Unrest in Bolivia
They can go on!
Tim Ramsey, Executive Director
Have you ever been in a riot? Moved by the surge of the crowd? Heard the screams of demagogues? Or, felt the adrenaline kicked into motion by the need to survive? Have you ever “tasted” the acrid smell of tear gas? Wondered how things got so “out of hand?” I have, and it isn’t pleasant.
Those of you who have followed news lately from Bolivia know that for the past month the country was brought to a standstill by riots, road blocks, and violent uprisings. Andean Aymara and Quechua people groups, who have long been exploited, revolted against a weak and ineffective government.
Above: Because of the strategy of training nationals,
ministries like Monte Blanco can continue when North
Americans are not able to help.
For centuries these descendents of the Incas have been exploited by wealthy mine owners and corrupt political party bosses. For decades now, they have been heavily influenced by communist and socialist propaganda which promises a better Bolivia through nationalization of the petroleum industry, centralized government, and populist uprisings. These philosophies have been promoted and funded by socialist groups from Europe, Venezuela, and Cuba.
The radical socialist leaders moved Aymaras and Quechuas to place a stranglehold on the capitol city of La Paz. After twenty days of roadblocks and riots, they brought the city to its knees and began to concentrate on the rest of the nation. They succeeded in bringing down the second president in less than two years. As the dust has begun to settle and a temporary peace has been restored, Bolivians are just now counting the cost.
The result has been millions of dollars in damage to highway infrastructures, loss of tourism, the bankruptcy of micro-industries, the shut down of petroleum exports, and other incalculable economic losses. Coupled with this financial loss is a collective embarrassment by the educated and business leaders of the nation as being perceived as a backward, ungovernable country. While it is true that the exploitation complaints are valid, and that the long-term corruption by traditional political parties is inexcusable, the chosen path of violence to bring about reform is not acceptable.
Jobs, hard work, manufacturing, and exports are the key to economic recovery; not social disorder couple with a foolish demand that petroleum reserves provide income for each citizen.
While Aymaras and Quechuas lean to the left politically, the people of the “lowlands” of Bolivia are generally pro-business, pro-democracy, and pro-capitalism. Santa Cruz and the other lowland states are seeking the decentralization of the government. For centuries the economic generator for Bolivia was the Andean states and their mines in the highlands. These states ignored the needs and poverty of their lowland neighbors. Today the lowland tropics hold the second highest natural gas reserves in South America; they produce more than 52% of the Gross Domestic Product for Bolivia and pay over 60% of the taxes. They have become the economic engine for the nation. This money has traditionally been ceded to La Paz and the Andean regions, and after their needs have been attended too and corruption has taken its toll, a small amount has been returned. The result is that Santa Cruz and the lowland states are demanding greater state control of their resources. This political and philosophical clash has resulted in violence. It is a volatile situation requiring skilled diplomacy and strong leadership, something the last president of Bolivia was incapable of providing.
A tentative window of peace resulted with the naming of the head of the Supreme Court of Bolivia as the new president. Early elections have been called, and for the time being Bolivia is at rest, groping to find its way out of a political quagmire. Its leaders need your prayers.
One shining light has been the restraint of the military. Traditionally the military has staged a coup to take over the government. Yet, in the past two years the military has chosen to twice restore social order and then return power back to the elected officials. In this latest uprising the military stood back, respecting the constitution and the elected leaders while allowing the police to maintain social order.
LATCOM thinks we have played a small part in this peaceful resolution. As you know, for the past five years God has permitted us to train most of the upper level officers of the armed forces in morals and ethics. In each case we have also clearly presented the Gospel and the foundational principles for maintaining social order; principles that flow out of the Ten Commandments. Perhaps this is one reason the military has shown such restraint and unwillingness to use violent force. We have no way to verify this, but trust God has given us this opportunity for a reason. Perhaps this is one of those.
One thing for which we praise the LORD is that, unlike other foreign missions which develop elaborate pull-out plans for their missionaries and ministries, our mission was unaffected. A hallmark of LATCOM is its dependence on national leadership. Bolivians own and administrate all our ministries. No matter what happens politically our ministries can go on.
Leaders continue to be trained; vacation Bible schools are still happening; the homes are still being built in Zapocó; the Character Solutions project in the city of La Guardia is right on schedule; and our radios continue to daily broadcast the Gospel.
More than ever we feel the urgency to train the existing leaders for this country and continent; and more than ever we sense the urgency to train future leaders.
Thank you for your support and prayers. They are increasingly vital to our work!•
["They can go on " by Timothy Ramsey, July 2005] Copyright © 2005 LATCOM.
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