News - June 1-15, 2010 - Bolivia Democratica

MercoPress, June-14-2010: Bolivia and India's Jindal Steel & Power one of the world's leading steel manufacturers are scheduled to sign an addendum to the contract for the exploitation of the Mutún iron ore reserves with the purpose of unlocking the "lack of investments" according to Mines minister Jose Pimentel. Pimentel said this would be the first step to have the document become a bill, which should help solve all the problems and excuses for the lack of investments". Once the addendum is signed and becomes into law "the Bolivian government expects that Jindal will immediately begin" with the promised investments.

Bolivia to Build Cities to Protect Borders

Latin American Herald Tribune, June-14-2010: A Bolivian government official proposed in an interview published Sunday to build "border cities" to improve security and reduce criminal activity in those regions, instead of fostering a military or police presence aimed at doing that.

Microfinance among the Populists

By Elizabeth Rhyne, Huffington Post, June-14-2010: Interest rate caps make it harder to make very small loans. The result is a shrinking of the frontier away from the poorest clients. This, of course, is the opposite of the stated aim of interest rate caps. For example, one MFI reports that its break even loan size, given planned capped interest rates, would rise to $2,000. This is above its current median size, and would put over half of its client base at risk of loss of service ... The MFIs have found dialogue with politicians and regulators to be very helpful in moderating initially extreme proposals. In Bolivia, in particular, some mutual appreciation between the government and the MFIs has made it possible to have a more constructive dialogue about practical steps. The MFIs recognize that ultimately, their standing with the populists depends on convincing them that the MFIs play a valuable role in serving the people they both care most about - the majority at the base of the economy.

BD Comment: Along with Bangladeshi institutions such as BRAC and the Grameen Bank, Bolivian MFIs were leaders in the development and growth of the microfinance revolution, a process that took place during the "neoliberal" 1980 and 1990s, and with substantial support from USAID, and hence, US taxpayer money. MFIs have made a huge impact on the lives of tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of Bolivians, including the poorest of the poor. And yet nowadays, it has become popular for artists and self-proclaimed "experts" to applaud the "democratic" and "pro-poor" policies of Latin American regimes that, in fact, are in many cases implementing measures that go against the best interest of those they claim to most want to serve. This article by Ms. Rhyne is serious, professional, and highly refreshing in a time when everyone and their uncle think that a blog and a little sniffing around gives them the legitimate right to take a stand for or against leaders and regimes that are destroying decades of hard work, sacrifice, and vast sums of investments by US, EU, Latin American, and other taxpayers in trying to truly break the cycles of poverty and underdevelopment that the highly controversial, neo-socialist regimes aligned under the banner of "21st century socialism" seriously threaten to rollback, as this article cautiously, yet intelligently point out. Congratulations Ms. Rhyne -- more voices like yours are needed.

Hugo Chávez grants rare interview to western media

USA Daily Cut, June-13-2010: Domestic critics of his nationalisation programme which has turned the oil, power and agriculture sectors into vast state bureaucracies accuse him of creating a "Bolívarian bourgeoisie" of corrupt officials and cronies. But Chávez emphasised he intended to go further with his socialist model. Privately owned enterprises are now being expropriated with increasing frequency a recent controversial example involved the French-owned Exito supermarket chain after allegations of profiteering and currency manipulation.

Japan Targets African, Bolivian Mine Projects Under Revised Law

Bloomberg, June-10-2010: Bolivia has the world's largest untapped lithium reserve, containing enough of the lightest metal to make batteries for more than 4.8 billion electric cars, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Mitsubishi Corp. and Sumitomo Corp. have been in talks with the Bolivian government to be partners in a project there.

Bolivia's lower house approves indigenous justice law

BBC News, June-9-2010: The government says the measure, which now goes to the Senate, will allow indigenous groups to settle disputes according to their own cultural values. But opposition parties have warned that it could lead to mob rule.

Results from the Netherlands elections

Netherlands Insitute for Multiparty Democracy, June-11-2010: Voters in the Netherlands went to the polls on 9 June, and the preliminary results are now in. While the final make-up of the new government remains to be seen, the political landscape of the country has shifted significantly.

Bolivia's Morales Re-elected Director of Coca Unions

Bloomberg, June-8-2010: Morales was re-elected yesterday for another two-year term as director of the Six Federations of coca growers in the Chapare region, the Spanish newswire reported. He has been the unions’ leader for 14 years, the report said.

Bolivia-Mexico Trade Agreement in Force

Escambray, June-7-2010: According to a report of the Bolivian Economy and Public Finance Secretary, ECA substitutes the bilateral Free Trade Treaty (FTT) that was in effect since 1995 and that was criticized by La Paz.

Bolivian group hands over bodies of lynched policemen

BBC News, June-5-2010: An indigenous group in Bolivia has handed over the bodies of four policemen, 12 days after lynching them.

Bolivian Indians Who Killed Cops Seek License to Smuggle

Latin American Herald Tribune, 4-June-2010: Leaders of the indigenous communities in southwestern Bolivia that recently lynched four allegedly corrupt police officers are demanding that the government suspend enforcement of anti-smuggling laws in a region bordering Chile, the press reported Thursday.

Action Needed on Chávez, Democracy, and Trade: Secretary of State Clinton Visits Latin America Again

The Heritage Foundation, June-4-2010: Next week, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will travel to Lima, Peru, to attend the Organization of American States (OAS) general assembly. She is also planning a brief visit to Ecuador, Colombia, and Barbados in what will be her second swing through the region in 2010. Clinton cannot afford to squander this opportunity to focus attention on Venezuela's increasingly dangerous, anti-democratic course. She should also address the deep challenges to democracy, market economies, and cooperative security in the Americas.

Access to information to get boost from declassification of dictatorship's files

Reporters Without Borders, 1-June-2010: The Bolivian armed forces have finally agreed to declassify the military dictatorship's archives, defence minister Rubén Saavedra announced yesterday. The decision represents a major advance for the right of access to public information and the collective memory process.

Guaraní, Tapieté Peoples Fight Gas Exploration

IPS News, 1-June-2010: The explosive charges utilised in fossil fuel exploration in Bolivia's Chaco region divert underground water flows, scare off wildlife and harm the environment, charge the leaders of local indigenous Guaraní communities, which have been blocking access routes to keep oil company employees from entering the area.