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NEWS & LETTERS, NOVEMBER 2003Mass revolt topples Bolivia's rulerThroughout the month of October the miners, peasants, farmers, students and teachers of Bolivia engaged in massive street protests and strikes that succeeded in bringing down the government of President Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada on Oct. 17. Over the past several years the Bolivian government has privatized the natural resources of the country, especially the natural gas and oil industry. Most recently the government has tried to permit foreign corporations to export Bolivia’s natural gas through a Chilean port. The gas is to then go to Mexico for processing and will end up being consumed in the U.S., where it will benefit U.S. business interests. Bolivian workers insist that natural gas is a national patrimony and that it should instead be used to industrialize Bolivia and provide more jobs for the people. For decades U.S. corporations have amassed huge profits from the natural resources of Bolivia--as seen in the exploitation of Bolivia’s tin industry. While oil and natural gas long ago supplanted tin mining as Bolivia’s major export, the overwhelming majority of its people continue to live in extreme poverty. CHALLENGING NEO-LIBERALISM In September Bolivian workers moved to take history into their own hands by insisting that the government reverse the privatization of the natural gas industry and end the entire neo-liberal policy that has been in effect since the mid-1980s. A main architect of that policy is Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada himself, who was a Finance Minister in the mid-1980s. From then until becoming president, he repeatedly declared there is no alternative to the “free” market and globalization. In addition to demanding de Lozada’s resignation, many other demands have been raised in the course of these largely spontaneous protests--from rolling back the fees imposed on water use to providing higher salaries for teachers and adequately funding schools to respecting the rights of the indigenous peoples. Throughout October workers blocked highways around the country and the trade union confederation called for a general strike. The protests, which began in the capital, La Paz, soon spread to such key areas as Cochabamba and Santa Cruz. Large numbers of people have also formed their own neighborhood committees and block associations. Almost all stores, businesses and schools have been forced to close by the protests and the means of transportation have been largely shut down. Most important, many workers have begun to take control of factories, mines and farms during the upsurge. Two-thirds of the nation has been paralyzed. The road leading to the presidential palace was blocked by protesters and de Lozada was forced to remain in his private residence under heavy armed guard. The government sent military troops and the police to repress the protests. They have so far killed 87 protesters. The hospitals are filled with the injured and dead. There are reports that U.S. soldiers and diplomatic attachés stationed in Bolivia have taken part in directing attacks against the protesters. Despite the violent repression, the protests only increased in size. Several military officials from both the higher and lower ranks have refused to shoot into the crowds. Serious divisions are emerging between the military and government officials. This resulted in the resignation of President de Lozada on Oct. 17, whereupon he immediately caught a plane to the U.S. De Lozada has been replaced for now by the Vice President, Carlos Mesa. Mesa says that he is willing to accept some of the demands of the people, but union leaders and progressive organizations--which includes the Movement for Socialism, led by Evo Morales, and Felipe Quispe, leader of the massive indigenous rights movement--say it is too late to negotiate. They are demanding that government officials resign and not be allowed to leave the country so that they can be tried for crimes against the people. Luis Quispi stated on Oct. 18 in response to Mesa’s calls for negotiations: “We are going to continue the blockades. We are not going to be with the executive, we are always going to be the opposition.” The revolt of the Bolivian workers has proven how powerful is the dialectic of the masses and how a mass movement can bring profound changes to society. They have shown that it is possible for working people to establish a different economic system through their own committees and forms of self-governance. The counter-revolution is watching these events very closely. The U.S. embassy is giving full support to Mesa’s government, just as it earlier fully supported de Lozada, and it has warned that it will not tolerate any kind of radical departure from government policies. --Marcos |
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