cruceñista (a fascist organization defending the economic and political interests of rich landowners in the Eastern side of the country);

o The PODEMOS political party (the old ADN political party created by the now dead bloody dictator Hugo Banzer and presided by Harvard-graduate and ex-Vicepresident –to dictator Banzer- Jorge Quiroga);

o The CONALDE (an alliance of 4 Prefectos –Governors- that are trying to run a parallel government and have asked openly to boycott and topple the Morales government)

Mainstream society is peculiarly racist in Bolivia. Several Canadians visiting the country over the years have reported the discrimination and the exclusion to which vast majorities of Indigenous peoples have been subjected to colonial rule for over 5 centuries.

These tiny rich minorities just can’t get over the fact of having an Indian being President of Bolivia.

Evo Morales attempting changes in Bolivia

Although Evo Morales won the elections by a vast majority (54%), and even overcoming a fraud mounted using the Florida model (the documentary “Our Brand is Crisis” clearly depicts how US corporations advise and monitor elections in Bolivia), Bolivian majorities are far from holding real power. They might have an Indigenous President, but his administration is being threatened by all the reactionary forces that own all mass media, businesses, have close ties with transnational corporations, are very respondent to US interests, and own vast amounts of land. They are in the process of waging war to the popular government by all means they can, most importantly, a media-based campaign on the government.

Two years as President, two years of coping with reactionary forces

As soon as Evo Morales was sworn in as President of Bolivia, his class enemies declared war on his government. Class struggle (in Bolivia, class is very much intertwined with ethnicity) is increasing in pace and in intensity. The local oligarchy, unconditional pawn of US imperialism and allied to transnational corporations, won’t give up their privileges to the poor majorities. This has been constantly the case throughout the history of the country.

The ruling class is the representation of violence and at times extreme violence is the way they interact with those demanding a fairer society. These fascist minorities have no ethics, moral, or any sort of scruples to restore an unjust, excluding, exploitative, arbitrary and discriminatory system. They can go as far as to killing one of their own protestors to provide victims in order to stir more violence. This is exactly what happened in Sucre this past weekend where clashes with groups led by hired thugs stirred people to protest against the Constitutional Assembly, provoking the death of 3 persons and hundreds of injured. So far, there is no forensic report that could establish the characteristics of the weapons that killed at least two of the victims. Police had received orders not to shoot live ammunition yet one of the dead was killed by a 29-caliber shotgun, not used by the Police or the military, but rather weapons brought by the opposition from Santa Cruz and elsewhere.

Bolivians will no longer accept these minorities that only look after their incommensurable greed.

The Constituent Assembly (CA): the crux of the conflict

In the first gas war, October 2003, about 100 poor Bolivians living in the city of El Alto, the poorest yet the most combatant city of the Western hemisphere, lost their lives to these same oligarchs. Insurrected people called for what is now known as the October Agenda. This Agenda included three major demands: 1. Nationalization of hydrocarbons and all natural resources to stop the pillage of the country; 2. Bring ex-President Sanchez de Lozada to justice, because under his orders, a massacre was committed in El Alto and La Paz; and 3. A Constituent Assembly to dream of a better country.

In 1990 Indigenous peoples from the lower lands marched toward La Paz calling for a Constituent Assembly that would recognize them as human beings, as citizens of the land of which they are the majority, and keep their ancestral territories and lands under their custody.

For these past months, the Constituent Assembly has tried repeatedly to discuss a draft that will be presented to all Bolivians in a Referendum. This process took place in the city of Sucre, since it was the cradle of the first 1825 Constitution. But Sucre was invaded by thugs paid by the reactionary forces, based in Santa Cruz, and managed to stir a spiral of violence that is still going on as I write.

The kidnapping of the Constituent Assembly

The attacks on the CA began by oligarchy Constituent legislators creating obstacle after obstacle so deliberations won’t take place. They resorted to all kinds of pretexts, not having anything to do with constitutional deliberations. Once their verbal, but virulent, ammunition got depleted, they resorted to sheer violence and showed their true nature. Some weeks ago Indigenous legislators were physically attacked and verbally assaulted. Several legislators, including Indigenous women, were kidnapped, beaten up and almost lynched. Then, Indigenous peoples from all parts of the country organized themselves and marched towards Sucre to protect the conclave. The mercenaries hired by the Unión Cruceñista assaulted these Indigenous peoples, insulted them and expelled them from the premises where they were protecting the CA. The Constituent legislators were at the mercy of these thugs. So, they decided to deliberate in a safer place. They chose the military headquarters of La Glorieta in Sucre and in a marathonic session they managed to approve the Constitutional Draft that was going to be presented to the population in a Referendum.

