True democracy

Published in El Pais, November 16th 2019.

On Monday, November 11, I saw Senator Enrique Riera Escudero of the Republic of Paraguay in a video of a meeting that was held to talk about the presidency of Jeanine Añez in Bolivia. The meeting concluded that there was no coup and the new President is recognized as legitimate. But I want to present the most outstanding points of Senator Riera’s presentation.

1. Evo Morales was not a Democrat. In his mandate the politics prevailed over the legal. Since six opposition governors were democratically elected and taken out of power or forced to flee under pressure. And until the regulation that was changed in order for Evo to stay in power for a longer time and causing the opposition to leave power.
2. 2. The authorities picked by Evo Morales, such as the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, were people who had no power to make improvements and changes because they were not given a budget or allowed to choose their own people because only Evo could do that.
3. The socialist governments continue to blame the imperialists although they had several years in power to generate new structures that do work. However, the countries that implemented these models still face large social and economic differences.

It is interesting that the Senator mentions that his speech is “based on historical facts and not only on specific events” because one should always have an opinion regarding the context and the evidence. Only Bolivians know everything that has truly happened and what we have each gone through. No one denies the good of Evo Morales, such as the distribution of resources, income equality and coexistence with nature. However, it is also recognized that his Government never liked to seek dialogue until after much conflict in the streets. Perhaps he waited until there were deaths to give space to the dialogue. Why? The President must devote time to all and allow the authorities to carry out their work not based on political favors but based on their knowledge and heuristics to generate inclusive laws. We have all experienced the pain of those displaced by Tipnis, the disabled, fires in different cities and Chiquitania, tax conflicts or laws without consensus such as criminal law.

Bolivians know more than anyone else the national regulations because we have always been attentive or participated in peaceful marches, blockades or speeches against the oppression of this and other governments. The people are now happy for the opportunity to have transparent elections and return to peace with the lessons of patriotic and integration union that people have gained in the streets. The lesson that brave young people have shown, of support, of joint struggle, of evidence through the new communication technologies to show what really happens in the streets and thanks to this it can also be said that there was no coup d’etat. Hopefully these points highlighted by Senator Riera are resolved in democracy and respecting the knowledge of the authorities to act in their positions for the good of all and without the pressure of political favors. Thus, our country will continue to advance.