The Marxist-Leninist Daily

Santa Cruz, Bolivia, May 2, 2008. Demonstration in support of the Evo Morales government and against a referendum on an "autonomy statute" to be held May 4. Left: "The statute divides Bolivia"; right: "No to the fascist statute."

"The Imperialist Project Is to Carve Up Bolivia and Carve Up South America"

"Bolivia is on the verge of exploding," Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez warned on April 21.

Speaking on the eve of an extraordinary summit of the Bolivarian Alternative of the Americas (ALBA -- the alliance made of Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, Bolivia and Dominica) that was partly called to discuss the situation in Bolivia, Chavez stated the landlocked Andean country was "once again under fire -- for daring to dream of retaking the path of dignity, liberty and real independence."

"The empire wants to put a brake on the integration of South America," Chavez argued, and has chosen Bolivia as its immediate target. "Today the cause of Bolivia is the cause of the dignified people of Latin America who fight for unity and liberty."

Chavez said that, "We are and will continue to be with Bolivia and we extend our hand and our heart" to the Bolivian people.

Illegal Referendum

At the heart of the latest round of tensions in Bolivia are the plans by the elite in the eastern department of Santa Cruz (a stronghold of Bolivia's oligarchy) to push ahead with a referendum on "autonomy" scheduled for May 4.

Despite the referendum being declared illegal by the national electoral court, the Santa Cruz electoral court has stated it will press ahead with the vote, which many fear is aimed at fracturing the country.

The right-wing campaign of destabilisation against the indigenous-led government of President Evo Morales -- which the referendum is one component of -- has intensified in the last few weeks.

"Leaving clear the success of the bunkering-down by the business sectors in Santa Cruz," wrote Pablo Stefanoni on April 19 in the Argentine daily Clarin, "Morales yesterday had to pull out his vice minister for land, Alejandro Almaraz, from the Bolivian Chaco."

"Days before, the functionary tried without luck to enter the hacienda of the U.S. citizen Ronald Larsen in order to verify compliance of his land in regards to its economic and social function, but was received with stones and armed picket lines, and had to take refuge in military quarters."

Stefanoni also reported that the president of the Chamber of Exporters of the East, Ramiro Monje, threatened that "after May 4, another economic model will begin to function."

Sectors of large agribusiness have been on a war footing against the government following recent moves to restrict exports of certain food products -- in order to tackle food shortages provoked by agribusiness.

While loosening some of the restrictions, Morales threatened to nationalise companies that "are provoking a bosses lockout" by enforcing a holiday on May 4.

Defending Unity

An April 24 ABI news service article reported that the commander of the Bolivian Naval Force, Vice Admiral Jose Luis Cavas Villegas, said that "we are the people in arms, in order to defend the internal security of our population, the Armed Forces are with the people behind the [national flag], we will defend unity all our lives."

Through the build-up of tensions, the position of the government, the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS -- Morales' party) and the social movements aligned with the government has oscillated between threatening to stop the referendum going ahead to dismissing it as simply an opinion poll.

For now, it seems rallies will be held on May 4 in favour of "national unity" in all capital cities -- except in Santa Cruz, in order to avoid confrontations. Nevertheless, the opposition have established "civil guards" to defend the polling booths in the department, just in case.

Since Morales' inauguration in January 2006, the economic and political elites whose power has been threatened by the rise of Bolivia's first indigenous government -- despite the impoverished indigenous people making up around two thirds of the population -- have entrenched themselves in the east of Bolivia.

'Democratic and Cultural Revolution'

As the Morales government has continued to take steps forward in his self-proclaimed "democratic and cultural revolution" -- through the nationalisation of gas, the convocation of a constituent assembly to "re-found" Bolivia and the implementation of important social programs aimed at tackling poverty and centuries of oppression -- the elite have stepped up their campaign of destablisation.

In particular, the government's land reform, which has redistributed hundreds of thousands of hectares of land owned by the state or large landowners to poor campesinos (peasants), has aroused opposition. Key leaders of the push for "autonomy" in Santa Cruz are also large landowners.

Behind the calls for autonomy are economic interests hoping to give greater power to the opposition-controlled department governments on questions of control over natural resources and productive land, the majority of which is located in the east.

