Bolivia: Right wing plots coup against Evo Morales

There were also attacks on workers and peasant organisations. The Executive Secretary of the Departmental Workers’ Union had his home burnt down, and indigenous rights groups and NGOs had their offices looted and set on fire.

Workers in a predominately pro-government quarter of Santa Cruz had to organise their own defence to fight off an attack by 400 armed right wingers on their local market.

Further unrest was reported in the other three provinces of the Media Luna, the eastern part of Bolivia, so named because it looks like a half-moon. Pro-government demonstrations were attacked and an attempt was made to storm and occupy a gas installation plant, damaging a vital gas supply pipe to Brazil.

Reports suggest that several people have been killed and many injured in these attacks. Many supporters of President Evo Morales and his party, the Movement towards Socialism (MAS), have gone into hiding.

These provinces have witnessed the growth of a secessionist movement led by the racist elite and rich landowners. The leaders of this civic movement are demanding increased autonomy and a guarantee of more of the profits from the oil and gas revenues of the country. The central government has promised to use gas and oil income to alleviate poverty and modernise the country.

The protestors who stormed the government buildings were well organised and included armed fascist thugs of the Cruzeño Youth Union (UJC). They clashed with both the police and army. The Interior Minister Alfredo Rada said the attacks amounted to “a civic coup” and blamed the governor of Santa Cruz, Ruben Costas, and civic movement leader, Branko Marinkovic, for planning and carrying out the attacks.

This escalation of actions against the government has been led by the National Democratic Council (Consejo Nacional Democrático – Conalde), and they have some very powerful allies. Morales has just expelled the US ambassador as a result of a series of meetings he held with these Conalde leaders in late August, shortly before the organised attacks. It seems this is a deliberate attempt by Washington to either bring down Morales, engineer a coup or, failing that, break up the country.

All of this follows a resounding success for Morales in a presidential recall referendum on 10 August. He won 67% of the vote, higher than his original vote when he won the presidency in 2005. Even in the heartland of the reactionary civic movement, Santa Cruz, Morales was able to secure 40% of the vote. In addition recall referendums defeated the right wing governor of Cochabamba, Manfred Reyes Villa, along with governor of La Paz, Jose Luis Paredes.

The response of the Morales government has been one of conciliation in the face of organised violence by the right. This policy is clearly not working: every show of weakness is followed by an offensive by Conalde, who are showing their contempt for the “democratic victory” of the president. Morales has refused to mobilise either the Bolivian state, the army or police or his own supporters in the MAS to deal with these attacks. Meanwhile, indigenous, peasant and workers’ organisations remain isolated and face a highly organised and well-resourced enemy.

The working class, peasants and indigenous movements need to respond to these attacks and assist the resistance of their brothers and sisters in the Media Luna. Their aim must be to crush the reactionary organisations of the Conalde.

Relying on Morales or the Bolivian state to do this would be foolish. While a few army and police officials might be loyal to the government, the majority of them are linked to the ruling class of Bolivia and the US military by a thousand ties.

The most crucial step at the moment is for the mass organisations of the working class and peasants to organise self-defence. Organisations like the trade union federation, the COB, should demand that Morales arms them and gives them the resources they need. A united front of all the mass organisations should be organised to confront the Conalde leaders. An army of the working class and the oppressed could then, literally, march on the Media Luna, and support their allies in the area to destroy the Conalde and the fascists of the UJC.

Efforts also need to be made to organise the rank and file soldiers within the army so they will be ready and willing to mutiny and side with the people if there is a coup attempt.

But even if the Conalde are defeated, the ruling class will still attempt to regroup and reorganise another violent opposition movement opposed to the aspirations of the majority of the Bolivian people.

The aim must be, not only to defeat the Conalde, but to finally take the wealth and power from the hands of the ruling class. This means the organisations of the workers and peasants must press forward with their demands from the uprisings of 2003 and 2005 – for the expropriation of major industries and natural resources, the confiscation of land and its redistribution, and for political power to reside in the hands of the indigenous, peasant and working class masses.

Tue 02, December 2008 @ 17:39