[News] Bolivia: Right-wing rebellion spurs left offensive

[Anti-Imperialist News]

Bolivia: Right-wing rebellion spurs left offensive

August 28, 2008 By Federico Fuentes
Source: <http://www.greenleft.org.au/2008/764/39456>Green Left Weekly
http://www.zcommunications.org/znet/viewArticle/18597

Violent attacks on police officers, roadblocks, 
civic stoppages enforced by armed fascist youth 
groups and threats to cut off meat supplies and 
take over gas fields have all been part of what 
left-wing Bolivian President Evo Morales has 
denounced as an attempted "civil coup" by 
"desperate people" following his August 10 recall referendum victory.



However, the wave of protests appears to be 
quickly losing steam as social movements get 
organised to push for the approval of the draft 
constitution drawn up by an elected constituent assembly to "refound Bolivia".

The August 10 vote on the president, 
vive-president and eight out of nine prefects 
(governors) registered a historic 68% vote for 
Morales, an increase of 14% on the vote that 
brought him to power in December 2005.

While the opposition prefects of four eastern 
departments were also ratified with votes ranging 
from 56% to 68% (as well as the election of an 
opposition prefect in Chuquisaca in June), they 
lost an important ally with the revocation of the 
opposition prefect of Cochabamba, Manfred Reyes.

In these same departments, Morales' vote 
experienced an important increase, including 
winning more than 50% of the vote in some of them.

While announcing in his victory speech his 
intention to continue nationalising natural 
resources in his victory speech, Morales also 
called a meeting of all the prefects to try to reach a national agreement.

Such an agreement could help bring together the 
opposing projects of the new constitution 
(supported by the social and indigenous 
movements) and the autonomy statutes (promoted by 
the eastern regions in order to maintain control 
by the eastern-based oligarchy over natural 
resources and land in these resource-rich departments).

Regional rebellion

Talks quickly collapsed as the prefects called a 
civic stoppage in five departments ­ the eastern 
departments of Santa Cruz, Beni, Pando and 
Tarija, plus Chuquisaca ­ for August 19 in 
opposition to government plans to divert part of 
the national direct tax on hydrocarbons (IDH) 
towards its proposed pension plan.

In direct defiance of the central government, 
Santa Cruz prefect Ruben Costas announced on 
August 15 that Morales would not be allowed to 
set foot in his department ­ adding that he also 
would no longer accept a police commander who was 
neither from Santa Cruz nor approved by Costas, 
as part of moving towards de facto autonomy for the department.

The night of the referendum, Costas had announced 
he would call elections for a departmental 
legislative assembly ­ something for which there is no basis in law.

"The people of Santa Cruz should rest assured 
that we will stop any minister arriving in Santa 
Cruz, because they are not welcome", announced 
David Sejas, president of the fascist Crucenista 
Youth Union (UJC), whose followers, armed with 
sticks and shields, chanted as Costas spoke "Evo 
criminal, Linera poofter" (referring to Vice-President Alvaro Garcia Linera).

Later that day, UJC members violently attacked 
the departmental head of police.

In the days afterward, attacks increased as youth 
screamed at police officers to "go back to your 
country, you shitty collas", causing discontent 
among the officers, predominately from Bolivia's largely indigenous west.

On the day of the stoppage, clashes occurred in 
the middle and outer rings of Santa Cruz city, 
where popular resistance repelled UJC militants 
who attempted to impose the stoppage by force.

Restricted mainly to the inner urban areas, and 
outright rejected in the countryside, participation in the stoppage was low.

The following day, secretary for autonomy in the 
Santa Cruz prefecture, Carlos Dabdoud, dismissed 
the possibility of dialogue to merge the two 
projects, as it was "impossible" to have a "unitary autonomous state".

Desiring to turn Bolivia into a "confederation of 
states is no sin", he stated.

Behind these protests is the fear of the Santa 
Cruz oligarchy that the Morales government will 
push forward with its national project for 
change, now with the backing of the 68% won in the referendum.

At the same time, some voices from the opposition 
camp are beginning to warn that these actions could backfire.

"The political effects of a radicalised position 
are not yet visible, but they could be 
tremendously adverse for Santa Cruz", warned 
right-wing Podemos senator Carlos Bohrt, according to Bolpress on August 18.

The day after the stoppage, only three of the 
five opposition departments went ahead with the 
announced roadblocks. In Chuquisaca, the prefect 
preferred to avoid confrontations with local 
peasant organisations, while the prefect of 
Tarija moderated his tone as criticism against him grew.

‘Power of the people

In contrast, Morales reminded the opposition 
prefects, according to the August 19 Pagina 12, 
"we are no longer just a simple government, but 
rather the power of the people", adding that it 
was necessary to move towards a vote on the new 
constitution approved by the constituent assembly last December.

"The debate [on the referendum] must not last 
beyond next week", Morales argued. "If it's 
through a law, it's a law. If it's by decree, 
it's a decree. The new constitution has to be 
approved and we will ensure it is approved."

The massive vote for Morales has raised hopes for 
passing the controversial text, which the 
opposition has fiercely opposed ­ arguing it did 
not have two-thirds support within the assembly.
ion of the project is that fact that the new 
constitution would entrench state control over 
natural resources, open the way for radical land 
reform and dramatically extend rights to 
Bolivia's historically excluded indigenous majority.

An August 20 Reuters article quoted Morales as 
saying that he was willing to continuing dialogue 
over regional autonomy and the issue of the IDH, 
but that "if some groups do not want to 
understand the overwhelming sentiment of Bolivian 
people, the thoughts and suffering of the 
majorities, then surely they will continue to 
reduce more and more in numbers and become more 
violent. We have an obligation to ensure order so 
that there is respect between Bolivians."

That same day, the head of the national police 
force, General Miguel Gernio, stated that he 
shared the "anger" that many in the police force 
were feeling in regards to the recent spate of 
attacks against them, adding "we will not allow 
more outrages upon our institution and much less 
attacks on ... police officers".

Opposing moves towards the "disintegration" of 
the national police force, Gemio said he was 
worried that as a product of the loss of values 
and nationalist principals, Bolivians were 
allowing particular interests to dominate over 
and above the demands of the majority of 
Bolivians, who want peace and respect for the law.

Following a meeting between Morales and various 
social movement leaders to discuss the issue of 
the new constitution and potential candidates for 
the prefectures of La Paz and Cochabamba, up for 
election after the recall of the existing 
prefects, it was announced that the social 
movements would meet in Cochabamba next weekend 
to discuss how and when the new constitution will be approved.

The various indigenous and peasant organisations 
also stated they would be "closing ranks to 
defend the government, the unity of the country and the process of change".

[Federico Fuentes is editor of 
<http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/>http://boliviarising.blogspot.com.]




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