Ciao!

Mesa says no to dialogue

At least to a conference on hydrocarbons sponsored by Bolivia's Permanent Assembly on Human Rights (APDH), a local NGO. This is, to my knowledge, the first time Mesa's turned town an offer to dialogue. Is it indicative of a new policy after his populist victory in the streets & parliament? Perhaps.

It may also an indictment of Sacha Lloreti & other APDH leaders. They're often attacked as partisan (for denouncing government abuses of civil rights, but never when Evo or others attack people, property, or otherwise violate the rule of law). Some question, therefore, how effective such a "dialogue" will actually be, and whether it'll be productive or, quite frankly, just a waste of time.

Indicative, is the condemnation of Mesa by Waldo Albarracín (former had of APDH, now Defensor del Pueblo), who stated that if the government doesn't attend "it only demonstrates their intention to resolve problems by violence and bloodshed". That's, I think, laying it on a bit thick, ain't it? As if the only two options were A) attend yet another conference or B) start shooting protesters en masse. Such vitriol won't do much to convince Mesa, and it betrays a certain APDH bias.

Meanwhile, it seems the brief MAS-COB alliance already broke down. While MAS wants a 50% tax on hydrocarbons, the COB insists on full nationalization. They've instructed their syndicatos to go on 48-hour strike, starting Monday. The COB, also, won't attend the APDH conference; MAS will.

Is Mesa done w/ dialogue? He began his presidency under the "all negotiation, all the time" banner. He surrendered the state's capacity to impose law & order for the sake of preventing bloodshed — at any cost. After 18 months of concession after concession, he was unable to please opponents. So. Is he done w/ dialogue, ready to ride his newfound populist euphoria? Is this the birth of what Guillermo O'Donnell calls "delegative democracy" in Bolivia?

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UPDATE: This morning, several groups announced they would not attend the APDH conference in Cochabamba: The Catholic Church won't attend. Political party leaders & legislators (you know, the people who'd end up voting for any hydrocarbon laws) say they weren't even invited. So, w/ pretty much no one w/ any leverage coming to the conference, one wonders just what it hopes to achieve, if only MAS shows up. If this was just a ploy (as some suspect) for Lloreti & Albarrracín to gain some headlines & political capital, then it's a bust. Instead, Mesa's meeting w/ legislators to hammer out legislation in La Paz.

Posted by Miguel at 06:25 PM