Versión Español
EspañolAfter 10 years and three elections, Bolivian President Evo Morales still rules the country. It’s not surprising for the public to hear that his acolytes and puppets are on a quest for indefinite reelection.
The wish of the ruling Movement Towards Socialism party, to turn the country in a regime under full state control, is far from being secret. Nor is its commitment to the regional bloc that professes 21st-century socialist ideology. They have repeatedly stated their true goals: perpetuate their populist leader, acquire a congressional majority, buy off judges, take over the election authority, and finally, found or seize strategic industries such as natural resources, food, and the media.
Fidel Castro originally drafted and taught this scheme to Hugo Chávez, and they then disseminated it throughout the region to Morales, Cristina Kirchner, and Rafael Correa, among others. Unfortunately, they have advanced steadily, conquering the governments of different of countries, but above all the impressionable minds of the citizens.
The eternal curse for Latin Americans is the feeling they can’t do anything by themselves, not even stand on their own two feet without support from the state. This notion has been reinforced by the demagoguery that irradiates from these politicians — all under the guise of an impossible march to equality.
Bolivia has become an Orwellian society, where the president can say whatever he likes and the “people” will undoubtedly applaud. Bolivians are used to the policies and tricks by the government. The sight of Morales’s face everywhere has also become an everyday occurrence, thanks to the ample budget of the Communication Ministry.
It is the same government that calls youth under 25 “the Evo generation,” and publishes comic books, stories, and merchandising from the president, delivered for free to students.
Meanwhile, the state keep adults distracted and happy with international events such as the complaint against Chile, the request to eliminate the visa requirement to travel to the European Union, and even international sports competitions — like Orwell’s Big Brother keeping everyone alert with news coming from the war with Eurasia.
And this is how the social engineers proceed to reform the country, bit by bit. The relevant changes that matter remain dull enough for the ordinary citizen to ignore, while captivated by the big-time distractions that the government has deliberately set up.
Gradually, legislation restricting liberties gets approved, a TV station or a newspaper is acquired or closed, a company nationalized, some industries come under regulations, opponents are jailed, and subsidies distributed — while the society becomes more infantile and dependent on a government that even poses as a “father” figure.
Some 10 years ago, the notion that in Bolivia a tyrant would legalize his stay in government forever would have been absurd. No one would accepted it — a situation compared to totalitarian regimes such as the Cuban dictatorship or Nazi Germany.
And yet, we are about to witness the announcement of a new referendum with a simple question: would you like the indefinite reelection to be approved? The government knows the answer. President Morales, after his hard work to propagandize the country, and his megalomaniac effort to be seen as a godly savior, can afford to say that he does not want to run for a fourth term, but he will have to because “the people are demanding this.”
He can afford to announce a referendum for self-legitimization, knowing that with the Legislative Assembly on his side he could already open the door for his continuity. In my opinion, indefinite reelection simply adds to a large list of problems to be fixed.
Morales taught the Bolivians what power means, and how to get it by hijacking democracy. It’s time to analyze the situation, and learn, and change the country. Neither opposition parties, nor anti-government marches, or civil war are the first step. The struggle to defeat Evo is a long-term, just as it took him many years to become president for the first time.
The first step is to educate society in liberalism and transform the culture, because the foundations for any social change, even the slightest, are the ideas. The rest comes spontaneously, since the political agenda is driven by social demands.
