This is the second time I have addressed the Assembly
in my 20 months as President. I come here to share our
experiences with the Presidents of the many countries
of our world. I wish to take this opportunity to say how
pleased I am at the election of a new Secretary-
General, who will be leading the international
Organization for the good of humankind, and above all,
for the good of the abandoned and the dispossessed.
For that reason, I wish to briefly comment on my own
country.
For the first time in Bolivian history, the groups
most forgotten, despised, hated and reviled throughout
the history of Bolivia — we indigenous peoples —
have assumed the leadership of our country to change
our beloved Bolivia — to make political and economic
changes, to reshape and re-establish our country,
orienting it towards searching for unity, respecting our
differences and respecting our identity so that we can
work together to resolve our economic and social
problems.
In this brief period, I have felt and seen that it
will be difficult and will mean fighting for the equality
and justice of peoples, of all of us who live in the
homeland. But at the same time, we shall do so with a
great deal of strength, because the popular movement,
the indigenous movement and the intellectuals and
even the business and professional communities, have
taken a chance on their land and their people, and are
striving peacefully for democratization, ensuring a
cultural revolution in my country.
But sometimes it is more important to regain our
natural resources. I very much regret to say that in my
country, during the neoliberal regimes, natural
resources and State-owned enterprises were privatized
under the pretext of capitalization. In fact, they
decapitalized the country, claiming that private
enterprise would be the solution for unemployment and
corruption. We actually saw an increase in
unemployment and in corruption. Just a few years ago,
Bolivia was considered to be the world's runner-up of
corruption, but now I am delighted to see that
international organizations have said that there has
been a great decrease in corruption in Bolivia. We want
to eradicate it.
I want members to know that in 2005, before I
became President of the Republic, Bolivia received
only $300 million in revenue from hydrocarbons. That
was a time when hydrocarbons, oil and natural gas
were privatized, when they were given to the
transnationals. Now that we have changed the oil laws
and nationalized and recovered these very important
natural resources, Bolivia will receive more than
$2 billion in revenue this year.
For that reason, Bolivia wants to share its
experience with all leaders and with all nations where
natural resources have been privatized. It is important,
with the strength of the people, to recover these natural
resources so that they can benefit the people and the
nation. Of course, I completely understand that
companies have the right to recover the economic
resources that they have invested. They have a right to
profit, but not like in the past when all they were
concerned with was plundering our natural resources.
The most important thing in all of this is that we
have begun to decolonize Bolivia, both internally and
externally. I say internally because my country
previously had masters. If we look back at our history,
there were masters that were descended from the
viceroys, religious groups and the oligarchy. They
ruled and the people were powerless. Now we are
building up the power of the people so that the people
are sovereign, not groups of families, and so that we,
the peoples, have the right to decide on our future.
That is the best kind of democracy we can
implement, because it does not mean merely accepting
certain policies or being subjugated by masters or
bosses in my country. When I say that we are
decolonizing externally as well, I mean that right now,
there are no ambassadors in my country who change or
appoint ministers. Before, unfortunately, United States
ambassadors changed and appointed ministers. That is
over. Thus, we have begun to decolonize our country.
Once, policies were imposed on us by the World
Bank and the International Monetary Fund. That is
over too. I would like to share a little story about our
country that I remember clearly. In 2003, the World
Bank and the International Monetary Fund told our
leadership to choose between a gasoline tax and an
income tax to avoid a deficit. The Government decided
to put a tax on workers' wages. In two days more than
15 people died in Bolivia because of clashes among
Bolivians.
Now let me say that last year, without income
taxes, without gasoline taxes, Bolivia had a surplus
thanks to the return of a natural resource,
hydrocarbons, that is so important for my country.
That is why I say that we have begun external
decolonization. We are gathering the proposals and
initiatives of our peoples organized in civic and trade
union forums, in particular people who have economic
problems. They have the wisdom to propose initiatives
and solutions from their own neighbourhoods and from
their own trade unions. That is my experience, and so I
think it is important to create people's power. Let
social forces take the decisions, and let the leaders
follow the wishes of the people. In that way we can
resolve our problems.
