Evo Morales: "The unity of Bolivia comes first"
Press conference by president of Bolivia, Evo Morales Ayma, April 22
http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2008/04/evo-morales-unity-of-bolivia-comes.html(Media-Newswire.com) - Bolivian President Evo Morales Ayma this
afternoon dismissed calls by an emerging separatist movement in the
eastern lowland Bolivian state of Santa Cruz to hold a so-called
autonomy referendum on 4 May as an "illegal" and "not very important"
move by a select group of Santa Cruz wealthy families to divide the
country.
"No real Bolivian agrees with division, but there will always be this
kind of initiative started by families that want to create obstacles,"
Mr. Morales said during a Headquarters press conference on Bolivia's
current situation, as well as today's opening at Headquarters of the
seventh session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. "Our
obligation is to maintain the unity of the country and bring about
transformation based on legality and constitutionality over and above
any sectarian interests or claims," he said, stressing that "the unity
of the country comes first".
President Morales, who took office in January 2006, said Bolivia was
undergoing a deep transformation towards democracy and the
redistribution of wealth as part of its struggle against a
500-year-old history of imperialism. "When one seeks unity and
equality and, above all, social justice, there will always be
obstacles," he said. There had been progress in the past few years,
but it would take time to make profound structural and social changes,
as well as preserve and capitalize on the country's vast natural
resources for the benefit of all Bolivians.
"What encourages me is the warmth and affection I experience when I go
to the fields and towns and when I visit and talk to people. Their
support for a social revolution is very encouraging," he said.
During the country's colonial era, the enemies of indigenous Bolivians
were the Viceroy, the Catholic Church and the upper classes, which had
a stranglehold on the nation's political, religious and financial
life, respectively, he said. While remnants of that legacy remained,
and powerful interests continued their fight to maintain control,
democracy was in fact deepening and the State was now working for the
common good. Just five years ago, Bolivians were granted the right to
a referendum on their political leaders and their future.
In 2005, under the previous administration, Bolivia earned $300
million from its hydrocarbons industry, he noted. Last year, thanks to
moves to nationalize that industry, Bolivian officials took in $1.93
billion and distributed the earnings to districts, mayor's offices,
schools and other public entities throughout the country for
socio-economic development. "We're very happy to see this because this
is the first time that the State has managed to have an effect on each
home, each family," he said.
He explained that the Morales Administration had also lowered the
legal pension age from 65 to 60, and had used 30 per cent of the
country's hydrocarbons tax revenues to close the wide pension gap so
that all Bolivians from farmers to court judges received a liveable
income upon retirement.
In an effort to implement the September 2007 United Nations
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, he said the right to
indigenous autonomy had been incorporated into the Bolivian
Constitution and work was under way to consolidate those rights
regionally.
Fielding questions from correspondents on his views of climate change,
the President also touted the indigenous tradition of communal living,
respect for Mother Earth and the end of private property as solutions
to global warming. "The concentration of land or money in a few hands
is not the solution to our problems," he said. "The day environmental
problems become so acute, you're not going to suffer less because
you're so rich or so powerful. Let's use that money to protect the
environment so that everyone will benefit."
Further, he criticized the use of farmland to produce biofuels for
automobiles, saying it was causing wheat and other food prices to rise
fast, seriously harming indigenous and very poor people worldwide.
"According to some Presidents and some transnational companies, cars
are more important than people," he said, stressing the importance of
raising international awareness to end such biofuel development.
As for the right of Bolivians to chew coca leaves, Mr. Morales said
the proposal to ban coca leaf consumption was contrary to the United
Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People. He had voiced
his complaints in a letter to the Secretary-General, calling on the
Organization to respect the merits of coca leaves and their historical
and cultural value among indigenous communities.
Regarding last year's decisions by the Fédération Internationale de
Football Association (FIFA) to ban soccer matches in La Paz because of
its high altitude and Mr. Morales' subsequent lobbying that ended that
ban, he said it was a form of discrimination against people living in
high altitudes. Soccer, like other sports, was good for one's health
and was part of integration. Bolivia was preparing a petition for the
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
(OHCHR) to address the marginalization of and discrimination against
Bolivia and to defend the universality of soccer.
Concerning charges by the Peruvian Prime Minister and others that
centres of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA) being
set up in Bolivia and Venezuela were helping to re-establish rebel
groups such as the Shining Path and Tupac Amara, Mr. Morales said that
maybe those centres destabilized empires, but not people. "What we're
looking for now in Latin America are liberating democracies," he said.
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