[Marxism] Battle in Bolivia's Constituent Assembly heats up plus more

["Fred Fuentes" <fred.fuentes@xxxxxxxxx>]

[For those interested in keep up to date on Bolivia constituent
assembly you can subscribe to the regular updates to Bolivia Rising
here (roughly an email very one to three days) or email
boliviarising[at]gmail.com to get the weekly summary. For a taste of
the weekly summary see below..... i will stop posting them to the list
from now on]


The latest issue of Bolivia Rising

1) Introduction
As the different commissions within the Constituent Assembly begin to
present their findings, the determination of Bolivia's indigenous
people's and their political instrument, Movement Towards Socialism -
Popular Instrument for the Sovereignty of the Peoples (MAS-IPSP), to
truly refound a new Bolivia is becoming even more clearer. This has
lead to renewed threats by the right wing opposition to walk out of
the assembly and confront the social movements on the streets.

In this newsletter, Bolivia Rising hopes to begin to bring its readers
more information about what is occuring inside the halls of the
assembly and on the streets, in this battle for Bolivia's future. We
hope to continue this coverage over the next weeks and months and
greatly appreciate any submissions, translations or suggestions to
help keep supporters of Bolivia's indigenous revolution informed.

This newsletter we have articles from Green Left Weekly and Stratfor
which give a feel for the recent events in the assembly. We also bring
translations of MAS' proposal coming out of the Vision of the Country
commission for the first few articles of the constitution as well as
statements, articles and interviews from MAS and indigenous movement
representatives. We also provide an interesting interview with Jorge
Lazarte, weel-known Bolivian political commentator, and who was
elected a delegate with the centre-right National Unity ticket.

Two articles, one from Bolivian weekly Pulso regarding an extremely
important new document "El estade del estado en Bolivia", and one from
The Economist provide some broader analysis of the situation in
Bolivia, whilst a longer piece by Roberto Albro gives a sense of the
nature and dynamics of the current indigenous rebellion. A video of a
speech by the author of some of the most important books on Bolivia
history available in English, James Dunkerley entitled "Evo Morales
and the Third Bolivian Revolution" is also available.

Finally we publish another important document from ASOFAC, Association
of Relatives of those who Died in Defense of the Gas and Comité
Impulsor, the coordinating committee of various Bolivian civil society
groups and associations demanding that Goni be put on trial for the
September and October 2003 massacres, to keep readers up to date on
the latest with the campaign to bring Goni to trial.

Enjoy

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2) The battle for Bolivia's future, Federico Fuentes, Green Left
Weekly  
http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2007/06/battle-for-bolivias-future.html
3) Bolivia: The Opposition's Dwindling Options, Stratfor
http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2007/06/bolivia-oppositions-dwindling-options.html
4) For a United, Plurinational, Communitarian State and the
self-determination of the originaria nations, indigenous peoples and
campesinos, Movement Towards Socialism report from Vision of the
Country commission
http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2007/06/for-united-plurinational-communitarian.html
5) MAS senator – Why do they fear indigenous autonomy?
http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2007/06/mas-senator-why-do-they-fear-indigenous.html
6) Unity Pact - "We are going to defend indigenous autonomies until
the last consequence, because it is our right", La Razon
http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2007/06/we-are-going-to-defend-indigenous.html
7) MAS looks to "accommodate" mestizos, El Deber,
http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2007/06/mas-looks-to-accommodate-mestizos.html
8) Jorge Lazarte - "The constitution which president Evo Morales is
promoting opens the path to secession"
http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2007/06/constitution-which-president-evo.html
9) An emerging common sense, Pulso
http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2007/06/emerging-common-sense.html
10) Evo & Chavez: Friends, not clones, The Economist
http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2007/06/evo-chavez-friends-not-clones.html
11) James Dunkerley - Evo Morales and the Third Bolivian Revolution
http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2007/06/james-dunkerley-evo-morales-and-third.html
12) The Culture of Democracy and Bolivia's Indigenous Movements,
Robert Albro, Part I
http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2007/06/culture-of-democracy-and-bolivias.html
 Part II 
http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2007/06/culture-of-democracy-and-bolivias_13.html
13) Fighting Against over Three Years of Impunity: Formal Charges Now!
Bring Goni to Trial! ASOFAC and Comité Impulsor
http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2007/06/fighting-against-over-three-years-of.html

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2) The battle for Bolivia's future