Bolivia sits on top of the second largest gas reserves in South America, after Venezuela.

By pushing for autonomy the elite hopes to weaken and bring down the popular Morales government. However, their campaign is also part of laying the groundwork for a plan B -- the break up of Bolivia through the creation of an independent state in the east, taking with them the majority of Bolivia's natural resources.

Under this banner, they have also sought, successfully, to unite large sections of the predominately white population of the east against the central government. Tapping into a long held sentiment for autonomy, and whipping up racism and fears of an "indigenous revenge," they have been able to mobilise large numbers in the east around the "autonomy" demand.

A recent poll by Equipos Mora showed that in Santa Cruz, 84% of the population say they will vote in the referendum, with 76% in favour of the autonomy statutes.

Solidarity

Pointing to the declaration of solidarity and support for the people of Bolivia, approved in the ALBA summit, Chavez stated that it expressed "the will of millions of Bolivians, Nicaraguans, Cubans and Venezuelans."

During the summit, Chavez proposed the creation of a defence council and military force of the ALBA countries, "because our enemy is the same, the empire."

The declaration states that the nations in ALBA "reject the destabilisation plans that aim to attack the peace and unity of Bolivia." It stated ALBA nations would not recognise "any juridical figure that aims to break away from the Bolivian national state and violates the territorial integrity of Bolivia."

"The imperialist project," Morales said, "is to try and carve up Bolivia and with that carve up South America, because it has converted itself into the epicentre of the great changes that are advancing on the world scale."

"I believe in the consciousness of the people and the wisdom of our social forces and of the indigenous movement, and above all of the patriots that are fighting for the dignity and sovereignty of our people."

To add your name to an international statement in solidarity with Bolivia, visit http://todosconbolivia.org.

Worldwide Support for Evo Morales Government

More than 10,000 intellectuals and close to 300 organizations and institutions all over the world have condemned the conspiratorial maneuvers of oligarchic groups against the government of President Evo Morales of Bolivia.

The signatories, which include outstanding intellectuals, famous artists, eminent humanitarians, scientists and other professionals, condemn the divisive and interfering maneuvers carried out against the legitimate government of President Evo Morales.

The document rejects the so-called autonomy statute of Santa Cruz "on account of its unconstitutional nature and threat to the unity of one nation of our America."

It also urges all people of goodwill to denounce "by all means possible that divisive and destabilizing maneuver."

The text stresses how the ascent to power of an indigenous president -- with unprecedented backing in his country -- and his social programs, along with the recovery of Bolivia's natural resources, have had to confront oligarchic conspiracies and U.S. interference from the outset.

The conspiratorial escalation has reached its highest levels in recent days, according to the appeal, after adding that the subversive and anti-Constitutional actions of oligarchic groups reflect their racist and elitist mentality.

The text also emphasizes that those actions constitute an extremely dangerous precedent, "not only for the integrity of that country but also for others in our nation."

An Acid Test

While our people on May Day, the workers' day, joyfully celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the Triumph of the Revolution, and the seventieth anniversary of the creation of the CTC [Cuban Workers' Central], the sister nation of Bolivia, fully dedicated to the preservation of health, education, and ensuring the safety of all its citizens, is only a few days, perhaps hours, ahead of going through tragic events.

When we listen to the hair-raising news coming from all over the world about the shortage and prices of foodstuffs, the prices of energy, the climate change and inflation, these being problems which for the first time have emerged all at once as crucial issues, imperialism is bent on disintegrating Bolivia and submitting it to alienating work and hunger.

Four of the wealthiest departments of that country, headed by the oligarchs of Santa Cruz, hope to declare independence and, with the support of the empire, have arranged their own referendum. Meanwhile, the media have paved the way and shaped up voters' opinion by creating all sorts of illusions and deceptions.

The Armed Forces, faithful to its historic mission, in a country harassed and deprived from an access to the sea and other vital resources, do not favor Bolivia's disintegration. But the perfidiously conceived Yankee plan is to recruit some anti-patriotic sectors within the military to get rid of Evo in the interest of unity. If transnationals manage to take hold of the basic branches of production, this would be a mere formality. The imperialist motto is to punish Evo and get rid of him.