Over the past few days I have listened to some
very encouraging statements, but also some that were
rather disappointing. They spoke, for example, of
global warming and of climate change, and I know that
many countries are victims of these natural
phenomena. But I cannot understand why so many
lives are lost to floods, interventionism, war and
hunger? It seems that economic models are not going
to solve the problems of humankind. I am all the more
convinced of that after having heard many of those
statements and the experiences that have been shared
by world leaders. Concentrating capital in the hands of
the few is not a solution to the problems of humankind.
Having the wealth of the world in the hands of the few
does not solve the problems of human existence.
Indeed, it exacerbates problems of the poor who
inhabit planet Earth.
We talk of global warming and the melting of the
ice, but we do not say where it comes from. I am
convinced that it comes from that ill-termed
globalization — or selective globalization: a
globalization that does not respect plurality and that
does not respect differences.
If we are to talk about globalization, first of all
we must globalize the human being. I do not know how
everyone here got to New York - or to the United
States - but my delegation had many visa problems.
Our parliamentarians could not obtain United States
visas. When I arrived at the airport, I was blocked, and
my ministers - my indigenous compatriots - were
subjected to hours and hours of controls at the airport.
Some of us, the representatives of countries, were
practically threatened by our hosts, by President Bush.
If that continues, perhaps we should seriously consider,
as Presidents and nations, changing the site of the
United Nations. I personally am not willing to come
here to be the subject of investigation. I feel that the
decolonization of the United Nations too should begin
and that everyone should respect us, whether we are
small or large, whether we have or do not have
problems.
I listen to statements about glaciers melting, and
they are made without addressing the underlying
causes of melting and global warming. It is capitalism
and the exaggerated, unrestricted form of
industrialization in some countries which are creating
so many problems on our continent and on planet Earth
as a whole. When we organize alongside social
movements to protest and condemn these unsustainable
policies, these economic models that do not solve
economic problems, then what we get is military bases
and interventions, wars, demonization, accusations of
terrorism, as though peoples had no right to speak out
about their needs, their rights, or to formulate new
approaches to saving lives and humankind.
I therefore believe that it is important for us, as
Presidents, nations or delegates, to tell the truth in all
sincerity about these economic problems, which are not
exclusive to Bolivia, North America or South America.
When the democratic change is under way in South
America - i.e. the kind of democracy that liberates
and does not submit to imperialism - there are further
accusations and misrepresentations. There are
accusations of people being cruel dictators, such as
those I heard from the lips of President Bush yesterday
with respect to the President of Cuba. I wish to greet
all revolutionaries, especially President Fidel, for
whom I have a great deal of respect. Fidel also sends
troops to many countries, but they are sent to save
lives, whereas the President of the United States sends
troops to end human lives. Therefore, since we here
today are presidents, let us think about life,
humankind, how to save planet Earth and the question
of climate change, which is a subject of ongoing debate
throughout the world.
I am convinced that it is not possible for basic
services to remain private enterprises. Fortunately,
thanks to the foreign ministries of the Americas, water
has been recognized as a human right. If water is a
human right, it is important that it should become a
public utility, instead of a private business. It is
important that energy should now also be a human
right. I hope that we can all ensure that energy is a
human right. If energy is a human right, then it will
never again be a private business. It must be a public
utility so as to meet the needs of our people.
I cannot understand how we can continue, under
the guise of hegemony or of concentrating capital in a
few hands, to do damage to humankind, to affect the
poor and to marginalize other needy sectors. I feel we
are making statements here in order to change these
economic policies that have done, and continue to do,
so much damage and that are leading humankind down
the path to genocide.
I still fail to understand why some countries are
involved in an arms race. I cannot accept war. In
Bolivia we are discussing, as a social and political
endeavour, how a new political constitution could lead
us to renounce war. I am convinced that war is the
industry of death and that the arms race is one more
industry that complements the industry of death. In this
new millennium, how can countries and presidents
keep thinking in terms of interventionism,
authoritarianism and arrogance on the part of some
countries towards other countries, and not think about
humankind?
I believe that we must work together to save
planet Earth. That is the most important thing, if we
want to save life and humankind.
