Democratic Socialist Perspective, http://dsp.org.au
Bolivia
Tensions and uncertainties continue to rise as what some are calling a bout of referendumitis sweeps through Bolivia.
Bolivian President Evo Morales has expressed his support for the decision by coca growers in the Chapare region of Cochabamba to expel the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and reaffirmed that he would not “kneel down before the empire”.
Below is an open letter from Bolivian President Evo Morales to the European Union, appealing to it not to adopt the racist anti-immigrant “Return Directive”, which was voted up on June 18. This is abridged from http://boliviarising.blogspot.com.
The article below, by Jean-Guy Allard, is reprinted from Cuban newspaper Granma on June 16. According to a June 18 Xinhuanet.com article, thousands of people protested outside the US embassy in La Paz, Bolivia, against the decision and demanding Carlos Sanchez Berzains extradition prompting the US to recall its ambassador to report on the situation. Bolivian President Evo Morales defended the protests, stating that the protest isnt any attack, but is the reaction of the people against US government policies, which grant asylum to genocide suspects and protect criminals.
The Bolivian government nationalised on June 2 the TR-Holdings company, which owns 50% of the stocks of the Transredes company, consolidating the process of nationalising Bolivias gas industry begun on May 1, 2006, the Bolivian News Agency (ABI) reported.
On June 1, the eastern Bolivian provinces of Beni and Pando followed the May 4 referendum in Santa Cruz, holding referendums for “autonomy” from the national government. Together with Tarija, whose “autonomy” referendum is scheduled for June 21, these four eastern provinces, known as the “half moon”, are a stronghold of the right-wing oligarchy that is attempting to destablise the government of President Evo Morales.
Bolivia may have its first-ever indigenous president, but racism is alive and well in this country, as demonstrated by the public humiliation of a group of around 50 indigenous mayors, town councillors and community leaders in the south-central city of Sucre.
Below is an abridged statement released on May 15 by participants in the Peoples Social Summit in Lima, denouncing the decision of ETI and Telecom Italia to demand that the New York State Court freeze the accounts of the National Telecommunications Company (ENTEL). This action is part of a strategy of aggression against the government of Bolivia, which has nationalised ENTEL. Visit http://boliviarising.blogspot.com for the full statement with signatures.
A new period of uncertainty has opened in Bolivia with the initiation of recall referendums for the president and prefects of Bolivias nine departments by the opposition-controlled Senate.
A day of violence, fraud and a “grand rebellion” against the Santa Cruz oligarchy.
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