We are all Santa Cruz II

Second statement by intellectuals, professionals and personalities from the city of Santa Cruz, October 8

Twenty-five years ago the people of Bolivia recovered their democracy in hopes of forging their life ideals, their dreams, rights, opportunities and effective institutions. But that democracy was hijacked by a succession of minorities that governed the country and devastated the economy, auctioned our natural resources, centralized and re-concentrated power with the active participation of many of those who advocate decentralization today. We must never return to that past.

Now is the time for participatory democracy. It is time for inclusive autonomy. It is time for the districts of our capital to become new and vital municipalities. It’s time to elect deputy prefects, council members, deputy mayors, and others state authorities through popular vote, in order for democracy to flourish and citizens to feel that changes are reaching their daily life.

We must change the national model of productive economic development. The environmental crisis is not only an ecological, but also a political, economic and social crisis. It is the crisis of a model that depletes and pillages nature. We must have economic justice. We must modernize the “locomotive of development” in Santa Cruz from which only the exhaust reaches the public and those who most need progress. We have lost the right to live in healthy cities. “The purist sky in America” is now a black and toxic cloak that is damaging the health of millions. The productive model, despite privileges and subsidies, is unsustainable. A new economic model based on an ethic of sustainability, on values, sentiment and knowledge is needed to renovate our lifestyles and manners of inhabiting our planet. We call for an ecological pause, urgently and without exceptions.

The world chooses peaceful coexistence among different cosmologies, fully inclusive governments, dignified existence for all, and wellbeing and for all. But there are still those who supplant the true indigenous organizations that have been and remain a vital part of the democratic struggle. In a folkloric manner they appoint supposed representatives to the institutions that belong to all the people of Santa Cruz. We reject this attitude of contempt toward other institutions and we applaud the momentous declaration of the United Nations regarding indigenous peoples’ right to self determination and self government. We propose that this resolution be applied to the constituent assembly.

The constituent assembly is not only “a” stage for participatory democracy, it is THE STAGE where Bolivians must build pluralism, resolve conflicts and conciliate the origin and the composition of power, instead of multiplying power. We encourage the public to take part in the process of drafting the constitution, to actively get involved and continue to participate beyond formal duration of the task. We demand that the state transfer the Constituent Assembly to the people, to the barrios, to the plazas, to the communities, to the smallest corners of the nation’s territory so that no Bolivian is unfamiliar with its content before entering into a ratification referendum. Only by illuminating, socializing and transparently circulating the work of drafting the constitution can we exert our power over this historical cause that they wish to snatch away from us, distorting it, emphasizing only anecdotes, publicizing confrontation and hushing achievements. If the Assembly fails, we have all failed in the attempt to build a New Bolivia.

Bolivia belongs to us all, We are all Santa Cruz

Willy Rivero J.-Alejandro Colanzi Z. - Betty Tejada S.- Gisela López R.- José Ros I. - Claudia Peña C.-Jerjes Justiniano T. – Alvaro Puente C.- Hernán Cabrera M.- Carmen Elena Sanabria S.- José Mirtenbaum- Javier Mendez V.- Alcides Vadillo - Miriam Suárez-Licy Tejada S.- W. Magali Cavero G.- Miguel Bustos- Eliana Torrico T.- Carla G. Ariscain G - Mario S. Portugal R.- Carlos A. Barrero S.- Oswaldo Antunez O.- Carlos Guzmán C.- Guadalupe Abrego- Hugo Navia M.- Jenny Ampuero J.- Majda Suleimar R.- Alberto Serrudo R.- José Sánchez H.- Benito Sensano M .- Eduardo Carrasco R.- Gerardo Villegas Q.-G.-José Sucre G. - Sergio Aramayo S.- Alejandro Marat- Victor Fernández -Sara Crespo S.-Remigio Carlos-P.Carolina Villarreal T.-Rosario Lobariñas-José María Illescas-Alejandra Crespo S.-Rosa V.Suárez-Fernando Justiniano A.-.-Maura C. Tangara C.-Jeannete Beltrán D.-Alejandro Suárez-Hugo Nogales L.-Jorge Acuña T.- Victor Quelca Mamani-Lila Bacherer Solíz-Jorge Taboada-René Salazar T.-Nereida Vaca N.-Roberto Vargas G.-Mariela Castro S.Hernán Becerra-Shirley Alanoca G.-Nelson Alemán-Maria Elena Alvis-M. Antonio Amochuyé A.-Germán Antelo H.-Mauricio Añez B.-Leonardo Arteaga-Oscar Azogue R.-Cecilia Banegas F.-Weimar Barriga R.-Alberto Berazaín E.-Gonzalo H. Cava E.-Angela P. Calderón G.-Rosalía Callapino M.-Richard Camacho S.-Yeddaly G. Cárdenas P.-Marioly Centella B.-Silvana Cesari G.-Arsenio Chino C.-Richard Cruz P.-Rosso Cruz-Manfredo J. Cuellar-Shirley Elías L.- -Alfonsa Galza P.-Jannette Giné-A. María Giné L.-Luís Felipe Gisbert-Gilda G. Gonzales B.-Roberto Gorestiaga-Ruth Guerra C.-Lola Gutierrez S.-Cecilia Heredia A.-Andrea Heredia del A.-Guillermo Ibáñez F.-Fernando Justiniano A-Yohany Limpias A.-Gerardo Luna V.-Irma Lizarazu P.-Jannet I. López M.-Lidia Luna Quispe-Tito Medeiros A.-Jessica Mendoza E.-Lourdes Molina R.-Angela E.Molina R.-Sigmar Montero Z.-Gustavo A. Moreno Z.-Hugo Navia M.-Freddy Alarcón C.-María E. Nuñez G.-Demetrio Ñumi U.-Hernán Ortuño A.-Eloy Peña P.-Jorge Perez S.- Carlos Ponce S.-Nelsón Ríos Campos – Ana Ribera – Fernando Rivero – Jhonny Arnaldo Rocha G – Alfredo Rocha A.- Omar Rodriguez F. – Luís Rodríguez M.- Eduardo Rodríguez R. – Wamin Serrano L.-José Rodríguez V.- Hilda Rojas P. – Wilma Román V.- Edgar Marcos Ruíz M.- Ruth M. Salazar C.- Manuel Salvatierra N. – José Sanchez H. –Fernando Sanjinés M. – Vera L. Saucedo – José Miguel Solíz G.-Jasmani M. Toro – Jorge Vallejos V.-Miguel A. Vargas C.- Cristina Vargas L. – Rolando Vargas N. –Adela Vargas N.- M. Luisa Vásquez.- Sabino Vásquez M. –Jorge Vespa B.-José Primo Villca.- Ariel Villamontes S.-Marcia Villegas – J. Luís Wayar A.-Indira Yandura M.-Carlos Yuli C.-Marcia Zamora – Karen Ojeda C.- Alfredo Saavedra S.- J. Miguel Nuñez Peña- Javier Escobar D.- Roberto Céspedes Q.- Armando Tabeada Z.- Edgar Gaya El Hage- Efraín Castro D.- Richard Medeiros.

Translated by Dawn Gable for Bolivia Rising