As Evo Morales moves ahead in opinion polls for the Bolivian presidential elections, a debate rages as to the impact he is expected make in the region. Some claim that he has been a successful advocate of indigenous rights in a country where they make up 70% of the population, while others believe he is nothing more than a populist who would send the economy down the tube. If he is elected, will he have a positive or negative net effect on Bolivia?
Wednesday, December 7, 2005
Debate: Evo Morales; a threat or a hero for indigenous rights?
As Evo Morales moves ahead in opinion polls for the Bolivian presidential elections, a debate rages as to the impact he is expected make in the region. Some claim that he has been a successful advocate of indigenous rights in a country where they make up 70% of the population, while others believe he is nothing more than a populist who would send the economy down the tube. If he is elected, will he have a positive or negative net effect on Bolivia?
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As far as I am concerned, Evo Morales is one of the most prominent Indigenist political voices anywhere and frankly I would like to see him and his party do well in that nation.
Is he anti-American? That depends on what America stands for in realtion to his country's resources and national sovereignty. After 40 years of illegal economic sanctions, coups (see: Bay of Pigs) and more than two dozen assassination attempts against Cuban leader Fidel Castro including the American-directed ouster of fellow Indian politician Hugo Chavez, who can honestly say that his opinions about the U.S. are not grounded in reality?
As far as Coca production goes, this plant is sacred to the Indigenous people Morales represents and has been so for thousands of years. The fact that North Americans and other European-based nations have an issue with the illegal use of the substance is of no concern to the Indians who use is religiously. Somewhat similar to the argument made by big tobbaco companies in the U.S. Which kills more people, coca use or smoking?
As far as his populism goes, so far he has not called for the assassination of a world leader like Pat Robertson, has not threatened the U.S. (except in terms of stopping the economic gravy train), wants to return national concerns and economic affairs back to the Indians who live there and initiate actions to return the country to its Indian origins.
The Castro comparisons don't work in this case since his primary goals are Indian rights and whatever vehicle will accomplish that end. I support him and his work to address Indigenous concerns in his nation and across the Fourth World. If only the IMF and the WB could step back and practise the democratic reform they preach so much to the rest of us.
I think it goes back to the same issue.
Should we step in or allow a person to exist? It's amazing the carisma these populist individuals have on the american left who adore them.
I think the core of the problem is: What kind of world will our children and their children be living in the next 50 years.
The problems that we have today and could have in the future are not being faced but are lost in partisan arguments.
You have the left which somehow believes in the right of sovereignty of states over Human Right abuses. And the Right which obviously will initiate the it's own course of action.
Can both sides at least agree that an increase COCA production or making full COCA production legal like Morales has said in the past would not be productive for Americas future?
I think that should be one of the top reasons we should be agaisnt this individual should he win power.
Moreover the whole Coca production industry is being lead by the FARC in Colombia with the help of Venezuela(Chavez) as a shipment point to then Cuba(Fidel) and final entry point of the US. More plant fields mean higher shipments.
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If we sit down and nothing about it except bicker for side to side, these individuals have a their own plan that they are tring to carry on.
It's goes a bit deeper than Anti-Americanism. almost an anti-moral, anti-cultural movement.
Indians chewed it among them but did not become Cartels and distribute the powder worldwide.
May be our generation has lost track and forgot what these freedoms and what our culture has provide us since 1776. Hopefully our youth wont become lost in this and will have stronger morals and convictions to follow.
Either way, Bolivia can elect whoever they want. The US ambassador's comments awhile ago that aid would be cut off if he was elected were way out of line. Democracy means that sometimes people are elected that we don't agree with.
Read the following links for a less romantic, more realist opinion on the populist, authoritarian-to-be candidate:
http://aruiznavajas.blogspot.com/2005/12/evo-morales-mas-might-be-planning-coup.html
http://mabb.blogspot.com/2005/11/chavez-connection.html
I would like to see the american left fall in love with these happenings, as they are, apparently, democracy nuts.
To finalize, i will paraphrase Mario Vargas Llosa: Evo Morales is not even indigenous, he is just another mestizo who is astute as a squirrel and is trying to achieve power under the indigenist banner.
Evo is the worst that can happen
Angryindian-
Arguing the Cuba case doesn't get you far Latin American politics. The context in which the US-Cuba conflict was born and has existed is entirely different from any other country. And I think the CIA (and other groups) have attempted more than 600 times to assassinate Castro... Also, arguing that cocaine doens't kill people and is better than tabacco is a bit narrow minded; cocaine destroys peoples lives, jsut as tabacco does, agreed, but in a way that is much more detrimental to a societies development. I don't want either to be prevalent, but given a choice i would chose tabacco.
If I were an Indigenous person living in the Altiplano I would vote for him, but I'm not and having a little bit of outside perspective tells me that this guy probably isn't going to accomplish much good in his country. But we do love democracy, so more power to him. Despite the racial makeup of Boliva or Cuba, it is impossible to compare these two, they've come to power in two entirely different worlds and have worldvisions that are very differnt.
I think this discussion would be a good time to talk about the rise of Latin American populism as a whole and the profound impacts it's going to have on the way the region functions. I would like to hope that leaders such as Morales and Chavez can empower the people and effect a positive change in the backwards politics of these Andean Nations, but I know that blaming it on whitey isn't going to get them very far, and nationalization with out proper care (which often happens) is only more detrimental to the countries resources. The year ahead promises to be an interesting one, that's all I know for sure.
It's a tough call. If he becomes president, his socialist policies will throw the economy off balance and push us back a couple of years in terms of progress. But I think the real problem lies with the people who support him. Evo is a sign of change for many, especially those who have been poor and repressed for many years. Many believe that once he becomes president things will take a 180 degree turn to favor the poor at expense of the "white wealthy" class. But what many of these people don't realize is that Bolivia is not alone in this world but it is part of a more globalized world and depends on other nations. Once he becomes president people will realize that economically speaking he has little room for change, and the very people who put him in the government will become impatient and start protesting against him, just like it has happened with previous presidents.
So I wouldn't get my hopes up on him. I think his presidency will cause much harm to the economy in the short to medium term. Socially speaking, our governemnt institutions have so many holes in it, that if anything, his reforms will increase the beurocracy and corruption levels in the government.
Eventhough EVO symbolizes change, I doubt things will change for the better, at least not in the the next seven years.
Evo's colleague, the one that said Evo would be president 'no matter what', made a huge mistake. I don't speak Quechua, but if he really said that, it gives legitimate movements a bad name.
Re-read my original post. I am not condoning coca use. I'm simply stating that if people in the U.S. are going to justify opposition to Morales over the drug issue it is wholly hypocritical. Tobacco is a highly addictive drug as well as a major health issue that costs U.S. employers and medical insurance companies billions a year. In other words, for Indians of that area coca is commonly harvested and used traditionally in comparison to America's addictive corporate-driven smoking habit.
The drug problem is an American problem, not one Bolivian Indians should really be concerned about. And in comparison to the jack-ass state of American political affairs, the U.S. is in no moral position to make any comments about another nations elections.
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