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Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2006 17:41:11 +1000
From: "Fred Fuentes" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
X-ASG-Orig-Subj: BOLIVIA: Pro-business 'strike targets Morales
Subject: BOLIVIA: Pro-business 'strike targets Morales
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http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2006/684/684p16.htm
BOLIVIA: Pro-business 'strike' targets Morales
Federico Fuentes
Reporting in La Epoca, Daniela Otero wrote of the September 8
"pro-autonomy" strikes across Bolivia's four eastern departments
(Santa Cruz, Tarija, Beni and Pando): "The government and the
leaderships of the civic committees with the conservative parties
confronted each other, in a week that finished as one of the first
battles for effective control of power.
"They did it in a day of regional stoppage marked by an elevated
participation, as well as street scuffles and provocations, from both
sides; one side demanded the respect of minorities in the Constituent
Assembly and the others defended the governing party that insisted in
utilising its majority of votes to approve the new constitution."
Otero noted that groups from the Crucenista Youth Union (UJC)
renowned for racist provocations against unarmed campesinos (peasants)
and indigenous demonstrators "were mobilised by the civic committees
to guarantee that the stoppage was effective".
Claiming that the strike was a success, the bloc opposing the
government of left-wing President Evo Morales, involving the
pro-business civic committees, business federations, and the
right-wing parties PODEMOS and the Nationalist Revolutionary Movement,
along with the institutions of the opposition-controlled prefectures,
have threatened more radical measures if the government does not
change its current "totalitarian" course.
They will meet on September 18 to discuss their next moves, but have
already talked about measures ranging from a follow-up 48-hour strike
to the possibility of forming a parallel constituent assembly to draft
a constitution to present to the eastern departments, raising fears of
a possible division of the country.
Since mid-2004, the pro-business Santa Cruz civic committee has been
stoking regionalist sentiments in order to mobilise opposition to the
powerful indigenous-based movements of the Andean west.
However, there was significant resistance to the anti-government
stoppage from within the east. This reflected that despite a
resounding "yes" vote for autonomy in the east, Morales's Movement
Towards Socialism (MAS) won the highest vote of any parties in Santa
Cruz and Tarija in the July 2 Constituent Assembly elections.
While the centres of department capitals were desolate, as businesses
locked out workers and the UJC enforced the stoppage, in the poor
neighbourhoods surrounding Santa Cruz's capital and in the rural areas
many did not adhere to the stoppage. In areas heavily populated by
local indigenous peoples, as well as those who have migrated from the
west seeking a livelihood, the stoppage was almost non-existent.
Significantly, the stoppage did not go ahead in the indigenous region
of Chaco, which straddles Santa Cruz and Tarija and sits on 80% of
Bolivia's gas.
The strike came after disagreements over the Constituent Assembly. The
pro-business opposition claims that the law of convocation for the
assembly means all decisions should be made by a two-thirds majority,
which in practice would give them a veto over any new constitution.
On the other hand, MAS, which won over 50% of the delegates, argues
that each article should be voted on by simple majority and that only
the final text should be approved by two-thirds of the assembly,
before going to a referendum. (If after three attempts a two-thirds
majority could not be reached, the draft would go directly to a
referendum.)
The opposition fears the possibility of MAS "constitutionalising" the
dramatic changes it has made in its first eight months of government.
Seeking to "re-found" Bolivia through the Constituent Assembly, the
indigenous and campesino movements that are the backbone of MAS are
pushing for the creation of a single "pluri-national" state that will
place control of the country's natural resources in the hands of the
state and indigenous peoples.
On September 12, Morales commented that "the strikes have been aimed
at the policies of Evo Morales, against the nationalisation of
hydrocarbons, against the constituent assembly, against the new land
policies, against the agrarian reforms". He stated that there was
clear evidence of a plot to destabilise his government and its project
of change for Bolivia.
ABI reported on September 12 that Alex Contreras, a spokesperson for
the government, recounted that after Morales became president, members
of the Military High Command revealed that a meeting had taken place
between business owners, political parties and representatives of the
departmental institutions to "define" a new system of government,
because "they were certain that the Morales presidency would not last
more than 3 months".
Morales lashed out at the US government, arguing that Washington "does
not accept our struggle and is trying to conspire against us". He
added, "The popular movement, the indigenous and campesino movement
has been strengthened and is organised in order to resist". One
reflection of this is that in Santa Cruz and Cochabamba popular civic
committees have begun to take form, parallel to the existing civic
committees and aiming to challenge their influence.
Additionally, a number of campesino and indigenous organisations from
the east have declared that they will initiate an indefinite blockade
of the city of Santa Cruz beginning on September 20.
From Green Left Weekly, September 20, 2006.
Michael A. Lebowitz
Professor Emeritus
Economics Department
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby, B.C., Canada V5A 1S6
Currently based in Venezuela. Can be reached at
Residencias Anauco Suites
Departamento 601
Parque Central, Zona Postal 1010, Oficina 1
Caracas, Venezuela
(58-212) 573-4111
fax: (58-212) 573-7724
