June 19, 2023, 4:00 AM
June 19, 2023, 4:00 AM
The executive secretary of the Single Union Confederation of Peasant Workers of Bolivia (Csutcb), Ever Rojas, revealed on Thursday the 15th that the Government financially supported the holding of a national meeting of the sector in Santa Cruz during the 36 days of the civic strike, occurred between October and November of last year, to demand the completion of the Population and Housing Census in 2023.
Rojas made the statement in the framework of the investigation carried out by the Public Ministry for the collection of bribes made by the former Minister of Environment and Water to companies to be awarded public works. The main witness, Claudia Cortez, said that the Csutcb leader received US$10,000 and Bs30,000 in cash from Cruz.
The aforementioned denied the version, but confessed that he received economic resources from the ministers of the Presidency, María Nela Prada; and Public Works, Edgar Montaño, in addition to the former Minister of the Environment to install the national meeting of peasants in the capital of Santa Cruz during the days of the conflict.
“When we had problems and difficulties in the department of Santa Cruz, the three comrades have supported us,” he specified.
This medium asked what problems he was referring to, and he replied: “These three ministers helped us with resources for the organization of congresses in Santa Cruz to unifyIt was ‘the only one’ of that region”.
On November 11, 2022, during the civic strike, the Single Trade Union Federation of Apiaguaiki workers Tumpa from the Department of Santa Cruz was set on fire by a group of people who waved a Santa Cruz flag. Simultaneously, in another place, the governor Luis Fernando Camacho was meeting with the commander of the Police to demand that he stop the violence of the police against the civic citizens.
The top leader of the Csutcb pointed out that last year they asked the ministers for help, “as an executive committee, for the transfer of people to Santa Cruz for the congress in that region. Minister Prada collaborated with us in organizing the event, and it was not a single trip, we have made many trips. Then brother Edgar Montaño, from Public Works, has helped us. The last one was compañero Santos Cruz, who gave us Bs 8,000”, he stressed.
He did not want to provide the amounts delivered by the Ministry of the Presidency and by the Ministry of Public Works, but stated that Santos Cruz delivered the money in cash, and He did it in his office, in the Casa Grande, not in the Csutcb.
Since Thursday, the attempts have been in vain. Neither the Ministry of the Presidency nor the Ministry of Public Works agreed to issue any statement on this subject, even though they were aware of the content of Rojas’s statement. Neither did the Vice Minister of Communication, Gabriela Alcón, to whom she also appealed.
The lawyer and colonel in passive service Jorge Santistevan commented that this fact confirms that “in the days of social convulsion between Santa Cruz society and the Government, the latter applied the usual sinister plan, which consists of provoking acts of violence to hold accountable for what happened.” what happens to the local authorities, preparing self-attacks. For this, it economically promotes social movements and organizes specialized groups to cause sabotage to the institutions, as occurred in the burning of the building of the Unique, caused by the peasants themselves who were there. That was proven, but justice will always be on the side of the Government, ”he said.
It is the same, according to his criteria, that happened with the recent attack on the Cruceña assembly member of the MAS Muriel Cruz. “Look, justice has sent a dozen people to prison, but the court itself The Government recognizes that the two or three women who carried out the tremendous and unfortunate beating do not appear and are still on the run. They self-sabotage with the desire to persecute opponents and activists”, he stated and pointed out that the investment of money that comes from the ministries has that objective.
For her part, the deputy of Comunidad Ciudadana Luis Nayar said: “We see that this is the practice of all authoritarian governments, to debase social organizations and put them at their service and instruct them on what they have to do: attack citizens that manifest, self-attacked and as a result of this situation, the ministers involved must answer where they get the money to finance these paramilitary groups that violate rights and freedoms”. He recalled that the Ministry of the Presidency and the Casa Grande became a dealership of cool vehicles that are delivered to social organizations.
The lawyer and former deputy Daniel Valverde pointed out that the Government and the sectors have a “relationship that is similar to the bully bars, which make noise, but also go out of their way to have perks and special attention from the Executive. They pay for tickets, give them spaces of power and also vehicles. This fact proves what I say”.
The executive committee of the Csutcb is one of the most faithful allies that the Government of Luis Arce has. In fact, on Thursday (15) at 10:00 p.m., the president published a post on his certified Twitter account in which he shared photos of a meeting with the top staff of the peasant organization. He showed clips of the match and another, in a group, where everyone raised their left fists and placed their right hands on their chests.
“Today in the Casa Grande del Pueblo we met with the Executive Committee of the glorious Single Union Confederation of Peasant Workers from Bolivia #CSUTCB. The revolutionary unity that allowed us to recover democracy together with the Bolivian people is stronger than ever.”remarked the president.
During the 36-day civic strike, the Csutcb announced that it would send a million peasants to reinforce a fence around Santa Cruz. In those days the facilities of ‘la Única’ were burned.
On December 29, after the arrest of the governor of Santa Cruz, Luis Fernando Camacho, the organization issued a resolution supporting “to the national government, democratically elected with more than 55% of the votes, in the face of threats of instability and convulsion”Rojas declared that day.
The union entity reproached the taking and burning of public institutions and private property by radical groups “affiliated with Camacho”, after his apprehension in Santa Cruz.
“We denounce the Bolivian people and the international community that these armed groups that staged the coup in 2019, that intimidated the people of Santa Cruz in a 36-day forced strike, now they intend, once again, to fracture the democratic order”questioned and sued the authorities called by law “to urgently investigate the instigators, perpetrators and accomplices for the destruction and burning of vehicles and state property, as well as the burning of a peasant headquarters during the protest.”
The statement by the main leader of the Bolivian peasants comes amid the political struggle between President Luis Arce and the head of the MAS, Evo Morales.
