Bolivian President on Fighting Poverty and Intimidation by U.S.

By Aarthi Gunnupuri Reprint | | Print |

UNITED NATIONS, Sep 24 2013 (IPS) - At a press conference Tuesday with Bolivian President Evo Morales, the denial of airspace to his presidential jet by several European countries in July this year (covered by IPS here) was foremost among the minds of many journalists .

However, Morales focused on how his government’s policies, frequently described as ‘leftist’, were helping fight poverty in the country. The rise in Bolivian export revenues, debt reduction and growing remittances have enabled an increase in expenditure on social programmes, which take the country closer to achieving its Millenium Development Goals (MDGs).

“People cannot be governed by bankers,” Morales said while speaking about increasing regulation of the private sector, including the banking industry in Bolivia. Stressing the importance of lending to the more vulnerable in his country, Morales stated, “The poor are more responsible than the bankers when it comes to paying back their loans.” The Bolivian President’s comments are relevant in the light of the new law introduced by his government last month which restrains profitability of the banking sector, while introducing new regulations that intend to improve consumer protection and create greater financial inclusion.

MI AGUA was among the several ongoing social welfare programmes mentioned by the President. Currently in its third phase, MI AGUA will provide potable water to over 80 percent of the population, Morales claimed. In the year 2000, the privatisation of water and subsequent 50 percent price hike in Cochabamba, Bolivia’s third largest city, led to large-scale protests across the Andean nation.

Despite increased expenditure and focus on the politically relevant and popular issue of water in Bolivia, the nation faces several challenges including recurring droughts in recent years that have been attributed to climate change. Increased access to drinking water was among the first Millenium Development Goals to be met in 2012, well ahead of its target.

Responding to U.S. President Barack Obama’s concerns about a nuclear crisis and the Syrian conflict,  Morales alluded to the role of the private defence industry based in the United States and other parts of the developed world. “Where do nuclear weapons come from? Where do chemical weapons come from?” he asked, criticising the backing of opposition and rebels in various countries during times of crisis, describing it as a strategy by the United States to confront defiant national leaders from within a country.

As anticipated, journalists at the conference posed questions on the denial of airspace by France, Spain, Portugal and Italy to the Bolivian President’s jet due to the rumoured presence of American whistleblower Edward Snowden onboard.

Morales made light of the issue by comparing it to a couple’s tiff (presumably between the United States and Bolivia), in which the European third-parties did not wish to intervene. While Morales did not specifically speak about intimidation in relation to the airspace controversy, he mentioned intimidation several times during his criticism of U.S. policies.