<html>
<body>
<h1><b>BOLIVIA<br>
Right-wing revolt threatens
Bolivia</b></h1><font size=3>
<a href="http://www.greenleft.org.au/2008/748/38682" eudora="autourl">
http://www.greenleft.org.au/2008/748/38682<br><br>
</a>Federico Fuentes<br>
25 April 2008<br><br>
<br>
<b>“Bolivia is on the verge of exploding”, Venezuelan President Hugo
Chavez warned on April 21.</b> <br><br>
Speaking on the eve of an extraordinary summit of the Bolivarian
Alternative of the Americas (ALBA the alliance made of Venezuela, Cuba,
Nicaragua, Bolivia and Dominica) that was partly called to discuss the
situation in Bolivia, Chavez stated the landlocked Andean country was
“once again under fire for daring to dream of retaking the path of
dignity, liberty and real independence”. <br><br>
“The empire wants to put a brake on the integration of South America”,
Chavez argued, and has chosen Bolivia as its immediate target. “Today the
cause of Bolivia is the cause of the dignified people of Latin America
who fight for unity and liberty.” <br><br>
Chavez said that, “We are and will continue to be with Bolivia and we
extend our hand and our heart” to the Bolivian people. <br><br>
Illegal referendum <br><br>
At the heart of the latest round of tensions in Bolivia are the plans by
the elite in the eastern department of Santa Cruz (a stronghold of
Bolivia’s oligarchy) to push ahead with a referendum on “autonomy”
scheduled for May 4. <br><br>
Despite the referendum being declared illegal by the national electoral
court, the Santa Cruz electoral court has stated it will press ahead with
the vote, which many fear is aimed at fracturing the country. <br><br>
The right-wing campaign of destabilisation against the indigenous-led
government of President Evo Morales which the referendum is one
component of has intensified in the last few weeks. <br><br>
“Leaving clear the success of the bunkering-down by the business sectors
in Santa Cruz”, wrote Pablo Stefanoni on April 19 in the Argentine
daily<i> Clarin</i>, “Morales yesterday had to pull out his vice minister
for land, Alejandro Almaraz, from the Bolivian Chaco”. <br><br>
“Days before, the functionary tried without luck to enter the hacienda of
the US citizen Ronald Larsen in order to verify compliance of his land in
regards to its economic and social function, but was received with stones
and armed picket lines, and had to take refuge in military quarters.”
<br><br>
Stefanoni also reported that the president of the Chamber of Exporters of
the East, Ramiro Monje, threatened that “after May 4, another economic
model will begin to function”. <br><br>
Sectors of large agribusiness have been on a war footing against the
government following recent moves to restrict <br>
exports of certain food products in order to tackle food shortages
provoked by agribusiness. <br><br>
While loosening some of the restrictions, Morales threatened to
nationalise companies that “are provoking a bosses lockout” by enforcing
a holiday on May 4. <br><br>
Defending unity <br><br>
An April 24 ABI news service article reported that the commander of the
Bolivian Naval Force, Vice Admiral Jose Luis Cavas Villegas, said that
“we are the people in arms, in order to defend the internal security of
our population, the Armed Forces are with the people … behind the
[national flag], we will defend unity all our lives”. <br><br>
Through the build-up of tensions, the position of the government, the
Movement Towards Socialism (MAS Morales’s party) and the social
movements aligned with the government has oscillated between threatening
to stop the referendum going ahead to dismissing it as simply an opinion
poll. <br><br>
For now, it seems rallies will be held on May 4 in favour of “national
unity” in all capital cities except in Santa Cruz, in order to avoid
confrontations. Nevertheless, the opposition have established “civil
guards” to defend the polling booths in the department, just in case.
<br><br>
Since Morales inauguration in January 2006, the economic and political
elites whose power has been threatened by the rise of Bolivia’s first
indigenous government despite the impoverished indigenous people making
up around two thirds of the population have entrenched themselves in
the east of Bolivia. <br><br>
‘Democratic and cultural revolution’ <br><br>
As the Morales government has continued to take steps forward in his
self-proclaimed “democratic and cultural revolution” through the
nationalisation of gas, the convocation of a constituent assembly to
“re-found” Bolivia and the implementation of important social programs
aimed at tackling poverty and centuries of oppression the elite have
stepped up their campaign of destablisation. <br><br>
In particular, the government’s land reform, which has redistributed
hundreds of thousands of hectares of land owned by the state or large
landowners to poor <i>campesinos</i> (peasants), has aroused opposition.
Key leaders of the push for “autonomy” in Santa Cruz are also large
landowners. <br><br>
Behind the calls for autonomy are economic interests hoping to give
greater power to the opposition-controlled department governments on
questions of control over natural resources and productive land, the
majority of which is located in the east. <br><br>
Bolivia sits on top of the second largest gas reserves in South America,
after Venezuela. <br><br>
By pushing for autonomy the elite hopes to weaken and bring down the
popular Morales government. However, their campaign is also part of
laying the groundwork for a plan B the break up of Bolivia through the
creation of an independent state in the east, taking with them the
majority Bolivia’s natural resources. <br><br>
Under this banner, they have also sought, successfully, to unite large
sections of the predominately white population of the east against the
central government. Tapping into a long held sentiment for autonomy, and
whipping up racism and fears of an “indigenous revenge”, they have been
able to mobilise large numbers in the east around the “autonomy” demand.
<br><br>
A recent poll by Equipos Mora showed that in Santa Cruz, 84% of the
population say they will vote in the referendum, with 76% in favour of
the autonomy statutes. <br><br>
Solidarity <br><br>
Pointing to the declaration of solidarity and support for the people of
Bolivia, approved in the ALBA summit, Chavez stated that it expressed
“the will … of millions of Bolivians, Nicaraguans, Cubans and
Venezuelans.” <br><br>
During the summit, Chavez proposed the creation of a defence council and
military force of the ALBA countries, “because our enemy is the same, the
empire”. <br><br>
The declaration states that the nations in ALBA “reject the
destabilisation plans that aim to attack the peace and unity of Bolivia”.
It stated ALBA nations would not recognise “any juridical figure that
aims to break away from the Bolivian national state and violates the
territorial integrity of Bolivia”. <br><br>
“The imperialist project”, Morales said, “is to try and carve up Bolivia
and with that carve up South America, because it has converted itself
into the epicentre of the great changes that are advancing on the world
scale”. <br><br>
“I believe in the consciousness of the people and the wisdom of our
social forces and of the indigenous movement, and above all of the
patriots that are fighting for the dignity and sovereignty of our
people.” <br><br>
[To add your name to an international statement in solidarity with
Bolivia, visit
<a href="http://www.greenleft.org.au/2008/748/http://todosconbolivia.org">
http://todosconbolivia.org</a>. Federico Fuentes is editor of
<a href="http://www.greenleft.org.au/2008/748/http://boliviarising.blogspot.com">
http://boliviarising.blogspot.com</a>.] <br><br>
From: International News, Green Left Weekly issue
#<a href="http://www.greenleft.org.au/2008/748//back/2008/748">748</a> 30
April 2008. <br><br>
<br><br>
</font><x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
<font size=3 color="#FF0000">Freedom Archives<br>
522 Valencia Street<br>
San Francisco, CA 94110<br><br>
</font><font size=3 color="#008000">415 863-9977<br><br>
</font><font size=3 color="#0000FF">
<a href="http://www.freedomarchives.org/" eudora="autourl">
www.Freedomarchives.org</a></font><font size=3> </font></body>
</html>