The Process of Change

I wanted to share this post with everybody, it was written by Mauricio, a member of the Montoneros Collective. You can visit him here.

By visiting different Bolivian blogs I found several citizens disillusioned, betrayed, discomforted, and even with a sense of revenge. Some of them say things like this about the current government ‘And we believed they were going to be the changing force,’ ‘We have to unite to defeat this babblers of the left.’

What surprises me, is not the government actions, not their legality, neither their legitimacy. What surprises me most, is the low levels of education, perception and short sightedness, of the opposition, which are supported by the economic interests of the elites and not by national interests. What really surprises me is the existence of a middle class particularly afraid, a middle class that believes in any rumor of communism, a middle class that things Hugo Chavéz will take their second set of TV away because of its inability to accomplish a ‘social function.’

I do not pretend, nor am I so naïve, to justify ALL of the actions taken by individual people or political parties of the government and opposition, that are imperfect. To do it would be a terrible mistake, as terrible as the levels of dishonesty and un-nationalism that we have in our country.

This post, pretends instead, to make clear that it is important to understand the words of the President of Bolivia, Mr. Evo Morales, who said to all of us Bolivians: ‘I want to tell the Bolivian people that the road we have began to walk through is a one way road, there is no return, the past cannot be repeated (…) I am convinced that this is an irreversible process.’

That is why, ALL OF US, as citizens of Bolivia, must understand the reality of the country, its opportunities and deficiencies. There will be a good fellow who will propose a SOWT Matrix (Strengths, Opportunities, Weaknesses, Threats) that will help us analyze and describe the performance of our country. Of course, the systematization of information and the rigorous analysis of causes and effects is important, I believe it is basic to understand that:

• Bolivia is one of the poorest countries of Latin America and the world.
• Bolivia shows high levels of social inequality and tremendous disparities in the distribution of income.
• Bolivia has low levels of quantity and quality of education.
• There are high levels of racism and intolerance.
• Bolivians cannot conceive the idea of Nation-State. We have a fragmented State.
• The Bolivian people are highly corrupt.
• In Bolivia to obey the rule of law is fallacy.

Bolivians need Employment, but above everything we need Unity and Coexistence. Which element should be the priority? The current government prioritized the new legal reality with the new Constitution. Now, the process of approving or disapproving the new constitution is just another instrument in this process of change.

The process of change DOES NOT imply:

• Luxury cars for everybody in the country, not in two years, neither in ten.
• To give up one’s house so it will be occupied by the communists.
• Rates of unemployment of 0% within the next five years.
• Access to Science and Technology in the medium term.
• Hugs and Kisses to all your neighbors, regardless of their skin color, and gifts exchanges.
• That all Bolivians will begin to pay their taxes on time.
• That the public offices will receive everyone with smiles.
• That indigenous peasants will become nuclear physicists overnight.
• That all public employees will stop being corrupt.

I am sorry to say to all of those who feel betrayed because those hopes have not materialized, that you were too naïve.

The process of Change simply consists of:

• To solve pending issues with the different ethnic groups of Bolivia. This does not mean that money will be taken away from those who have taken the big part of the pie until now, and will be later given to the poor.
• To create a different playfield where ALL can have the same opportunities, rights and obligations.

To solve those pending issues, requires that all citizens recognize a national identity, a dialogue in which everyone recognizes their neighbor as their equal. Everyone should recognize that we need to live together and respect each other, accepting differences of color, culture and tradition.

The crisis that we are living through now, shows that this is a painful and uneasy process of change, not everyone wants to play by the same rules, it is very convenient to some people that things remain unchanged, static. And others acting in desperation, try to accelerate the process. If it is convenient to some that things remain unchanged, just as they were until now, then why if this process irreversible?

Simply, because those ‘some’ ARE not the MAJORITY.

While the country is totally inhabited by poverty, misery, discrimination, and racism, the process of change with or without Evo Morales will be irreversible, and permanent.

Let us not make this process more painful than it already is. Bolivia is still a PACIFIST country; let us maintain it like that. We must adjust the inequalities of our country to then focus on a future of dignity, employment, social justice, health, less corruption. Those will be the fruits of this process of change.

The Un-Renounceable Genesis-Horizon: Democracy

Nevertheless, I love you,
land of clay,
and others love you as well,
and something will come out of this sentiment
Julio Cortazar - The Motherland

Manifesto

The democratic life of our nation has been marked by historical dislocations, without them we would not be able to understand the junctures in which, as a country, we are trying to stand up. The situation of our country is conflictive and information is often manipulated, we feel as if we were in the quicksands, we must climb out of them, and we must solidly create our own firm ground. We believe we will be celebrating the creation of a new country, we know we need it.

We are conscious that the road ahead will be difficult. Many obstacles will constantly cross the path of transformation that we are confronting. But we are even more conscious, that there are 9 million Bolivians living in Bolivia and 3 million Bolivian emigrants that point in one direction, and have one aspiration, one horizon, one dream, one ultimate goal, we all want CHANGES now!

We will do this under the un-negotiable premises of freedom and democracy, cornerstones in the construction of the new State. The essential foundations of our thinking come to life from the shared perspectives and understandings we have, the un-renounceable principles that govern us are: National Unity, Freedom and Democracy.

Under no circumstances we will allow anyone to kidnap the free voice of the Bolivian people. We will not let them transgress the rules, nor the game field, that we as a country, have established for this process of transformation.

We will defend the democratic processes our country is going through, with the energy of our souls and the strength of our voices. The polls will be the ones to have the final say, and we believe we must protect, the right that every citizen of Bolivia has, to participate freely in the democratic processes that will bring change about to Bolivia. We believe it is at the polls that we will celebrate our plurality of perspectives and ideas, the results whatever they signal, must be respected.

To the Politicians: We demand the central government and the regional governors to sit and negotiate. All Bolivians want them to negotiate and to find a path of dialogue and understanding. As a country we have decided to write and choose a new Constitution and regional autonomies. The hopes and sentiments of the Bolivian people are invested in those (im)possible dreams, your duty is to fulfill those dreams.

To you Bolivian citizen and to you Visitor from the World: Say YES to a process that will bring about a new Bolivia. A new country, with social justice as a beacon that guides it. Say Yes to a democratic process that lets the people choose their own destiny, say Yes to a constant dialogue among our leaders, say Yes to Freedom, say Yes to Democracy. We will fill our backpacks with dreams and other necessary weapons: information, understanding, peace, justice, brotherhood and liberty. And we promise that we will use these weapons, to create that which we all want, a new Bolivia, not just for me, not just for you, but for us all.

It shall be like that. We will not give up. Today it can be a great day, let us put it that way. Today it can be a great day, and tomorrow as well.

Colectivo Montoneros
February 9, 2008. Bolivia