Federico Fuentes, 15 June 2007

The breaking of a six-month deadlock in Bolivia's constituent assembly
has paved the way for the opening of an intense debate on the future
of this politically polarised country nestled in the heart of South
America. Beginning to lose the battle within the halls of the
assembly, the right-wing opposition has threaten to take the fight
onto the streets, announcing that it may reject any new constitution
that emerges out of the body.... read the rest at
http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2007/06/battle-for-bolivias-future.html

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3) Bolivia: The Opposition's Dwindling Options

Stratfor, June 13, 2007

Summary

Bolivia's ruling Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) appears to have
gathered enough third-party votes to push a reconfiguration of
Bolivia's political structure through committee in the South American
country's Constitutional Assembly. The provisions would grant
political control over large swathes of land and natural resources to
indigenous groups -- while simultaneously denying the wealthy Media
Luna region's demand for a system that provides departmental autonomy
only. As the main opposition party, Podemos, loses its ability to
block MAS' demands, the region could be left with no option other than
street protests and quitting the assembly...... read the rest at
http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2007/06/bolivia-oppositions-dwindling-options.html

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4) For a United, Plurinational, Communitarian State and the
self-determination of the originaria nations, indigenous peoples and
campesinos

Movement Towards Socialism, June 5, 2007-05-08

Vision of the Country commission majority report

Preamble

The Bolivian people, with its plural composition, expressed in the
entirety of Bolivians, pertaining to urban communities made up
ofdifferent social classes and the indigenous peoples, originario
nations, campesino, and intercultural and Afro-Bolivian peoples, have
manifested their will to reconstruct the identities of the indigenous
nations and peoples whose historic and cultural pre-existence has
suffered from a permanent exclusion during colonial and republican
life, having had ignored their rights to ancestral territories,
institutions, judicial systems, politics, languages and culture.


On the other side, the economic and social inequalities have deepened
the differences and social injustices, institutionalising a political
and judicial system which has excluded the great majority.

Because of this, the valiant Bolivian people have conformed a
Constituent Assembly to which it has given the mandate to "refound
Bolivia" and construct a state based on the principals of sovereignty,
dignity, complementarity, solidarity, harmony and equality in
distribution and redistribution of the social product, where the
common good predominates in the search to "live well; of respect for
economic, social, judicial, political and cultural diversity of all
its inhabitants; generating collective well being, with healthcare,
work, education and housing for all....... read the rest at
http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2007/06/for-united-plurinational-communitarian.html

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5) MAS senator – Why do they fear indigenous autonomy?

Carlos Cuasase Surubi, MAS senator, June 14

The historic agenda of the originario, indigenous peoples of Bolivia
is self-determination within the already constituted Bolivian state.
International legal instruments, such as the Convention 169 of the
International Labour Organisation and the United Nations Declaration,
whose final text was approved mid last year and which has to be
ratified by the General Assembly, recognise this right for all
indigenous peoples of the world.

We, the indigenous peoples of the lowlands, who initiated the struggle
for the Constituent Assembly and who marched in favour of it in the
year 2002, cannot allow this historic opportunity to pass by, so that
at least those rights, already universally recognised, become part of
the new constitution.... read the rest at
http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2007/06/mas-senator-why-do-they-fear-indigenous.html

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6) Unity Pact - "We are going to defend indigenous autonomies until
the last consequence, because it is out right"

La Razon, June 13

The autonomy model that the MAS majority is proposing in the
Constituent Assembly opens the possibility of constructing autonomous
indigenous governments, parting from the recognition of their
ancestral territories or other geographical spaces occupied by them,
all within the framework of a plurinational state.

In order to concretise this objective, those that support MAS are
working in two areas: the debate in the Constituent Assembly and
pressure in the streets, the first under the control of its majority
bloc of assembly delegates and the second headed by the Unity Pact, an
organisation that groups together campesino and indigenous
groups...... read the rest at
http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2007/06/we-are-going-to-defend-indigenous.html

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7) MAS looks to "accommodate" mestizos

El Deber, May 29

The Movement Towards Socialism decided in Cochabamba to further
include mestizos in its project for the Political Constitution of the
State in order to make agreements with the opposition possible and to
win support for its presidential re-election campaign. According to
the explanation given by Raúl Prada, one proof of the desire to be
more inclusive of mestizos is that the definition of plural
sovereignty has been modified..... read the whole at
http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2007/06/mas-looks-to-accommodate-mestizos.html

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8) Lazarte - "The constitution which president Evo Morales is
promoting opens the path to secession"