This was the spark that ignited the fascist rage. Hired thugs started to clash with police using home-made devices as well as military weapons brought by the fascist bands. The chief bodyguard of Samuel Dora Medina, a millionaire converted into a Constitutional legislator, was caught entering Sucre with a military machine-gun. Also, there were several reports of war weapons being shipped to Sucre for the tactical task forces (grupos de choque) hired by the opposition in a desperate attempt to collapse the long awaited CA.

These days the apocalyptical horses of destruction are threatening the light of hope the Evo Morales represents. They are waging an all-encompassing war, from civil disobedience, violent attacks, to silenced mass media that intend to reflect independent news. The radio chain ERBOL (www.erbol.com [2]) was attacked in Sucre and its website was hacked for several days. All mass media owned by the fascist minority is waging violent attacks against Evo Morales, coupled by the usual misinformation and disinformation of world-wide news outlets.

Calls to depose the Morales government have already been made by opposition leaders, such as the fascist ex-vice-President Jorge Quiroga. The governor of Cochabamba Manfred Reyes Villa, who also was in charge of organizing paramilitary forces during the worst military dictatorship Bolivia had in the 80s and a graduate from the School of the Americas, is also plotting against the constitutional and legitimate government. Ruben Costas, governor of Santa Cruz and owner of vast amounts of lands, along with other notorious oligarchs can’t accept an Indian President.

It is also important to mention the role the US government plays. Philip Goldberg was appointed Ambassador in Bolivia by the Bush administration, thanks to his expertise in dismantling sovereign countries, a task he performed quite well in ex-Yugoslavia. He is also member of the Latin American International Centre for Balkanization (CONFILAR - Confederación Internacional por la Libertad y Autonomía Regional). Coincidentally, CONFILAR has established its residence in Santa Cruz, the epicentre of counter-revolution in Bolivia.

Chávez in Bolivia?

Is Evo Morales under the control of President Hugo Chavez, from Venezuela? This is an important myth being widely exploited by mass media inside and outside the country. As Nazi propaganda has already established as a way of manipulating minds, if a lie is repeated over and over and via several media, it eventually becomes true in the minds of some people (the war on Iraq is one example of this). Mass media in Bolivia is largely owned by the oligarchy and they keep on repeating the message that Evo Morales is being controlled by Hugo Chávez and the Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela.

But Bolivia has its own agenda. Actually the October agenda is the expression of long-desired demands from the peoples of Bolivia. The CA, for instance, was first asked for in 1990, long before Chavez was even on the political map of Latin America. The nationalization of natural resources is the product of over 500 years of pillage by external powers. Bolivia is, nowadays, a proud and sovereign nation that is trying to become a better society for all is inhabitants.

It is true that Bolivia has signed trade agreements with Venezuela and other countries. It is also true that Venezuela is cooperating with Bolivia in some projects to make Bolivian society a more equitable one.

There is no turning back

Bolivia has been kidnapped by a tiny and rich minority that is not willing to lose its prerogatives. They are putting together a coup d’état to bring down the Evo Morales government. The oligarchy is desperate due to the emergence of powerful and clear social and Indigenous movements that are showing to Humanity that dreaming is not only possible but urgent.

The Senate, controlled by the fascist opposition, has been impeding the approval of about 100 key laws aimed at improving the lives of all Bolivians. For example, for almost two years, the Senate was not willing to approve the law that aims at investigating the sudden fortunes of many politicians. Also, they were refusing to approve the law for the Dignity Compensation (Bono Dignidad) that aims at giving a lump-sum of money (Bs. 200 - $US 25) to seniors over 60, regardless of their income level or regional residency. The latter is to address the critical situation in which elders are condemned to live in.

Pressured by a massive march that headed to La Paz and led by President Evo Morales, the Senate gave in and passed these laws. In the hours thereafter, the Morales government has promulgated these laws and has consecrated the struggle of the Bolivian people.

There is no turning back. Indigenous peoples, leading the revolutionary process in Bolivia, are the beacon that show the way to a more harmonious existence among human beings, with other sentient beings and with our Mother Earth (Pacha Mama). The Bolivian people will prevail over the forces of destruction and regression.

Jallalla!