Gustavo Torrico (MAS) had this to say about President Carlos Mesa via La Epoca weekly newspaper’s Frase de la Semana:
“Mesa es como esos chicos malcriados que siempre se meten en problemas y después hay que ir a salvarlos. Sería bueno que aprenda a gobernar”
Where would one “learn how to govern”? So far no one to date has been able to manage all of the different forces within the country, while trying to reduce poverty and create more economic opportunities for Bolivians. His critics often cite the fact that he has no backing of a political party, as if it were a bad thing and as if it were his fault. Would they prefer that from the beginning that he ask for the backing of a political party in exchange for some cabinet seats and other governmental jobs? It would just have been business as usual. Clearly he is trying to find a balance between two polar opposites (who both consider him the number one enemy). Why would anyone want to be President when neither side wants to compromise?
Comments (2)
What’s beginning to scare me, is this idea of what “gobernar” seems to mean in Bolivian context. Do they mean law & order? Or better, “pan, orden, trabajao”? I mean, there’s a fine line that democratic authority walks where it combines authority w/ popular legitimacy … but I’m not sure many of the Bolivian populist leaders (on all sides of the fence) are savvy enough to notice that fine line. And I don’t think Mesa does, either.
wow… and MAS has such a precedent “governing”…
The odd thing is that those polar opposites are the MAS crowd and “oligarchs”. Wouldn’t want to side with EITHER of them.
On the other hand, were and how did Goni learn to govern? or Evo? Banzer? our past presidential history is that of self-made men, Mesa is no exception.