Morales fears revolution if something were to happened to him

The previous Sunday, a helicopter in which the president regularly travels crashed, causing the death of four Venezuelan soldiers and one Bolivian.

July 27, 2008 - President Evo Morales expressed on Sunday that he feared a revolution if “something” were to happen to him, one week after the crash of a helicopter he regularly travels in, which killed all five passengers on board.

“I feel that if something were to happen to Evo Morales, I feel that there could be a rebellion and I am afraid of that” said the president in front of thousands of coca growers. During the event, Morales declared the cocalero region free of illiteracy and free of “North American imperialism.”

Morales did not specific what it was that could happen to him…..

On Friday, Morales speculated that the tragedy was not a coincidence. “Surely the accident was not a coincidence… something is happening” he said.

“Perhaps they can overthrow me, but they will not be able to overthrow the Bolivian people”. In a rally with the cocaleros, Morales declared the central region of the Chapare “territory free of illiteracy and territory free of USAID (United States Agency for International Development), and therefore of North American imperialism.”

The head of state asked that if the US wanted to cooperate that they should do so in a direct manner like his Venezuelan ally, President Hugo Chavez, and the program “Evo Delivers”, with money directly going the municipalities and social sectors.

The cocaleros decided to do away with the aid from USAID, due to which the personnel from this organisation had to abandon the Chapare. The Bolivia government had accused the agency of supposedly conspiring against the government.

Morales congratulated the cocaleros for the exit of USAID four days before his meeting with US Assistant Secretary of State, Thomas Shannon, with whom he agreed to improve relations through dialogue.

Shannon denied that the US was conspiring against the Bolivian government.

Translated from El Universal