[Marxism] IMPORTANT: Manifesto to the Bolivian People from indigenous, social and popular movements

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

http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2007/09/manifesto-to-bolivian-people.html

Manifesto to the Bolivian People

Summit of the social organisations of the indigenous, originario,
campesino peoples and nations and the popular organisation of the
cities of the Bolivia


The demand for a Constituent Assembly arose as a democratic and
peaceful response by the working people, in the face of the genocide
and massacres by Banzer, Tuto Quiroga, Sanchez de Lozada, the same
ones who preferred to drown the homeland in blood or divide the
country rather that lose their class and caste privileges.

It was the democratic vote of the people which guaranteed the
convoking of the Constituent Assembly, it was the democratic vote
which elected the constituent delegates, providing space for
minorities and majorities, with the responsibility of uniting
Bolivians, ending injustices and recognising the rights of the
excluded and discriminated indigenous peoples.

That is why today, at the same time as telling Bolivia and the world
that we are here, standing up with dignity and commitment in order to
defend to Constituent Assembly, we call on all Bolivian people,
workers and business owners, indigenous peoples and mestizos, citizens
of the east and west, students, professionals, middle classes,
neighbours, house wives and young people who love our beloved homeland
to struggle, distribute, mobilise and defend the following 18
strategic points of the new Political Constitution of the State that
will guarantee the democratic unity of the homeland, equality between
people, the collective rights of the indigenous, originario, campesino
peoples, the nationalisation of natural wealth and the widening of
social rights.

1. A Unitary, Plurinational, Communitarian and Democratic State, where
all peoples, cultures, languages, have the same rights, opportunities
and are recognised in the same manner in front of the law,
institutions and society. The Plurinational Communitarian State has as
its foundation well being, and the decolonisation of the state that
for centuries has discriminated and marginalized people due to their
language, their skin colour, their surname or tradition. The
Plurinational, Communitarian and Democratic State guarantees the unity
of all Bolivians within a single and indivisible homeland, but at the
same time recognised the right of each indigenous people to preserve
their culture and tradition.

2. Plurinational Public Adminstration. All public functionaries should
know the dominant indigenous language of the region where they work so
as to be able to communicate with the peoples, the Spanish language,
to be able to communicate with the rest of the Bolivians, and a
foreign language, in order to be linked with the world.

3. A Unitary State with municipal, departmental, regional and
indigenous, originario, campesino autonomies that guarantee the unity
of the state, solidarity between regions and the democratic
decentralisation of power.

4. The Nationalisation of Natural Resources, renewable and
non-renewable, under the control and ownership of the Bolivian people.
Never again will gas, petroleum, mining resources, water, land nor
forests be the property of foreigners. All natural resources will be
the property of Bolivian, for use by Bolivians, and for the benefit of
Bolivians.

5. Sovereign Natural Resources. It is totally prohibited for non-state
organisations to directly involve themselves in the administration,
management, control and preservation of forests, parks and natural
reserves, as well as biodiversity, all of which are under the control
of the state.

6. Taxes on large fortunes. Those that have accumulated enormous
wealth should pay larger taxes for the benefit of the most needy.

7. Social and Communitarian Economy. The state will participate in the
strategic sectors of the economy. The state recognises that private
Bolivian investment is a factor in productive development, and that
foreign private investment will be subordinated to national
development plans, and that medium and small rural producers, agrarian
communities and productive associations will receive state protection,
economic support, credits, technology and infrastructure in order to
guarantee the well being of society.

8. The state respects, guarantees and protects medium and small
private property, and communitarian, cooperative and mixed property.
Private property should guarantee that it plays an effective social
function in the benefit of human beings.

9. Expropriation without indemnification of latifundio and its
immediate distribution between producers and those from the
countryside and city who are willing to produce for the benefit of
society.

10. Re-election and revocation by popular mandate of any elected
authority. Now, never again will authorities be immovable nor owners
of their positions. The people are sovereign and the people can ratify
or change their authorities when they so desire.

11. Election of all authorities of the Judicial Power to democratise,
decolonise and nationalise the justice system. Now, never again will
citizens be the objects of blackmail by a dehumanising, insensitive
and abusive justice system

12. Recognition of communitarian justice as an alternative,
complementary and ancestral form of solving differences and conflicts.

13. Racism is a grave crime against society and the state. All
manifestations, public or private expressions of racism, of exclusion
for ethnic, cultural, linguistic reasons will be criminally
sanctioned.

14. Plurinational Parliament with only one chamber guaranteeing the
same number of current representative for each department. No more
chambers of elites and privilege.

15. In the fight against corruption, the state does not recognise the
prescription of the crime and investigations can be retroactive. Widen
the power of the state to investigate fortunes.

16. All goods implicated in acts of corruption will be confiscated by
the state for the benefit of the people.

17. All Bolivian men and women, from birth until death, have the right
to health service in equal conditions.

18. Total Elimination of illiteracy

Passed on tenth day of the month of September of two thousand and seven.

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