Just International

We return: Evo will return to Bolivia

By Farooque Chowdhury

The Bolivia-victory says: We return. We, the people, return crossing ages, foiling frontiers, crushing conspiracies the Empire and its gang of imperialists hatch.

Following the latest Bolivia-election-victory Evo Morales, the guerrilla turned lead fighter in a bourgeois-electoral arena, has vowed: “We’re going to return to Bolivia; that’s not in debate.”

The former president of Bolivia announced: My great desire is to return to Bolivia and enter my region. It’s a matter of time.”

The vow, the announcement Evo has made, the electoral victory the people of Bolivia has achieved foiling rightist-imperialist murders and persecutions ring and resound the vow Spartacus made: We shall return, we shall return in millions. On an earlier occasion, after the victory, Evo said: “We have become millions.”

This is the path people tread trampling conspiracies, murders, armed violence, and confusion petty “progressives” seed among people. This is the march mass line produces. Thus is the march a reliance on people, instead of conspiratorial work and hobnobbing with the rightist-imperialist clique, a group of petty “progressives” is practicing in countries, advances through.

Evo, exiled since the rightists with backing from the Empire and the military, an armed wing of the old state machine, toppled him and seized power, made the announcement of returning to Bolivia after his socialist ally Luis Arce thumped a decisive victory in the just concluded presidential election in Bolivia. Evo was speaking at a press conference in Buenos Aires on October 19. In the Congress, the MAS’ victory is also sound.

Luis Arce, the Movement for Socialism (MAS) candidate, led the victory. It’s a victory against the Empire, as the Empire’s black footprints were visible from the day one of the rightist coup organized against Evo. It’s a victory of the people of Bolivia, and of all the peoples in countries standing against the Empire – the chieftain of the imperialist gang. It’s a victory against the OAS bosses, persons in the payroll of the Empire, as those persons invalidated Evo’s electoral victory. They, the bourgeois gentlemen, and the “democracy”-gentlemen from Europe, nullified the Bolivian people’s democratic verdict – Evo’s electoral victory – months ago. These “democracy”-hawkers from Europe teach “democracy” in other countries also; and they gather disciples!

The imperialist gentlemen’ dirty and nasty act – nullifying Evo’s electoral win – is a tombstone of imperialist lie and propaganda-power, a historical heinous act by the imperialist-bourgeois power. It was another example of their power demolishing people’s democratic practice. Even, after this anti-democratic act by the Empire, groups of pseudo “progressives” in some countries hobnob, enter into alliance with these gentlemen, plead with these gentlemen for attaining “democracy”. Bolivia, thus, stands as a historic lesson for all fighting imperialism, fighting exploitative system.

It’s a lesson that imperialist intrigues, interferences, proxies and contras, money- , murder- and propaganda-power and imperialism can be pushed aside, can be defeated. It’s lesson that painstaking political and organizational work among the masses is the path to victory. It’s a lesson that adventurous slogan mongering is not the path. It’s a lesson that Mao’s teaching – imperialism is a paper tiger – shouldn’t be forgotten.

This is victory of people power. It’s so powerful that the Jeanine Áñez, the president of the coup-government run by military officers, and their dear friend Mesa, the contesting candidate in the election, had to accept the defeat, had to express their “belief in democracy”.

This victory has made Alberto Fernandez and Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, presidents of Argentina and Mexico respectively, happy. They played very crucial role in saving Evo from the murderous military officers of Bolivia after the henchmen of imperialism staged the coup to oust Evo. Today, after this electoral victory, Evo’s plane-path from Bolivia to safety may sound a gossip. But that plane journey was charged with high tension and diplomatic efforts by governments friendly to Evo. And, Cuba has gained another friend. Cuba’s President has written: “Cuba shares joy for the triumph of Luis Arce. The Bolivarian ideal is reborn. Our Indigenous Chief of the South @evoespueblo Jallalla Bolivia!”

This victory strengthens struggle of the anti-imperialist people in Latin America and the Caribbean. It signifies: Struggles don’t go in vain, imperialism doesn’t control the time, imperialism doesn’t determine everything, all outcomes.

Now, the path in front is crucial. Conspiracies are there as there’s the old state machine. Bolivian comrades will chalk out the path to higher victory – recreating the Bolivian Miracle, taming and dismantling the military bosses’ clique, achieving political unity. These are a few of the challenges. Evo, during his tenure, achieved many gains. The rightists, since staging the coup, bloodied the society to deprive the people of those gains. As hands of clock don’t sleep, so does imperialism with its conspiracies, money and butchers. It’s – imperialism – a challenge to the Bolivian people.

Luis Arce has already said: “We will govern for all, we will redirect the change without hate. We will restore unity in our country, and we will recover the economy, step by step.”

Arce has also said about the first measure he will take: Give anti-hunger bonds to the poor. The beneficiaries will be Bolivians residing in the country and are over 18 years old by September 16, 2020, groups of women, visually impaired people.

The economic model the new government plans to follow is to strengthen internal economic demand. Arce said: “This is a central issue. For our model, it is important to strengthen internal demand through bonds and transfers. At the same time, we are going to start rebuilding production”.

The US-backed coup-government has hardly hit the part of production since usurping power. That murderous government fatally hit organizations the Bolivian people built up as part of their struggle. These organizations are to be strengthened. The Plurinational Revolution in Bolivia will move forward with compañero Evo Morales. The moves will be easier with a strong mandate and the experience gathered since the Empire-backed coup.

The most important lesson of this electoral victory is political – in the areas related to imperialism, the exploiting classes, the classes fighting imperialism and exploiters, organizations of people, political education. The incidents in some Latin American countries that were identified by some scholars as the White Tide sweeping Cuba-allies seem ebbing.

In Bolivia, the counter-revolutionary campaign is so short-lived that anyone concerned with people’s politics will analyze the entire episode – class equation, people’s organization and power, power of the reactionary forces, imperialism’s limit, plays within economy and its reaction in politics. However, the question of organization of people will never be considered as less significant. Without organization, the Bolivian people wouldn’t have achieved today’s victory. And, organizations don’t crop up overnight, don’t turn functional without long, repetitive, persistent and painstaking work, and without making those organizations superb than the organizations imperialism builds up with its proxies. Among other lessons, the organizational question is one of the most important; and organizations don’t grow with slogan mongering.

Farooque Chowdhury writes from Dhaka, Bangladesh.

20 October 2020

Source: countercurrents.org