Interview with Jorge Lazarte, constituent assembly delegate in Bolivia

Joaquim Ibarz, La Paz, La Vanguardia 22-05-07

The constitution that Evo Morales is promoting opens the path to the
break up of the country. The fundamental line of his proposal is a new
indigenist constitution that aims to declare the state plurinational,
converting the cultural-ethnic groups into plurinations. The president
has opened up a Pandora's box, "half the population will not recognise
themselves in this constitution", signalled Jorge Lazarte, independent
constituent assembly delegate. A well-respected political scientist in
Bolivia, Lazarte explains that the constitution has been deadlocked
for ten months. With only 70 days to go to present the new text, only
a few innocuous environment articles have been approved..... read the
rest at  
http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2007/06/constitution-which-president-evo.html

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9) An emerging common sense

Pulso, June 11

One of the central ideas in the report The state of the state in
Bolivia is that behind all the polarising visions and practises, a new
"common sense" is emerging which is uniting a great part of the
population, more so than region, social class or ethno-cultural
identification. This common sense, understood as a set of ideas,
representations and aspirations, arises out of long-term social
imaginary. Its actors are millions of citizens, who comprise around
70% of the population, and are standing up and putting forward a
vision of intercultural coexistence and social and economic equality.
The state is perhaps the most important actor in the construction and
affirmation of common sense because it reflects the complexities and
pluralism of the actual society. Five pillars make up this emerging
common sense.... read the rest at
http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2007/06/emerging-common-sense.html

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10) Evo & Chavez: Friends, not clones

Jun 7th 2007, The Economist

.......Many of Mr Morales's gestures in the 17 months since he took
office as Bolivia's first-ever elected president of Andean Indian
descent have been more divisive. His most popular policy, the
nationalisation of oil and gas, has irritated foreign governments and
investors. The "democratic revolution" he promises—a transfer of
wealth and power from Bolivia's white and mestizo (mixed race) elite
to the mainly Andean Indian poor—alarms the prosperous eastern
provinces. He calls the media the "main adversary" of his government
and wants to hold them accountable to the people. On June 5th the
judiciary staged a one-day strike to counter a presidential assault on
its independence..... read the whole article at
http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2007/06/evo-chavez-friends-not-clones.html

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11) James Dunkerley - Evo Morales and the Third Bolivian Revolution

James Dunkerley discusses Evo Morales and the Third Bolivian
Revolution at the School of Advanced Study at the University of
London. Dunkerley is the author of the seminal history of Bolivia
Rebellion in the Veins: Political Struggle in Bolivia, 1952-1982
(1984). He is Director of the Institute for the Study of the Americas,
School of Advanced Study, University of London. He is also Professor
of Politics at Queen Mary. See his speech here
http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2007/06/james-dunkerley-evo-morales-and-third.html

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12) The Culture of Democracy and Bolivia's Indigenous Movements

Robert Albro

Abstract - This article describes the participation of Bolivia's
indigenous movements in encompassing popular protest coalitions of the
last five years. Pointing to the importance of cultural heritage in
current social movement efforts to revitalize Bolivian democracy, this
argument examines the importance of the 'terms of recognition' in the
negotiation of the very meaning of democratic participation, between
the traditional political class and popular protesters, but also
within protesting coalitions. As both indigenous and popular
traditions of struggle increasingly make common cause, Bolivia's
indigenous movements are providing the cultural resources that frame
the terms of popular protest. At the same time, the terms of
indigenous identity are also changing form, becoming more available to
growing urban-indigenous and non-indigenous popular social sectors now
willing to claim or reclaim an indigenous heritage. This article also
explores key transnational and national networks now involved in this
transformation of the terms of indigenous cultural heritage, making it
the basis of an alternative democratic public in Bolivia....read Part
1 at  
http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2007/06/culture-of-democracy-and-bolivias.html
Part II at  
http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2007/06/culture-of-democracy-and-bolivias_13.html

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13) Fighting Against over Three Years of Impunity: Formal Charges Now!
Bring Goni to Trial!

ASOFAC and Comité Impulsor, June 12

Three years and seven months have passed since the first official
charge was made against Gonzalo "Goni" Sánchez de Lozada and his
accomplices. More than 900 days of investigation have been carried out
since Congress authorized the trial against the ex-President. Goni and
his accomplices have put up obstacles every step of the way, but we
have moved forward. Soon at least a few of those responsible for the
massacres will be imprisoned. But for this to happen, the Attorney
General of the Republic must present the file the formal charges on
June 29, 2007... read the rest at
http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2007/06/fighting-against-over-three-years-of.html

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