This is an historic moment for Bolivia and all of South America. The continent has elected its first-ever indigenous president, Evo Morales: coca legalization proponent, self-proclaimed “nightmare” of Washington, and pal of Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro. And he won convincingly. Here’s a good article providing some context from the NYT.
My quick take: Evo’s election symbolizes:
1) an oppressed ethnic majority finally saying enough is enough and giving the boot to the traditional (white) elite minority ruling class;
2) the rejection of neo-liberal economic policies;
3) an example of the unintended consequences of the Bush adminstration’s hardline foreign policy. Morales might not have been elected if anti-US sentiment weren’t so high in South America these days — indeed, his campaign slogan was “‘Causachun coca, wanuchun Yanquis’ (’Long live coca, death to the Yankees’).
4 Comments
“Death to yankees”. Don’t you wish. I hope you don’t call yourself an “American.” And you label Bolivians who oppose Morales as “Nazi.” It is a fact, that Morales was chosen as union rep. for coca growers who supplied 100% of their crop for cocaine- not indigenous cultural chewing. A Morales government is by and for drug lords. Morales is also a totalitarian dictator in training under Hugo Chavez. Both are moving toward packing courts and elected legislatures with puppets or eliminating all together. Morales said he would replace an elected congress with appointees (by whom) from union and ethnic leaders. The objectives of Morales and Chavez are obvious: pacify the population with popular lies and delivery of cookie crumbs, while the dictators in power siphon off national resources and the profits of corrupt enterprises like the cocaine trade. You media elites and foolish liberals proclaim this as progress for the people.
This really is a big event for the whole continent. Morales is not the first indigenous president (Mexico had the Oaxacan Indian Benito Juarez in 1860), but the first 20th century one. I live in Mexico City and think that, given all the things that have happened in South America lately, if there is to be another clown/media figure in the government (such as Argentina’s Menem or Venezuelas’ Chavez), it is well worth it that that person should also be an Indian. They really deserve to have a country where they are substantially and formally their own leaders. Foreign policy is quite a comedy of errors these days, wouldn’t you say?
Evo Morales keeps a picture of Che Guevara in his pocket. The picture is his talisman, and also his north. Bolivia is going the Cuban way, or at least that is what Morales plans.
As a “cocalero” leader he is anti-American by definition. He has been mentored by Castro and Chavez. He wants a constitutional assembly to produce a socialist document. He also wants to nationalize all natural resources and get rid of foreign companies.
You would probably think that he is leading Bolivia to an economic crisis but he has the money to finance any extravagance, courtesy of Venezuela’s oil. Plus coca leaf production may become a major source of windfall money.
If Hugo Chavez is a headache for the US, Morales will be a migraine.
No one really knows if Evo’s plans will work. There are many different views about what their “working” would even entail. But if the Bolivian people at least feel like their leaders care about them and aren’t trying to rape the country like they have been for centuries, then that’s a step in the right direction. Having Evo become a dictator like Chavez would almost certainly not benefit the people in the long run, but a systemic change to the status quo that helps Bolivians believe in Bolivia will. The thing about democracy (remember that thing that W is always jerking himself off for spreading?) is that the people get to choose who THEY want. And in this case, Evo is their choice. So let’s see what happens.
Post a Comment