Mayo 24, 2005
Armed Forces Chime In
Yesterday, Evo Morales and the MAS march reached its final destination of La Paz where they met up with his "on-again" ally, Jaime Solares (COB). Again, some participants attempted to enter Plaza Murillo and once again, they did not heed the plea to stay away and not follow through on their threat to close down Congress. Police dispersed the crowd with tear gas and the anti-riot police water truck. There was also reckless use of dynamite by some marchers, which threatened some businesses and bystanders.
One of the demands that Morales is pushing for is an immediate convocation of the Constituent Assembly. There was some talk that they too would auto-convocar the Assembly, much in the same manner which the Civic Committee of Santa Cruz have insinuated that they would call their own Referendum for Autonomies.
Because of this initiative from both sectors, the Armed Forces decided release a statement letting everyone know where they stand:
Concerned with the growing situation in this country, caused by various sectors that is generating public uncertainty, with no solution in sight, and which is also increasing the risk of confrontation between regions, the Armed Forces wish to inform the public that we will be attentive to these developments in order to guarantee order and a legitimate government. The Armed Forces are convinced that only through unity will the country obtain better living conditions for everyone.
Because of this, we wish to invite all of the actors to push for their legitimate demands through dialogue and discussion, always through mutual respect as an indispensable condition, in order to advance the process of structural changes that is needed in the country, and which should only be obtained through the laws of the state and the Constitution.
Any decision that violates these principles, as legitimate as they may be, will not be accepted by this Institution. However, any de facto measures from the Constitutional process, will also be closely watched. We will allow for the will of the majority expressed through legal mechanisms be which decides the future of the country.
Rumors of a military coup are also heating back up. Government intelligence sources say that there have been attempts from some sectors to contact members in the Armed Forces to gain some allies. It would seem that there would be a distinct possibility that both the social sectors and business sectors would try to reach the Armed Forces, hoping that they would side with them.
What’s interesting about the Armed Forces statement was the last sentence of the third paragraph about allowing for “the will of the majority” determine the future of Bolivia. So the question is: what does the majority want and who represents this majority?
As we saw in October 03, a small minority of the country’s population determined the fate of the Constitutionally elected President. Does the majority of the country believe they are well represented by the marchers/MAS? Does the majority of the country believe they are well represented by their elected Congressmen/women? Or once again, the majority of the population is left voiceless, while allowing a small minority determine the country's future.
Posted by eduardo at Mayo 24, 2005 01:37 PM