August 31, 2022, 6:00 AM
August 31, 2022, 6:00 AM
After the announcement that the Government of Santa Cruz will not invite the national authorities to the acts for the 212 years of libertarian deed of the department, the spirits heated up even more.
In the inter-institutional meeting for the census last Monday, the Santa Cruz governor, Luis Fernando Camacho, declared that he has decided not to invite the representatives of the central level of the State to the anniversary.
Among other things, he recalled that at the first opportunity to invite the ruling party to demonstrate a democratic spirit, the response was violence, translated into trials of Rómulo Calvo, senators, deputies, and even him as well.
Several authorities from the Movement for Socialism (MAS) responded to Camacho’s assertions. One of the first was deputy Rolando Cuéllar, who called him a “tyrant dictator”, since with his decision he is drowning the economy of the people of Santa Cruz and with “his mental ignorance of him proves to be useless”, he alluded.
Deputy Zulay Mamani, also from MAS, lamented that Camacho, instead of thinking about the Santa Cruz anniversary, the governor is politicizing, dividing and discriminating.
For Patricio Mendoza, another MAS deputy, Camacho is afraid of the presence of President Luis Arce Catacora, who “does have works and projects to deliver to Santa Cruz, while the governor will only have his civic act.”
According to Mendoza, until now the departmental authority cannot execute its budget. He assured that he only has 9% execution, since probably “that money is spent on stoppages and blockades.” Likewise, he called the Departmental Legislative Assembly to audit it, “but so far it has not said anything,” he asserted.
Along the same lines, MAS councilor José Quiroz said that they do not take the governor into account because there are no works in Santa Cruz. “He does not own Santa Cruz, he is the weakest governor in Bolivia. He has not done any work and has always been a racist and a coup, since his grandfather and his father, just like him in 2019, “he attacked.
Silence
Given Luis Fernando Camacho’s statements, EL DEBER inquired whether President Arce and other national authorities would participate in the departmental festivities, but until the closing of the edition there was no response from the presidential spokesman, Jorge Richter.
At Fexpo they also did not answer whether or not the invitations will be extended to the national authorities to participate in the agenda of the department’s largest fair event. The version of the president of the Exhibition Fair, Óscar Mario Justiniano, and his communication team was sought.
However, Councilman Quiroz indicated that there are several events where national authorities are welcome.
He said that as president of the Cochabamba residents in Santa Cruz, the first thing he will do is invite President Arce, “brother Evo (Morales) and all the deputies to the Cochabamba party,” which is celebrated every September 14.
“We are half a million here, we are going to celebrate at the cambodromo, but we are going to invite all the authorities, we are not bad blood, all the authorities, whether they are from the right or the left,” said the councilman.
Quiroz also assured that the president will be received in the southern zone, Plan 3,000, in large acts of carriers and merchants. Another event that he mentioned was the protocol act of the Municipal Council, which takes place on September 22 in the Fifth Municipal.
“We are also going to ask that the president be present at the Council’s honorary session, we are going to invite him as councilors,” Quiroz said.
From the protocol office of the Municipal Council they reported that between today and tomorrow, at the latest, details of the act should be defined in session. However, they explained that due to a protocol issue, invitations are always extended to the authorities of the central level of government.
Quiroz alluded to the Exhibition Fair, which has not yet clarified whether or not Arce will be invited to be part of the fair agenda for the month of Santa Cruz. He said that if they do not invite the President of the State, it would be discrimination, and the MAS militants will not set foot on the premises.
In case of not contemplating Arce, he warned to create a parallel Fexpocruz. “In the future we would see with our microentrepreneurs to make a Fexpo of the people, not of the lodges”, he attacked.
error or success
Regarding Camacho’s statements, analyst Paúl Antonio Coca has no doubt that this determination is typical of the moment of tension between the department and the central level of the State.
According to Coca, the differences will worsen as the days go by, in part, because this Friday, September 2, the Inter-institutional Census Committee will meet, which will scratch the field of the departmental position, given the national insistence of censusing in 2024.
For Coca, Governor Camacho’s refusal arises from a previous act in which there were already problems, it was the case of the whipala, which led to complaints of racism and discrimination.
He believes that, although for many it may be unwise that the governor does not invite the national authorities, what he does is save himself a bad moment and an event that can be generated, for example, if the act is done in the main square, “ that the masistas try to hoist the whipala”.
According to the analyst, the central level, both with Evo Morales and with Arce, always looks for any excuse to brand Santa Cruz as racist or discriminatory. “It’s paradoxical because it’s the most populated place in the country, little Bolivia,” he said.
He added that the issue of racism and discrimination, especially at this time, goes hand in hand with the coup. “That will not change, it is part of a struggle, that the country’s economic power wants to become political power, and we know that it is not easy to achieve that. Of course, centralism is at that level of resistance, to prevent Santa Cruz, which is already the economic engine, from being the political engine of Bolivia”, he asserted.
The deputy of Cree Khaline Moreno said that the governor has the power to decide which authority he invites or not to the protocol acts of September 24. According to her, the region has been the hardest hit by the MAS and by the institutions servile to the ruling party.
“They have unjustly imprisoned our young people and, finally, they have denied us the right to improve our quality of life, denying the carrying out of a transparent and timely census in 2023. It is clear that the MAS does not respect Santa Cruz, that is why no of its authorities should be invited”, he alluded.
Analyst Rolando Schrupp described Camacho as the “Trojan horse” that the MAS needs to tire out and demobilize Santa Cruz. His reading is that the pressure measures wear out the Santa Cruz population and that they will not be heeded when necessary.
He believes that, in his “political childishness”, the governor drags the population into conflict.
more pressure
Yesterday, the Public Ministry notified Governor Luis Fernando Camacho within the process followed by Masista deputy Rolando Cuéllar, for the alleged irregular purchase of a fire truck for the Police.
César Rodríguez, Cuéllar’s legal advisor, said that the statement is scheduled for today, at 2:00 p.m.; he insisted that the purchase was made outside the legal framework, citing breach of duty and embezzlement.
Martín Camacho, defense attorney for the governor, assured that the accusation will be technically distorted, presenting all the necessary documentation regarding the legality of the adjudication process. He alluded to Cuéllar, “used to the political show to raise his decayed image.”
Another conflict takes place outside the Government, where a protest by doctors demanding more than 200 items summoned by the Departmental Health Service (Headquarters) of Santa Cruz has been installed. “We have been waiting for a year and eight months,” said Stefani Blanco, one of those affected.
