Viva Bolivia

Evo Morales will be a popular name in 2006. The first indigenous leader of Bolivia, he won last month’s election with 54% of the vote. His message was simple: give Bolivia back to the Bolivians. His inauguration is scheduled for January 22nd and I hope he makes it. He talks about decriminalizing the cultivation of the coca leaf, nationalizing Natural gas production and revising the laws on private property. He also wants to write a new constitution.

Sound familiar? It should because Juan Peron said similar things in 1973 when he won a popular vote in Chile. Alas, he was assassinated by Black Ops, probably linked to the CIA. Peron spoke of nationalizing the banks, natural resources and taking ownership of property, mostly in the hands of American conglomerates such as Texaco.

The political story of Morales is a classic. He grew up in poverty, worked his way into the coca growers leadership and helped form a cooperative movement of farmers, labour unions, indigenous communities and the poor. He had the economic record to back him up: a 2003 study by the IMF said the Bolivia had 63% of its population living in poverty. He’s a socialist to the core and that can be very bothersome to American corporate interests in the region, including those British, French and Spanish gas companies doing business there.

Morales is also being shrewd when he allies himself with Chile and Venezuela, not to mention the always important visit with Fidel Castro, after all he needs the money. But he’ll have to tread carefully. By stating that he’s “Washington’s worst nightmare” says more to Americans than it does to Bolivians. That said, he does have the support of the people and a very stable government behind him, so the near future looks bright.

But stay tuned to the rhetoric from the United States. Even the Washington Post doesn’t think Morales will last very long. This is typical of attitudes in America: pleased that he won but a socialist is still bad news for the rest of the world. How ironic it is to read about a democratically elected leader chastised by the very country that considers it the highest democracy in the land.

That’s just my opinion. I could be wrong.