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Saturday's
Lagniappe
Response
to the article "The
End of Bolivia?"
Lupe
Andrade
By
Lupe Andrade
Mr. Radu,
My
name is Lupe Andrade. I am a former Mayor of the city of La Paz;
I was born in Bolivia, live in Bolivia and probably will die in
Bolivia. I have just read your article on "The
end of Bolivia", and though I lament your tone
and intention, I will be smiling (probably from on high) when
you and I are both gone and Bolivia is still around. However,
if it were up to you, apparently my death should come much sooner,
together with the death of my nation. I thus resent it as a person,
as a Bolivian, and as a thinking human being.
I have seen,
during my more than sixty years of life, all types of regimes
as well as all types of "experts" and "analysts"
come and go, the first often with few achievements, the latter
just as often dictating misguided economic policies or writing
ill-researched pieces with little foundation but their own bigotry
and misconceptions. Seldom, however, have I come across anything
as harsh and as hate-filled as your piece.
Seriously,
Mr. Radu, as you seem to be a serious person, you should not glibly
write what you do really not know about. Bolivia is a complex
nation, not to be 'learned" or dismissed airily after reading
a few briefs. Your article is biased (which can't be helped),
but it is also full of half-truths and glaring inaccuracies.
Let's look
at some of the easier-to-spot flaws.
1. To begin
with, you make light of Morales' victory. Mr. Morales has won
with a 55%+ majority vote, against Mr. Quiroga's somewhat lamentable
31%. That is not, as you say, a "slight margin".
2. You mistake
his origin. Mr. Morales Ayma is not an Aymara Indian. He is Quechua,
and that makes a world of difference in Bolivia.
3. Your figures
for Indian and mestizo population are completely outdated (43%of
Bolivians are considered, or consider themselves indigenous, they
are not all in the highlands, as witnessed by Mr. Morales; 31%
vote in Santa Cruz).
4. You say
Mr. Morales will confiscate oil companies in Bolivia. In fact
Mr. Morales, whose ideas I do not share and will not defend, has
repeated tirelessly that he will not confiscate foreign company
properties. His nationalization, which I do not defend, has been
widely discussed and even criticized because he refuses to contemplate
confiscation.
5. You mention
the coups and counter-coups suffered by Bolivia. This is one of
the most trite and misused arguments against this country. It
is almost true, on paper. It is also true that some of those coups
were mere shows, mere changes of the guard, sometimes lasting
a few hours, but gleefully entered into the logbook by those who
love that kind of data. More important is, how did they take place?
How many were wounded or killed?
In fact, Bolivia
is one of the most peaceful nations in South America.This can
be checked and re-checked by anyone who wants to know the truth,
and not spew pre-digested ideas. Think about this: for a population
of 6-7 million during the dictatorial, militarized seventies,
Bolivia had 123 "disappeared" cases, as listed by ASOFAMD
(the local association of families and victims). For a population
of say, 24-26 million each, Argentina and Chile had desaparecidos
and murdered in the tens of thousands. Look at the ratio, Mr.
Radu, look at the numbers of dead and disappeared, do the arithmetic.
When compared to Peru's MRTA and Sendero, when compared with Tupamaros
and M-19 and ELN and so many others, our attempts at terrorism
were and are laughable, with a mere handful of victims, mostly
their own in bungled attempts. We may be poor, we may be backward,
and we do make a lot of noise, but we very seldom kill each other.
That, to me,
is a test of civility, of democracy, of resolving our problems
in our own way, not your way.
You cite Che
Guevara, perhaps subconsciously seduced, like so many others,
by those clear-eyed Christ-like death photographs. Nevertheless,
his Bolivian-based attempt at continental revolution from the
center was risible, and was cold-shouldered by the masses whom
he shought, in his superior manner, to liberate. Guevara did not
understand Bolivia, nor do you.
5. You say:
"A new military conflict with Chile, which Bolivia will no
doubt lose, is therefore highly probable". Bolivians have
never sought to export their way of life, or their forms of conflict.
We have never emulated Cuba by proselytism, preaching, or "missions"
to other countries. We have only waged one real war (the other
"wars" were skirmishes over fuzzy borders, almost without
battles, please read your history, Mr. Radu) and it was with Paraguay.
We did not
"start" these wars you say we invariably lost, (we actually
won one, capturing the Peruvian President but generously refusing
to exact tribute), nor did we develop a warlike culture. Quite
the contrary. This nation has never made a cult of arms, and aside
from the Chaco conflict (prodded by many outside interests), Bolivia
never threatened its neighbors. Perhaps that is the root of our
problem, the hardest part of our psyche and mystique to understand.
That you should
call a new war with Chile "highly probable" is simply
irresponsible. In fact, Chile could walk into La Paz unhindered
today, since we have no tanks, no warplanes, no jet fighters,
no missiles, no helicopters, no real Army. The coastal Chilean
cities are a few hundred miles away, frequently visited by Bolivians
who do not hate Chileans. For the strong Chilean armed forces
the invasion would not be a war, it would be a walk in the park,
easier to implement than "shock and awe" tactics. Chile
does not, and will not invade Bolivia because nations don't do
so to please a few pundits like yourself. They understand that
continental stability -world stability perhaps-would be threatened.
I will not
discuss coca and cocaine here, too serious and complex an issue
to argue with someone who is obviously uninformed. This is and
has been a real problem; coca and cocaine are a real danger for
our nation. However, stamping out Bolivia with your heel will
not solve it, (will stamping-out Colombia come next?) and will
not solve a century or more of addiction-related problems in the
US and Europe.
Mr. Radu,
I'm inured to reading inaccuracies about Bolivia, I'm used to
Bolivia and Bolivians being misplaced, misquoted, misunderstood;
I'm used to having our history skewed. I very seldom stoop to
answer. If I do so now, it is because you, sir, are suggesting
- no, you are promoting- policies directed to making my nation
disappear from the face of the earth. That is intolerable, criminally
irresponsible. I am not a Morales supporter, but in the face of
this intention, I cannot keep silent.
I know this
response will not get the distribution your article received.
That is part of the inequities we have always had to live with.
Nevertheless, I hope you read this, check the facts and think
hard about what your suggestions mean in human terms. I also hope
the Board members at FPRS, in the interest of fairness and truth,
reprint my letter and send it on to its subscribers.
Sincerely,
Lupe
Andrade Salmón
Lupe Andrade Salmón
is Former Mayor of La Paz, Bolivia. Petroleumworld not necessarily
share these views.
Editor's
Note: This commentary was first published by Independent on Enero
11, 2006. Petroleumworld reprint this article in the interest
of the readers.
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Petroleumworld 01/21/ 05
Copyright©2006
Lupe Andrade, All rights reserved
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