[R-G] Evo Morales Gets Radicalized

[Fred Fuentes]

from www.narconews.com
Evo Gets Radicalized (4.00 / 1) (#1)
by Luis Gomez on Fri Jun 3rd, 2005 at 12:10:50 AM EST
(User Info)
Well, Evo Morales' Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) has reentered the
arena. Evo and his people worked with congressmen from the right-wing
parties to reach the necessary consensus, and, finally, discuss
simultaneously the Constituents' (constitutional) Assembly  and the
referendum on regional autonomy… but tired of not finding any
solution, the MAS's men and women in the National Congress have
decided no to allow the session expected for today.

Evo angrily announced that his party, and the social sectors allied to
it, could begin to widen the road blockades and even demand early
general elections. Among other things, he accused the right-wing
parties, especially the congressmen from Santa Cruz, of not "wanting
to let go of the teat" (of not wanting to let go of the business of
politics)… and he saluted all the Bolivians in the streets who have
been mobilized for days. "I want to say to you that the hour has come
to put an end to the political mafia… they won't escape now."

For his part, Congress President Hormando Vaca Diez acused Evo of
trying to demonstrate "that Congress is worthless" (something that is
really quite easy to demonstrate, kind readers)… and tired to wash his
hands together with the leader of the lower house, Mario Cosío: it was
the MAS, they said, not the right, that was preventing the realization
of the constitutional assembly, as several deputies impeded the
legislative session by occupying the podium in the meeting hall.

Vaca Diez declared that there would be no conditions, and suspended
legislative session until next Tuesday. Meanwhile, in the streets, the
social movements will maintain the blockades on the highways and the
siege of the seat of power in La Paz.

Now the Federation of Neighborhood Committees has announced that they
will march again to the capital buildings, and that they are demanding
not just hydrocarbon nationalization but also a constitutional
assembly… a phenomenon that now permeates the discourse of other
sectors, as well. On another front, the Aymara peasant farmers, after
ten days of confrontations with the forces of "order," have returned
to their communities and shut down the entire Bolivian highlands… the
mayor of the military Aymara capital of Achacachi, Eugenio Rojas,
announced that they will return to La Paz on Monday…

Under these conditions, it could be that the congressional session
planned for Tuesday by then makes no sense (or won't happen)… but
President Mesa is giving a speech to the "nation" in a few minutes… so
we'll leave this dispatch at that… we'll be back in a few moments.