| Situations: July 24 - Aug. 18 - Sept. 17 - Nov. 23 |
The Situation:
Banzer Steps Down;
Peace Returns to the Altiplano
Copyright: Jim Ciotti, 2001
August 19, 2001
Much has happen in Bolivia. A few days before the Campesino’s July 31st deadline, the Banzer government (the ruling Acción Nacional Democratica party) finally relented; the ailing General Banzer would step down and Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga would assume power. This had little to do with the government's respect for constitutional processes. It had little choice. It had attempted to cover up the gravity of General Banzer’s illness and tried to prevent Quiroga, the vice-president, from assuming power. With only weak support to start with, once this was made known, the outcry against the government grew daily. By late July, even business leaders, first in Cochabamba and then in the rest of the nation, had fallen into step. Banzer must go – he was, after all, incapacitated in a hospital that was not even on the same continent as Bolivia – as per the Constitution, the vice president must replace him. Thus, Banzer announced his resignation – he would fly to Sucre where he would officially resign before a special session of the legislature held on the Bolivian Independence Day, August 6th. No doubt, Sucre was chosen because Banzer was too frail to handle La Paz’s higher altitude.
With this, the campesino protest movement lost momentum. The government and the campesino leaders talked; the talks came to nothing. But worse yet, the talks were meaningless; a new government was a week away. Furthermore, Jorge Queroga is thought to be capable, honest, hardworking, and progressive – why not wait to see what he would do? The protesters extended the truce ten days (thus taking us to August 10th.)
As Independence Day approached, the ADN made much of Banzer. This is to be expected of a departing leader, but it seemed that in doing so, the old guard of the party (called "dinosaurs" by the press) was attempting to undermine the legitimacy of the soon-to-be president. The ailing Banzer’s agenda became so event and ceremony-laden that editorials suggested that the party had little concern for his condition - his onerous schedule would hasten his demise. Woops, the ADN had made another faux pas! There was an intensive media campaign attempting to demonstrate that every care was being made to see to the General’s comfort and well-being.
General Banzer flew into Santa Cruz, his home town, in a specially fitted, US plane. There was much endless pomp, fan-fair, and TV coverage. He and his plane went on to Sucre where he dutifully resigned in the very hall where Bolivian independence had been declared 175 years before. Again, the pomp, fan-fair, and coverage. Tuto Quiroga was installed as president. General Banzer flew back to Washington. …little has been heard of him since.
Shortly after the extended deadline, an additional 30-day extension was announced (taking us up to up to September 9th or 10th.) A new set of demands has been issued. Those publicized make no mention of such previous demands as independent nations or removal of the Catholic and evangelical churches, but they do call for the recognition of indigenous symbols such as the Wiphala (the Inca flag.) The new demands are more focused on socio-economic issues. Among the list of 72 demands: They ask for free medical attention and a payment of 400 bolivianos (approximately $60) for women over 45 and men over 50. They ask for 50,000 bolivianos ($7,500) for each death resulting from the recent confrontations as well as free hospitalization and 1,500 bolivianos for each person injured. They want a serious revision of the much hated Ley 1008 and its administration (Ley 1008 is a law pertaining to coca and the production of cocaine – even those who have nothing do with coca and cocaine suggest that 1008 gives license to the government to arrest people at will.) They ask for the creation of 3 new universities focused on rural affairs and changes in the educational system. They want improved rural transportation and communication systems. Finally, they want 40 million dollars for rural development in the Department of La Paz.
Meanwhile, Jorge Tuto Queroga is putting his administration in place. To avoid a skirmish the ADN’s dinosaurs, he has left existing departmental officials in office (departments are political subdivision equivalent to US states or Canadian provinces.) To consolidate his position, he's formed a coalition government with the MNR and the MIR (the Movimiento Nacional Revolucionario and the Movimiento Izquierdista Revolucionario – the other two major parties. Although revolutionary rhetoric is used in naming most parties since the 1952 revolution, most parties, and these two parties certainly, could hardly be called revolutionary!) He announced that the major emphasis of his administration will be to improve the quality of life of the Bolivia's poorest citizens. Keeping in mind that his administration is less than 2 weeks old, he had not, as yet, set off in this new, encouraging direction. The major plank in his foreign policy is establishing a Bolivian port on the Pacific coast. This was also the emphasis of his predecessor and is an issue that has festered since Bolivia lost its coastal to Chile in an 1880 war. In a move reminiscent to "Dubya," the US President, he wants to give each adult Bolivian $300 in order to stimulate Bolivia's languishing economy. (Even more reminiscent of "the Shrub," he has spent a lot of time in Texas and is married to a Texas school teacher.) Although he seems prepared to listen to the campesino movement, he is not letting it dictate his actions. He's already rejected three campesino demands while suggesting that he's not rejected the principles behind them.
What happens next? We’ll have to see.
Ciao,
Jim (and Anne)
| Situations: July 24 - Aug. 18 - Sept. 17 - Nov. 23 |