THE VOICE OF LATIN AMERICA

Mon Nov 19 00:43:48 GMT 2007

THE VOICE OF LATIN AMERICA IS GROWING IN FORCE AND CONVICTION.

The recent events of the IberoAmerican summit in Chile in which Hugo Chavez caused yet more consternation among the elites of the old colonial powers are another indication of the voice that is raising itself in Latin America to reclaim the rights of the IndoAmerican peoples oppressed and murdered, robbed and tortured for more than 500 years by the Imperialist-Capitalist nations of Europe and the USA.

Much was made of the King of Spains angry outburst against Chavez after Chavez had revealed the true nature of the former Spanish President Aznar but it would be wrong for people to focus in the Kings outburst because what Chavez said deserves real consideration for it is the reality.

First he said that Aznar had offered him and Venezuela to "join the elite CLUB" and second when Chavez questioned him about the fate of the poor countries his Spanish counterpart said (if you´ll excuse the language but we give it to show the crudeness of the feelings of the facists) "They are fucked"

Later responding to the Kings angry words Chavez said that it was lucky for the King that he (Chavez) hadn't heard the old mans words because he would have said much more.... 500 years of oppression, 500 years of robbery and genocide CHAVEZ is a voice for millions and his voice is joined by a chorus.

That Chavez upset the nice diplomacy of Chile and the sponsers of the summit (Spain)-- something you don't do in the hypocritical world of politics and diplomacy --- is HARD CHEESE because the hour has come for the poor people of the world to get their say and LATIN AMERICA is leading the way as a beacon of hope for all the peoples of the world that need to reclaim their rights, their land, their resources etc. 

We need to inject this spirit and force into our own rebellion against the FACIST MULTI MILLIONAIRE MURDERERS -- 

If the Indians of Bolivia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Cuba etc can do it so can we.

RECALIM THE RIGHTS OF YOUR CELTIC ANCESTORS..... SEND BROWN, BLAIR, BUSH, THE QUEEN and ALL THEY REPRESENT TO THE HELL WHERE THEY BELONG.

  viva chavez

puncha illapa <puncha_illapa at yahoo.co.uk> wrote:                               SchNEWS, Issue 611, Friday 16th November, 2007

 ===========================================

 BOLIVIAN MARCHING POWDER

 AS THE LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRY KICKS BACK AGAINST ELITE
 RULE...

 Yesterday (15th), thousands of Bolivian farmers
 declared themselves in a state of emergency to save
 the rights granted to 
 them under the new constitution. They have surrounded
 the Constituent Assembly 
 in Sucre, to protect it from organised opposition
 gangs working for Bolivias 
 elites.

 The new constitution is aimed at enshrining the rights
 of the countrys 
 indigenous majority and has been prefaced by a
 rejection of the US sponsored 
 War on Drugs and the nationalisation of key
 hydrocarbon reserves. The MAS 
 (Movement towards Socialism) headed up by Evo Morales
 is facing off against 
 US-backed local elites in a conflict which may prove a
 turning point in Latin 
 American history.

 While the majority of Bolivians have been struggling
 to boot out the neoliberal 
 models of development, the business elites have not
 been idly sitting by watching 
 their investment portfolios shrink. Where staged
 protests and political violence 
 havent worked, opposition politicians have even gone
 on strike - and now the 
 richest part of the country is threatening to declare
 independence!

 The top 10% of the population own almost half the
 wealth, whilst 65% of people 
 wallow below the poverty line. One lifeline for
 farmers was the growing of 
 coca, a millennia-old crop with significant cultural
 significance. Since the 
 1970s the US has continually stepped up its
 eradication programme, entrenching 
 millions in poverty, stopping them from farming the
 one plant to provide a 
 liveable income. But every time the US poured
 Monsanto-made chemicals over the 
 plants, more growers joined the resistance.

 The cocaleros (coca growers) formed a loose federation
 of activists headed up 
 by Evo Morales. They most famously clashed with the
 authorities in the city of 
 Cochabamba, joining other groups to successfully fight
 off a disastrous water 
 privatisation plan (see SchNEWS 286). In December 2005
 Morales became the first 
 indigenous president of Latin America - stepping into
 the parliament building 
 (which would have been illegal not so long ago), with
 a radical programme of 
 reform that sent a shudder through many a Wall Street
 boardroom.

 Morales and his Movement for the Advancement of
 Socialism (MAS) came to power 
 on the back of a popular rebellion against
 neoliberalism. It promises to 
 wrestle back control of the countrys resources,
 enshrine the constitutional 
 rights of the indigenous people (80% of Bolivias
 population), give more autonomy 
 to local communities and legalise coca production.

