Like any other Bolivian, Cochabambinos are fiercely proud of their city. They point out the near-perfect climate and how modern the city has become. “La Ciudad Jardin” is showcased in its finely manicured plazuelas and the iconic “El Prado”. Most recently the new public works projects of the Recoleta Bridge and the Muyurina Overpass are further proof that Cochabamba is progressing.
That is what the ruling party Nueva Fuerza Republicana (NFR) has been using as their argument for reelection. These visible displays of advancement were needed to better the city and the bridges needed to suppress traffic headaches, but clearly Cochabamba faces more important needs such as potable water, sewer systems, and more efficiency in the public administration.
Mammoth projects such as the Overpass cost an estimated 4 million dollars. No one on the street would be able to give you a rough guess as to how much money was needed to complete the project. There have been insinuations that these large projects are opportunities for the government to receive kickbacks from builders who overcharge.
Not to mention that in the ten years since NFR took power, they have accumulated 60 million dollars in debt. In those ten years, 6 different mayors held office, some removed personally by NFR chief Manfred Reyes Villa.
In politics, I hate having to resort to the “Anybody But….” vote. Although in this case, it plays a part in having to find alternative choices. One of the favorites “Chaly” Terceros of citizen group Ciudadanos Unidos (CU) is a former mayor of Cochabamba in the same NFR. Some are afraid that he is using the new citizen group rule to eventually realign himself with NFR, if the vote obligates for coalition-building.
Today’s Cochabmaba requires a mayor to understand the growing urban problems, particularly in the Zona Sud. Thinking critically often requires the ability to be imaginative and creative. These skills are held by people from all walks of life. No one has ever accused a fiction novelist of being unimaginative.
That is why one of the reasons I support Gonzalo Lema for mayor of Cochabamba. An aunt told me that Lema would never make a good politician, because government requires more practicality and for he or she to be a “professional” i.e. economist. Although many do not know that he has recent experience as a representative on the Corte Nacional Electoral, an important public service position.
Lema was invited by Evo Morales to be the candidate of the Movimiento Al Socialismo (MAS). Even though he is not a registered party member, rather an invited member, that would be appealing to some. I am not a MAS party member, nor a MAS sympathizer on a national level. I frequently disagree with Evo Morales and am troubled with his political style. However, I feel that on a local level, MAS deserves the opportunity to practice what it preaches. On a local level, the issue of coca eradication, Hydrocarbons law or the Chile sea issue rarely applies in local politics.
If MAS comes to power, it would ben an excellent opportunity to push the real problems of the city to the forefront. Water issues and issues facing the poor are essentially what would be driving a Lema administration, because he would have been elected largely by the vote of these poorer parts of the city.
On a Lema MAS brochure, there was a picture of Evo Morales, with this quote (paraphrasing): “If elected, Mayor Lema will never have to answer to MAS or Evo Morales, and would only have to answer to the city and its people.”
This promised hands-off approach and removal of Evo Morales from a Lema mayorship is imperative for Lema to attract the middle-class vote, who often hold distaste for Morales’ overbearing and ego-driven foray into national politics. Lema’s fresh approach to city politics and a need to remove any related NFR official as far away as possible from the Alcaldia (removing the possibility of including NFR in a governing coalition), makes Lema an interesting choice for mayor of Cochabamba.
(Note: I don’t claim to have any sort of influence over today’s elections. I just wanted to try and articulate why I support Lema).