La Paz in flames

06.01.2005

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Bolivia's parliament was supposed to meet yesterday, after eleven days back w/ their constituencies. They were to vote on dates for the autonomy referendum & constituent assembly. Instead, protests intent on closing parliament — and exacting "community justice" (i.e. lynchings) on legislators — prevented the body from meeting.

According to all reports, La Paz descended into chaotic vandalism, w/ city residents doing the best they can to protect themselves. Plaza España, a small plaza near my apartment in Sopocachi (where I lived for most of 2004) was wrecked, w/ no police presence to stop the looting of nearby small businesses. Most fingers point to the UPEA (El Alto Public University) students & faculty as the worst offenders.

Most of El Alto's businesses have been shut down for weeks. La Razón published an estimate of total losses. $50,000 lost in tourism alone in the past nine days; $8 million in per day losses from El Alto businesses (many of which are about to close, taking thousands of jobs); $13,500 lost per day just in flight taxes (the airport's been closed sporadically); city public transport has lost Bs.1 million; small market stall venders are on the verge of losing everything. If you've ever wondered what a third world country committing suicide looks like, this is it.

Interestingly, the reports show that while La Paz is in utter chaos, the country's eight other departments are in a state of normality. The violence is concentrated almost exclusively on the city of La Paz.

A full parliament unable to assemble, MAS legislators took the opportunity to call for Hormando Vaca Diez (the body's president) to resign. Though quorum was established, the Santa Cruz delegation refuses to accept the vote (Vaca Diez is from the department). Only MAS, MIP, and Mesa's "patriotic pole" legislators (66 total) met. Many legislators refuse to gather in La Paz, due to [justified] fear for their physical safety.

There seems no end in sight. As always, check the Bolivian blogosphere; start w/ Barrio Flores & MABB (both in English).

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UPDATE 1: In the list of businesses fleeing the La Paz mass public suicide, La Razón is starting to report specifics. UPS will no longer service the country. American Airlines & Aerolineas Argentinas will only fly to Santa Cruz. Like I commented a while back, John Galt left Bolivia a long, long time ago. A column today by Manfredo Kempff Suárez also points out the logical conclusion of a policy of populist lecturing by privileged intellectuals who don't understand the basic univeral laws of cause & effect.

UPDATE 2: Bolivia.com reports on a (possible) police mutiny just put down in La Paz. Meanwhile, the city of La Paz is wrecked, vandalism & chaos everywhere. The motive seems to be a conflict between the army & police, w/ Mesa recently praising the military for its role in maintaining order (including in putting down the police mutiny/coup led by Vargas in February 2003) w/o mentioning the police's role in preventing marchers from seizing parliament the last few days.

Also, Vaca Diez (parliament president) announced the legislature would meet this afternoon, wether a consensus is reached or not. He didn't address the complaints by some legislators that he should step down as head of parliament for his non-attendance at last Tuesday's session. To be fair, few legislators from outside La Paz are attending — many fearing for their physical safety at the hands of mobs demanding "communitarian justice" (i.e. lynchings) w/ little police presence in the city.

UPDATE 3: MABB asks a penetrating question rarely (if ever) asked:

"I would also, very much, like to know how is it that all these people who live hundreds of kilometers away of La Paz and who supposedly hardly even have money to eat, can pay the ticket to transport them from their towns to La Paz, pay their stay while the protests are going on and be able to eat every day they stay in the city. Let's remember, these are poor campesinos. How can they finance all that?"

Posted by Miguel at 10:54 AM

Comments

I think the main reason they're leaving is because of the instability. They could care less about what Mesa says or does, as long as there is stability and security.

Posted by: Miguel (MABB) at June 1, 2005 04:03 PM