Bolivian Vice President García Linera vs. NGOs: A Look at the Debate
Bolivian Vice President García Linera vs. NGOs: A Look at the Debate
Written by Carmelo Ruiz
Monday, 31 August 2015 10:52
Bolivia’s vice president Alvaro Garcia Linera has unleashed an intense debate of international proportions by uttering harsh criticism of four non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) that operate in his country. The statements of the vice president, the number two man in the government of president Evo Morales, motivated intellectuals and activists of several countries to sign on to an open letter vouching for the prestige and integrity of the organizations in question. García Linera responded to them with an open letter of his own, and the controversy continues.
The Bolivian government’s conflict with NGO’s is not new. President Morales has frequently accused activist groups of serving imperialist agendas. But in his government, vice president García Linera has been the most outspoken critic of NGO’s. Other progressive governments in the region, particularly that of Ecuador, have also joined in the diatribe against these organizations.
The Bolivian press reported on August 10 that the Bolivian VP specifically singled out four NGO’s, Milenio, Tierra Foundation, the Bolivian Center for Documentation and Information (CEDIB), and the Center for Labor Studies and Development (CEDLA) during a visit to the city of Santa Cruz (1). “Milenio is dependent on Gonzalo Sánchez de Losada and the MNR, Gonista to the death. Tierra Foundation has been run by a former Sánchez de Losada minister (Miguel Urioste) that receives funding from foreign sources, and the CEDIB and CEDLA foundations are run by green trotskyists.” (Gonzalo “Goni” Sánchez de Losada was Bolivia’s neoliberal president right before Morales. His followers are known as “Gonistas”.)
García-Linera “declared that these NGO’s met with leaders of social organizations to whom they provided data to generate controversy regarding government policy for the exploitation of natural resources. He assured that if they keep up their political work they are liable to be expelled”, according to an article published in the Oxígeno online publication.
More:
http://upsidedownworld.org/main/bolivia-archives-31/5446-bolivian-vice-president-garcia-linera-vs-ngos-a-look-at-the-debate