Marzo 09, 2005
Turning the Tables
So Mesa stays and people danced cueca in the Plaza Murillo last night. The celebration may be short-lived unless Evo comes to the bargaining table and ends his blockades. Even though he and his party voted to reject the resignation of President Mesa, they did not sign the Acuerdo Ante la Nación. They are still calling for a 50% cut of royalties of all existing and future Hydrocarbons contracts, which would force companies to re-write agreements, instead of the 18% royalties + 32% new tax that Mesa and most of Congress is supporting.
Already Evo's name is synonymous with blockades instead of being synonymous with the representation of a large group of mostly indigenous who have never really taken part in democracy. That's a shame because MAS could have really built upon the 2nd place finish in the 2002 elections and to be seen as legitimate political alternative by the working and middle classes. The potential for alliances was there with many of the independent mayors (i.e. Terceros in Cochabamba, Granado in La Paz and Paredes in El Alto).
However, he has thrown that all away. The very mention of his name and one forgets about the legitimate gripes that the people he claims to represent, truly have.
Yes, the same political parties that once supported Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada are now supporting Mesa. However, there is a huge difference. The parties of Goni's 2002 coalition did not back Goni because they thought he is the right man for the job or believe he was the only solution for the moment, they did so in order to have access to a concrete number of government jobs. It's left to be seen whether the political parties especially MIR and NFR asked for similar patronage in return.
If they truly want to capitalize on this public display of support it could resurrect the parties from the dead. With public opinion polls at an all-time low for the political parties, the old-guard can declare that they truly have the best interests of the country in mind. When the country really needed the support of the parties, they did so. By putting the country ahead of personal interests, the parties have been misjudged: "See we are not so bad after all, right?"
Evo Morales and MAS, on the other hand, may find themselves at the bottom of public opinion polls (no matter how legitimate many of their complaints may be), flipping positions with the political parties. With two years to go before Presidential Elections, the MAS may think they have nothing to lose and step up the blockades or they can try and salvage any remaining shred of credibility to maintain what they had built over the past 3 years.
Posted by eduardo at Marzo 9, 2005 09:57 AM