 Naturally the business community is a little
 distressed. For 500 years the 
 descendants of the colonists have freely plundered the
 country, creating a 
 life of misery for the indigenous population whom most
 of the rich treat with 
 racist contempt. Hostility is especially strong in
 Santa Cruz, where a programme 
 of land reform threatens the wallets of upper-class
 cruceño families like 
 never before.

 Santa Cruz has also been sucking up the proceeds from
 gas and oil exploitation, 
 and investors were non too pleased when gas
 plantations were seized on May Day 
 2006. Obliged to sell a 51% stake in their business to
 the Bolivian state, energy 
 companies must now pay a third more in royalties; cash
 which has now finally 
 begun to find its way into the poor communities. With
 so much to lose, its 
 unsurprising the rich are ready to fight back and, of
 course, play a little dirty.

 Were being invaded by Indians for some reason, says
 one middle-class passerby 
 during a demo to celebrate changes to the constitution
 in support of indigenous 
 rights. Maybe shes been too busy in the shopping mall
 to realise that the white 
 descendants of the colonists make up less than 15% of
 the population! This 
 racist undertone becomes explcit if you listen to a
 member of the opposition 
 prattle on about the backward natives.

 Since the 1898 civil war, there has long been a
 struggle between the seat of 
 government in La Paz and judicial centre in Sucre to
 decide which should be 
 the capital. Although Sucre has been the official
 capital for over a century, 
 the elites would much prefer it if the government was
 also located closer to 
 their home-sweet-home powerbase in Sucre. The business
 class haven chosen this
 debate as a front for a wider attack on MAS policies,
 with protests being 
 organised by the Comité Pro Santa Cruz (CPSC), an
 organisation dominated by 
 business executives. One such demo on 8th September
 was organised with far-right 
 groups, including the fascist Cruceñista Youth Union
 and the Nación Camba, 
 both known for protesting with wild swinging
 baseball bats.

 In January, coca farmers were joined by other
 indigenous groups and occupied 
 Cochabambas central square to protest opposition
 demands for independence from 
 the rest of Bolivia. They were demanding the
 resignation of the corrupt governor 
 Manfred Villa who has been planning a re-run of the
 referendum that rejected the 
 call for autonomy for the richer Eastern provinces.

 Armed with rocks and sticks, Morales supporters
 marched around the government 
 building and, despite a liberal spraying of tear gas,
 managed to set the buildings 
 front door ablaze. Meanwhile Villas supporters
 blocked off nearby streets. Calling 
 themselves Youths for Democracy, the ultra
 right-wing pro-autonomists looked 
 like paramilitary gangs as they beat protesting
 indigenous.

 Another demo, held against the nationalisation of the
 gas industry, saw a million 
 people on the streets of Santa Cruz  according to one
 corporate media unafraid of 
 a little exaggeration. Not a bad turnout for an
 organization with only 300,000 
 members - many of whom are employees of banks, other
 businesses and the private 
 universities which gave all staff and students the day
 off with an order to 
 attend the protest.

 In October, hundreds of demonstrators occupied Santa
 Cruzs airport after retaking 
 it from government soldiers. Morales had sent in 200
 troops to ensure that the 
 airport authorities were giving all the air taxes
 collected to the central 
 government - Santa Cruz residents had decided to take
 the first step in their 
 independence and replenish their wallets by taking all
 the taxes for themselves. 
 Airport workers were refusing to take tax payments to
 the national airline 
 authority, demanding cash payments of £1,000 instead!

 And, in an unusual move for people more used to
 union-busting, opposition senators 
 went on strike, which meant that the government was
 unable to pass the new 
 constitution, public spending plans and hydrocarbon
 nationalisation programme.

 When theyre not striking, opposition leaders like a
 bit of parliamentary rough 
 and tumble. Back in August fists went flying when four
 opposition judges were 
 suspended after their supporters started laying into
 MAS deputies. These tensions 
 have manifested themselves more on the streets of
 Bolivia as political argument 
 descends into violence, most often along racial
 grounds, especially in and 
 around Santa Cruz. But for those without a living or
 food on the table, Morales 
 is dragging his feet. Many groups within the MAS are
 getting agitated at the 
 slow pace as members of the social movements they
 represent continue to go hungry. 
 With White House eyes on the Middle East, there is a
 real opportunity to prise 
 money from the corporations and the rich business
 elite and give it back to 
 the people who need it the most - just so long as
 Morales stays on track and 
 the rich dont take up arms...

 * More info at www.boliviainfoforum.org.uk

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