"Everyone for himself!" seems to be the cry resounding all over the world, out of lack of foresight and proper meditation about the events leading to a profound international crisis.

This will be an acid test for all Latin American governments and peoples. So it will for all of our doctors and educators who carry out their lofty and peaceful work in that country, no matter what may happen there. Should they face any risky situation, they will not abandon their patients or students.

Our Spirit of Sacrifice and the Empire's Blackmail

The first news on the case I read reached us through the Italian news agency ANSA, on April 22.

According to the article (dated April 22, La Paz), a Commission of Deputies was to investigate the case of a female Bolivian boarder student who died in Cuba, whose body was repatriated with several vital organs, including the brain, missing.

The President of the Parliament's Commission on Social Policy Guillermo Mendoza announced that he would ask the Chancery for all the case records, according to the Catholic news agency Fides.

According to the same report, the relatives of Beatriz Porco Calle, who resided in Cuba as a boarding student, filed charges claiming Cuban embassy officials had delivered her body without eyes, the tongue, teeth and other vital organs, including the brain, without offering any explanation whatsoever.

Deputy Mendoza, the article adds, said he would exhaustively review Cuban legislation on organ transplants and the commitments Bolivian boarders assume in writing before travelling to Cuba.

Spain's EFE reports similar news, adding that the family of the young woman had requested compensation from the Cuban embassy in Bolivia and, when this was denied, had threatened to go to the press.

The Bolivian foreign minister, the article concluded, opined that her parents had gone too far in demanding compensation, affirming that the government had acted in a humanitarian fashion in this case.

Anyone who observes what goes on around the world needs little else. Everything surrounding what occurred could be deduced.

Nevertheless, I inquired about the case's formalities, requested details and precise information to be able to respond to these claims of an alleged and inhuman divesting of a body. In addition to this, I requested precise reports, with exact figures, on our medical cooperation efforts in Bolivia, a country in our continent that the empire seeks to destroy.

Since Evo Morales, a native through and through, was elected President of long-suffering Bolivia, we offered him support in the areas of healthcare and education. I recall that afternoon vividly. We were convinced that, each year, we could save many thousands of lives and give back an incalculable number of people their sight and full health at no cost for the nation. An intensive and proven comprehensive literacy program was to be implemented immediately, in several languages, including the most widely-spoken: Spanish.

In Bolivia, 119 Cuban educators work to apply their experience and knowledge, with the aim of declaring the nation, in only two and a half years, an illiteracy-free country. From the very beginning, our country provided Bolivia with the teaching materials needed to take on this challenge: 30,000 21-inch television sets imported from China, the same number of VCRs, with 16,459 transformers and 2,000 photovoltaic systems (which make up an entire network used for follow-up courses taught during the day), 1,359,000 primers in Spanish, Quechua and Aymara, reading pamphlets and other materials I shall not mention so as to not make the list interminable. A part of our war reserve of solar panels was sent to Bolivia. During Evo's visit to our country a few weeks after his electoral victory, Cuba officially offered him the free transportation of these materials to Bolivia.

Venezuela, a country which had just been declared illiteracy-free following the implementation of the "Yes I Can" method, joined the program.

A total of 23,727 teaching locales were created in Bolivia. Since then, 76.6 percent of the country's illiterate population has joined the program and 62 percent of those who did not learn to read or write in primary school have already done so, and not one person has paid a cent.

It is in the field of healthcare, however, where the most intense cooperative efforts have been undertaken in the country; this is where Che and his Cuban and Latin American comrades and a young German internationalist perished. In this field, no country in the world today, and perhaps this will be true for a long time, can compete with Cuba. It is a form of free cooperation engaging the poorest nations which is, at the same time, a means of exporting services to countries around the world that have many more resources available. In Latin America and the Caribbean, particularly, we have offered these free cooperative services to the neediest countries.

A total of 1,852 Cubans arduously work in Bolivia. Of them, 1,226 are doctors, 250 specialized nurses, 119 healthcare technicians, 9 dentists, 86 professionals and technicians working in other fields and 102 selected individuals committed to offering vital services of different sorts, required by the Cuban brigades and their hospitalized patients there.

