Mayo 19, 2005
Indecision 2005
According to the Constitution, President Carlos Mesa’s decision not to make a decision was legally allowed by Law. Why else would the lawmakers include a specific article in the Hydrocarbons Law to deal with the possibility that Mesa would neither sign, nor veto the proposed law. In the event of that happening, the law would automatically be passed into law. Some wonder why he did not take a strong decision, take a stand, and damn the consequences.
One always has to remember Bolivia’s permanent state of crisis and the deep divisions continuously grow larger. Many believe that Mesa’s actions make this conflict even worse, but in a way it keeps the scale from tipping. Both the extreme right and left are steps away from claiming the oil fields as their own in some sort of autonomous kingdom or challenging the police forces by inciting violence, which will lead to an obvious tragic result, respectively.
So what is needed is the most strong center as possible, which right now is very weak politically. Even his latest allies, the “Patriotic Front” that publicly backed him, are now asking him to change his Cabinet (again). It is amazing that Mesa has lasted as long as he has even after a resignation and an offer to hold early elections because deep down people know that the alternative would cause even more divisions, conflicts and possibly a civil war based on ethnic, geographic and especially class lines.
His decision to neither sign nor veto, helps maintain this semi-objective center. Without taking siding with the social movements or big business, he can remain committed to helping both the majority population living in poverty and the productive economic sectors that the country desperately needs.
Other: Make sure to read MABB's recap of Mesa's ambitious new Social and Economic Plan. One of the more interesting directions in this plan is the decision to pay pregnant campesinos 100 Bs. (12 dollars) as long as they go in for regular pre-natal visits.
Posted by eduardo at Mayo 19, 2005 09:35 PM