Bolivia - A perspective

eduardo rogriquez, the head of the bolivian supreme court and number four in line for the presidency, took the office of president late last night following the resignation of carlos mesa and the refusal of the president of the bolivian congress, vaca díez and the head of the lower house of congress, deputy mario cossío, to accept the office... today, the protests and the roadblocks of rocks and smoking tires and wood continued to cut off the city of la paz from the rest of bolivia due to the failure of protestors to achieve their main goal: the nationalization of the country's natural gas reserves... i've been saying all along, when the impoverished masses have had enough of being exploited and get pissed, look out...

Bolivia's current political crisis is largely the result of the marginalisation of the country's indigenous people, who are rightfully demanding the nationalisation of the country's natural resources and reforms of the state to recognise the country's true multicultural nature, said Roberto Stavenhagen, U.N. special rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people.

[...]

The special rapporteur, who lives much of the year in Mexico, adamantly dismissed the suggestion by U.S. intelligence reports that indigenous groups in Latin America might be considered a destabilising political and social force.

[...]

Seventy percent of Bolivia's population of 9.2 million live below the poverty line, and a similar proportion are indigenous.

The indigenous movement, trade unions and campesino groups are demanding a constituent assembly to rewrite the constitution in order to grant the country's 36 indigenous groups the right to self-determination and a greater role in decision-making.

The movement is also calling for the nationalisation of Bolivia's natural gas - the second-largest reserves in South America after Venezuela's - in a country where a mere three percent of urban homes have household gas, according to the latest census.

i'm glad someone (besides ips and me) is speaking up about the ridiculousness of the u.s. putting indigenous groups in latin america into the category of potential "terrorist threats..."

Submit To Propeller
Tweet