Cuba's medical brigade is working in 215 municipalities of Bolivia's 9 departments, treating people of modest means and anyone who requests their services. They have the best equipment, donated by our country, at their disposal. In 18 ophthalmologic surgery positions, 186,508 patients have been operated on. Well over 130,000 patients can be operated on a year.

Our doctors have treated in their outpatient cabinets nearly 12,000,000 patients since they first arrived in Bolivia. The number of lives saved can only be determined through calculations for, as a rule, these patients did not receive any kind of attention prior to their arrival.

Perhaps the most significant aspect of our medical cooperation efforts is the training of 5,291 young Bolivians who currently study medicine in Cuba, 621 of them at the Latin American School of Medicine, which has seen three graduations with excellent results, and 4,670 in the new program. I am not exaggerating when I say that the relatives of the young people who study this specialty in our country are the firmest and most combative friends of Cuba in Latin America, including, of course, Bolivia.

The 22-year-old student Beatriz Porco Calle the cable refers to held passport number 5968246. She was from the department of Oruro, Samara province, in the Curahuara de Carangas municipality, a rural community in Toypicollana. She was a native and an Adventist Christian. She was faring satisfactorily in her second year of medical studies, at the Miguel Sandarán Corzo School of Medicine in Matanzas.

On March 6, she suddenly lost consciousness in her dorm's bathroom. The doctors and teachers decided to take her immediately to the provincial hospital. The physical examination did not reveal anything that could explain the causes of this, nor did the laboratory and other tests, including a computerized axial tomography. She had a good recovery and was discharged. She experienced headaches and bouts of dizziness a short time later. New medical exams were conducted. She felt stressed. She was administered the medication used for such conditions. On March 23, at 7:30 p.m., she again lost consciousness. She was once again taken to the emergency ward by a professor, then to intensive care, where, prior to her death, she was diagnosed with what is known as brain death.

Bolivia's Foreign Ministry and ambassador were contacted. They prepared the documentation needed to transport the body, which travelled nearly one week later, on the 28th.

The body was taken to the National Legal Medicine Institute, which is bound by law to conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of death. The relevant formalities were rigorously observed. The student's boyfriend and other classmates collected her belongings and sealed her suitcases. At the school, a mass was held on March 31. The Institute's diagnosis and I quote, was the following: "Death due to endocranial hypertension, hemorrhagic brain-vascular disease caused by a congenital cerebellous meningeal vascular malformation." In this case, the extraction of the visceral block and the taking of pertinent samples proved unavoidable.

A teacher from the medical school accompanied the body to Bolivia and delivered it to her relatives. Cuba's medical mission assumed the costs of transportation to her place of origin and funeral expenses.

It is hard for me to write about this, but it is even harder to read cables, carrying around the world the image of a body divested of its organs, cables which oblige Cuba to offer this kind of explanation.

What has occurred is crystal clear. The empire needs to besmirch the truths about Cuba it cannot tolerate. It instigates and encourages relatives to demand compensation. They foster such action, as we can see in one of the cables, and disseminate across the world the repugnant lie through a member of parliament and the Fides news agency. Then, it sets its devastating media machinery in motion.

In our country -- I do not hesitate to say this -- there are insensitive people, knowing very little about what goes on around them, who quickly and mindlessly say that "we should not help Bolivia." They will never understand that, both in politics and in the revolution, the alternative to a mistaken or misguided strategy is defeat.

Lugo Pledges to Serve His Country

Fernando Lugo, winner of the Paraguayan general elections, says he will take power on August 15 with commitment and faith to serve his people. Called the "Bishop of the poor," Lugo showed his religious motivations since he was very young, entering at the age of 19 in the Novitiate of Missionaries of the Divine Word, in 1971. Two years later he professed his vows and in 1977 received a degree in religious sciences.

At that date, Lugo traveled to Ecuador to work as a missionary in the Diocese of the Andean province of Bolivia, where he associated with the poorest classes and learned Liberation Theology.