Yesterday, too, I heard, and tried to comprehend,
statements about biofuels and agrofuels. I do not
understand how we can make use of agricultural
products or food when it comes to cars. I cannot accept
that that is what the products of the earth should be for.
I believe that food should be for human beings and that
soil should be for life. Are we really going to divert our
land and food resources to provide for automobiles
because of a gasoline or diesel shortage? Two days
ago, I said that if we are really talking about life, then
let us give up luxury. It is important to give up luxury.
We cannot continue to accumulate garbage, we cannot
continue to think about just a few families instead of
thinking about all of humankind. I think we have
profound differences, when we talk about these matters
of life and about our national majorities.
I want to take this opportunity to express thanks
for the support received from everyone, with the
exception of four Governments, for the adoption of the
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. We
feel very gratified. The peoples of the Americas have
waited for over 500 years for their rights to be
recognized. We are part of a culture of patience. I wish
to say that the fact that we now have this Declaration
does not mean that we will act vindictively towards
others. Indigenous people are not vengeful. We are part
of the culture of dialogue and, most fundamentally,
part of the culture of life.
I want to ask the United Nations to convene very
soon a United Nations world summit of indigenous
peoples to compile data on different cultural
experiences. We are compiling data on our experiences
in Bolivia through a programme called “Living Well”.
To live better, one must sometimes exploit. To live
better, one must sometimes rob. To live better, one
must sometimes discriminate. To live better, one must
sometimes plunder. But to live well means to live in
community, collectively. This does not just apply to
living among human beings. It also means living well
in harmony with Mother Earth. The earth, for the
indigenous movement, is something sacred. Mother
Earth is our very life, it is Pacha Mama, as we say in
our languages. Mother Earth cannot be turned into
merchandise. Mother Earth cannot be turned into a
business. If we talk about global warming, if we protest
and fight global warming, let us remember that we are
talking about Mother Earth. Since Mother Earth gives
us life, we need to review our policies, but we also
need to pay attention to what has been stated by our
indigenous movement.
We have lived in communities, collectively. What
is being debated is collectivism and community against
capitalism. Let us continue to debate, to reclaim these
ways of life in order to defend life and to save
humankind.
I also want to take a moment to say that this new
millennium must be the millennium of life, equality
and justice, of respecting our identities and upholding
human dignity. That is why we are talking about
changing economic models, those systems that do harm
to mankind. But if we want to make changes, then it is
important for us to change ourselves first. Let us not be
selfish, individualistic, greedy, ambitious or sectarian
in our attitudes, concerning ourselves with just a few
families instead of with the entire family on Mother
Earth. So as presidents, as representatives of our
different nations, we are talking about changing
ourselves first, with a view to also changing economic
models in a quest for equality and justice. During my
20 months as President, I have learned that I must work
with the people and listen to their needs. There will
always be groups who do not wish to lose their
privileges, but those are ill-gotten privileges or
privileges that enable them to use the State for family
business rather than thinking of the families of others.
I have learned, during my 20 months as President,
how wonderful it would have been to work for the
homeland and not for money, how wonderful it would
have been to work for those abandoned by the peoples,
how wonderful it would have been to work together
with people who do not have many economic problems
but who cherish their homeland and want to work for it
in solidarity and with a sense of complementarity.
I would also like to say that, as members know,
we have a historic problem with our sister republic of
Chile on the subject of the sea. We have now
succeeded in laying the foundations of a certain trust
between us: trust between our peoples, our
Governments and our Presidents, through peoples'
diplomacy. It is our hope that these historic claims can
be worked on and resolved, within the framework of
complementarity, because neighbouring countries,
Latin American countries and the countries of the
world need to work in a complementary way if we
want to resolve the problems of our peoples and
nations. Complementarity is very important, and that is
why we want to continue to work for humankind.
In conclusion, as sometimes the red light on the
rostrum makes one nervous, but never mind - I would
like to say that I hope we can keep learning from
events of this kind, in which so many participate.
These are the best universities we have. But let us
speak clearly and sincerely. Let us not falsify the truth,
when we talk only about the effects of humankind's
problems and not their causes. In that context, I want to
say that it is important to change our economic models
and eradicate capitalism.