(Posted in Spanish March 11 at 8:26 PM)
Kind readers, this correspondent did not appear all day because, quite simply, the important things happened at the end of the day... here is an account of the deliberations of the social movements from this afternoon and a few of the words and deeds of the Carlos Mesa administration. The clock is ticking for the new actions in this conflict...
This morning, while President Carlos Mesa lamented the rupture in the dialog with the new alliance of social movements in Bolivia, the public prosecutors refused to be used as tools of repression, saying that they would not work on the “criminalization of protest” or legally harass the social leaders. Because of this, it seems the government will have to start thinking about other tactics.
In general, it was a calm day, more or less, in La Paz. But, as a famous journalist said, “we hope the president doesn’t resign again this Sunday because we journalists are very tired.” Today, in Cochabamba, where yesterday the strength of the urban mobilizations seemed to be falling, the most important contingent appeared, that of the peasant farmers of the central valleys.
At 9am, Evo Morales, Oscar Olivera, and Omar Fernández (the leader of the central valley farmers) announced in a press conference a new wave of mobilizations in Cochabamba, which may even include, starting today, coordinating their actions in a more clandestine manner. Since midday, the city has gone without land exits to Oruro, La Paz or Santa Cruz.
Evo, after this meeting, traveled to the Chapare to take the news of the National Mobilization Pact to the coca growers there, to encourage them and build more strength for the movement in the region, also known as the “Tropic of Cochabamba.”
In Yapacaní, Santa Cruz department, truck drivers broke through the blockade. In Bulo Bulo there were confrontations and a few injuries (in circumstances that are still unclear)... because of this, since both groups of peasant farmers are allies of Evo Morales and the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS), the presence of Morales, who not long ago was almost elected president of Bolivia, was sorely needed.
The COB Council
This afternoon, in the auditorium of the Public University of El ALTO (UPEA), Bolivian Workers’ Federation (COB) Executive Secretary Jaime Solares convened an emergency council meeting. During the rather tedious event, the resolutions of the various organizations committed to the new alliance were read.
Around 5 PM, after a long speech from Solares, the discussion began, beginning with each organization present (thirty-six, in total, with more than sixty representatives) briefly explaining its position.
At the moment, the most important rural organizations, such as the peasant farmers’ federation from the department of La Paz, have spoken, but the meeting continues. The only things we can report, after speaking with several leaders at the meeting, are the following:
- Starting now, every social group has declared itself mobilized, whether to march or to set up road blockades, all over the country.
- Every organization will be free to choose its own methods and will carefully draw up its own plan for the struggle.
- The city of El Alto and the Chapare region are declared the “main bases” for better coordination.
The clock being wound in conflict. When the second-hand reaches its starting place, it is very possible that Bolivia will experience an unprecedented social explosion... or at least the collective will for struggle and unity will be expressed.
Meanwhile, kind readers, stay with us... we won’t stop reporting on the course of these important events.