He returned to Paraguay in 1982 and as a teacher assistant in the Divine Word College, and 12 months later traveled to Rome, Italy to study Spirituality and Sociology, and specialized in Social Doctrine.

Four years later, he returned to his country to fulfil several functions, among them as a professor of the Higher Institute of Theology of Asuncion and the Doctrinal Commission of the Paraguayan Episcopal Conference and the team of Theological Reflection of the Latin American Episcopal Council.

From 1992 to 1994 Lugo held other posts until April 17 when he was ordained a bishop of the Diocese of San Pedro, one of the poorest regions of Paraguay, where he supported rural and indigenous struggles in defense of the land.

On March 29, 2006, he led a rally in this capital with over 40,000 people to protest President Nicanor Duarte's maneuvers for re-election, which is prohibited by the Paraguayan Constitution.

Lugo resigned from the Episcopalian Ministry in December 2006, and before concluding the month entered political life for the 2008 polls, where he was postulated by the Christian Democratic Party.

The Patriotic Alliance for Change emerged on September 18, 2007 from the National Agreement, which launched him to the candidature as president of Paraguay.

Paraguayan Election Could Tip the Scale
Towards Venezuela

Sunday's presidential election in Paraguay, which has brought former Catholic Bishop Fernando Lugo to power, stands to shake up Paraguay's politics and could even exert an impact upon the course of wider hemispheric integration. Lugo focused on social inequality during his campaign, questioning why "there are so many differences between the 500 families who live with a first-world standard of living while the great majority live in a poverty that borders on misery." The former cleric, who says that he has some affinity with socialism, wants to institute land reform and to re-establish Paraguay's energy sovereignty.

As a politician and orator, Lugo would seem to differ somewhat from firebrand Hugo Chávez or Rafael Correa of Ecuador. The former Bishop stresses cooperation and dialogue rather than confrontation. He reportedly has an uncanny ability to bring people together who don't trust one another.

During a recent trip to Washington, Lugo assured the State Department that he was not like Hugo Chávez because he, unlike the Venezuelan leader, was a religious man. The future Paraguayan President remarked, "I am not of the left, nor of the right. I'm in the middle as a candidate sought by my people."

The Paraguayan moreover criticized Chávez's decision not to renew the broadcast license of Radio Caracas Television, a station which served as a hotbed of the Venezuelan opposition. In an interview, Lugo remarked that in Venezuela, there were "elements conspiring to attack the strengthening of public freedoms." Under Chávez, Lugo added, Venezuela had pursued a political model which was "dangerous for a real democracy," and "totally at the service of one person."

On the campaign trail, Lugo was dogged by relentless accusations that he was receiving money from Chávez, a charge he has vehemently denied. "It's part of a dirty campaign against me. None of this is true", he insisted.

Despite his close affinity with Paraguay's Guaraní Indians, Lugo has likewise sought to distance himself from Bolivia's indigenous President Evo Morales. "Individual leaders," he has said, "can cause polarization, as I believe is happening in Bolivia. I don't believe in creating a polarized society." "I will not be a Paraguayan Morales," he adds. "Paraguay will have to pursue its own political destiny."

On the other hand, some of Lugo's other comments may have raised eyebrows in Washington. He has praised the Venezuelan "experiment" for its positive social accomplishments, as well as "the better distribution of wealth for the benefit of the poor majority." Furthermore, Lugo supports Chávez's land reform program and calls the Venezuelan leader's 21st-century socialism "interesting," and "very stimulating."

Lugo believes the U.S. should keep its distance from the political transformation now sweeping through South America. "I don't think the United States has any choice but to accept these changes," he has said.

Lugo's Paraguay: What Impact on South American Integration?

Hoping to undercut Chávez and his appeal, the U.S. has sought to cut free trade deals with individual South American countries. Unfortunately for Washington, Lugo has already stated that he has no intention of signing on to such an agreement as President. Historically, Paraguay has not played a very significant role in regional affairs. In the midst of South America's Pink Tide and shift towards the left however, the country has taken on new geopolitical importance.

In an era of reduced U.S. influence, it's now Brazil and Venezuela that are vying for the allegiance of smaller countries like Paraguay. Traditionally, Paraguay has formed part of Brazil's geopolitical orbit but the relationship has recently come under strain.

