Bolivian president seeks inroads into opposition stronghold to consolidate power

[Judi Lynn]

Bolivian president seeks inroads into opposition stronghold to consolidate power
CARLOS VALDEZ, PAULA FLORES
Associated Press Writer
1:48 p.m. EDT, March 31, 2010

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Bolivian President Evo Morales seeks to take control of the last bastion of political opposition to his campaign to redistribute Bolivia's wealth and land to the indigenous majority with regional elections on Sunday.

Morales and his Movement Toward Socialism own a comfortable majority in Congress and the military's loyalty. They could soon win a friendly judiciary: Voters this year for the first time choose the nation's top justices.

But even with two-thirds of Bolivians behind him, Morales continues to be frustrated by opposition governors in the South American nation's eastern lowland states.

There the president and his allies have recruited locally famous candidates from outside party ranks — including a beloved 62-year-old state university headmaster and a 26-year-old former Miss Bolivia.

Former headmaster Carlos Cabrera, the pro-government candidate in opposition controlled Tarija state, is running as a consensus builder who can improve a troubled relationship with Bolivia's central government.

"I can guarantee that in Tarija there will be peace," he told The Associated Press. "I can be the conduit for dialogue between the president and my state."

More:
http://www.courant.com/news/nation-world/sns-ap-lt-bolivia-elections,0,7913118.story

[Peace Patriot]

1. Note the not very subtle racism and sexism in this article...

Get this...

"Political analyst Carlos Cordero says Morales, a former coca farmer union leader who grew up dirt poor, is trying to broaden his political base with untraditional candidates like Jordan.

And Morales' has made a point of promoting women to prominent posts; his Cabinet is equal parts male and female — though they tend toward middle-aged Indians in 'pollera' skirts and shawls.

Jordan, the well-traveled daughter of a British oil engineer and an affluent Bolivian mother, favors designer-casual wear and towers over most Bolivians at 5 feet 11 inches (1.75 meters)." --the Associated Pukes (from the OP)

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First of all, the second sentence makes a classic grammar error as follows: "...Morales' has made a point of promoting women to prominent posts; his Cabinet is equal parts male and female — though they tend toward middle-aged Indians in 'pollera' skirts and shawls." Ahem, the men in Morales' cabinet do NOT wear "'pollera' skirts!

But the worse crime is identifying female leaders by their age and dress--with no other ID. Not their educations, professional backgrounds, policies--nothing! Middle-aged women in "pollera" skirts. This Associated Puke also commits a sexist sin against Jordan, a Morales ally, though it is not quite as bad, since he DOES mention something of her policies and her views on government, and she was, after all, "Miss Bolivia," which invites comments on her looks and attire. I suppose the fact that she is taller than most Bolivians--is atypical of the Indigenous majority--may be noteworthy to some, but, all in all, the stress on physical appearance, especially considering the swipe at Morales' female Cabinet members, is quite typical sexism. Women have a hard enough time establishing equality and professional and personal dignity; male reporters need to be cognizant of this. And the same is true of the Indigenous in Bolivia. As late as the mid-1960s, the white minority forbade the Indigenous to walk on the sidewalks! They were excluded from full citizenship as thoroughly as black South Africans were, by apartheid, and black North Americans were, by slavery and by segregation. This RECENT history of terrible, official white racism needs to be considered when reporting on Indigenous leaders in Bolivia. The Indigenous have only recently achieved their rightful place in society and government--with very great grass roots political effort and in the midst of constant danger. Virtually every Indigenous in Bolivia has been subjected to insult, degradation and mortal fear, and women bear an additional burden of being treated as if they were idiots and worthless. To make a snickering, juvenile comment like this ("middle-aged Indians in 'pollera' skirts"), in an international article, is obnoxious and almost unbelievable, except that it is the Associated Pukes.

Is it unthinking? I don't know, but that is no excuse in a major news organization. This racist/sexist crap was passed on by editors, who obviously think that rightwing murderers and rioters and election fraudsters deserve equal billing with the most popular president on the planet, and always get their say including AP's repeat of their phrase "witch hunt" to characterize government investigation of these crimes. At least 15 Indigenous people are dead--gunned down by rightwing goons very obviously at the instigation of the white racist leaders in eastern Bolivia. A "witch hunt"? This white racist minority has held power for many decades by murder, oppression and fraud. It's about time they were investigated! And their recent crimes, including these murders, were funded and organized right out of the U.S. embassy in Bolivia, in September 2008, while the Bushwhacks were pulling off their Financial 9/11. I hope the investigation nails that U.S./Bushwhack ambassador as well.