Some of the friction has to do with Mercosur, a South American trade bloc. Paraguay has been a long time member of the group, while Brazil constitutes the most important economic hub. However, Paraguayans have been chafing under Brazilian influence. They charge that Brazil has bullied them by slapping crippling export restrictions upon Paraguay. As a result, Paraguay's trade deficit has skyrocketed.

Lugo has said that he would keep Paraguay within Mercosur, but he sees the bloc as "inadequate" because it lacks a firm commitment to social and economic equity. Mercosur is unfair, he adds, because Brazil has registered greater economic growth than smaller countries.

Though the debate may sound Byzantine or obscure, it strikes at the heart of dramatic geopolitical currents shaping South America today. At stake is nothing less than the contours of future hemispheric integration and the social and economic future for millions of the region's poor.

Venezuela's Chávez says that Mercosur is a backward and ossified model for economic development. However, he has sought to bring Venezuela into Mercosur and hopes to subvert the bloc from within, presumably by shifting the entity's focus from free trade to more equitable, reciprocal trade. However, Venezuela's bid to join Mercosur has still not been ratified by Brazil, a country which has a more market-based vision of the future than the avowedly socialist Chávez.

Paraguay too has failed up until now to ratify Venezuela's bid. Lugo has been coy about his intentions towards the issue, but he could play a key role now in helping Venezuela join the trade bloc. With a left of center government in power in Asunción, the center of political gravity within Mercosur could tilt a little towards Chávez.

The Politics of Hydro-Power

In other key respects, a Lugo presidency could shift geopolitical momentum away from Brazil and towards Venezuela. One issue which has rankled relations between tiny Paraguay and Brazil has been hydropower. To the chagrin of Brasilia, Lugo seems determined to follow in the footsteps of Hugo Chávez by pursuing a policy of resource nationalism.

Under Stroessner, Paraguay built the largest hydroelectric power plant in the world located in Itaipu. Though Itaipu, as well as the subsequently built Yacyretá Dam displaced tens of thousands of Paraguayans from their homes without any restitution, it greatly increased economic growth.

Itaipu, which is operated jointly with Brazil, is now at the center of a political firestorm in Paraguay. The dam is hugely important within the region, providing a full 20% of Brazil's electrical power. But Lugo has declared that the contract agreed to between his country and Brazil is unfair. Currently, Paraguay is obliged to sell Brazil its surplus electricity from Itaipu at prices far below those set by the market. Lugo wants Brazil to pay more.

The Paraguayan President also wants a greater energy surplus from the dam. Currently Paraguay uses much less than half the energy from the dam while Brazil takes the rest. Paraguay would like to trade more energy so as to generate much needed income. To the dismay of President Lula in Brasilia, Lugo has said that he would like to alter the current energy accord. Such a move however would surely result in a great shortage of energy distribution to the Brazilian south and southeast.

When he talks about hydropower, Lugo strikes a nationalist chord: under his leadership, the President elect has said, Paraguay won't "fall into submission to any other bigger country.'' Lugo says that he is even prepared to take Brazil to the World Court in The Hague if necessary.

Paraguay, which historically has not had much of a political voice on the South American stage, now has a unique opportunity to tip the geopolitical scale towards Venezuela. Up until recently the international media ignored Paraguay. That could change now however with the rise of the country's new Bishop President.

* Nikolas Kozloff is the author of Revolution! South America and the Rise of the New Left (Palgrave-Macmillan).

"The Imperialist Project Is to Carve Up Bolivia and Carve Up South America"

"The Imperialist Project Is to Carve Up Bolivia and Carve Up South America"

Illegal Referendum

Defending Unity

'Democratic and Cultural Revolution'

Solidarity

Worldwide Support for Evo Morales Government

An Acid Test

Our Spirit of Sacrifice and the Empire's Blackmail

Lugo Pledges to Serve His Country

Paraguayan Election Could Tip the Scale Towards Venezuela

Lugo's Paraguay: What Impact on South American Integration?

The Politics of Hydro-Power

Paraguayan Election Could Tip the Scale
Towards Venezuela