Capitalism Has Only Hurt Latin America

[bemildred]

Der Spiegel interview with Mr. Morales.

SPIEGEL: Mr. President, why is such a large part of Latin America moving to the left?

Morales: Injustice, inequality and the poverty of the masses compel us to seek better living conditions. Bolivia's majority Indian population was always excluded, politically oppressed and culturally alienated. Our national wealth, our raw materials, was plundered. Indios were once treated like animals here. In the 1930s and 40s, they were sprayed with DDT to kill the vermin on their skin and in their hair whenever they came into the city. My mother wasn't even allowed to set foot in the capital of her native region, Oruro. Now we're in the government and in parliament. For me, being leftist means fighting against injustice and inequality but, most of all, we want to live well.

SPIEGEL: You called a constitutional convention to establish a new Bolivian republic. What should the new Bolivia look like?

Morales: We don't want to oppress or exclude anyone. The new republic should be based on diversity, respect and equal rights for all. There is a lot to do. Child mortality is frighteningly high. I had six siblings and four them died. In the countryside, half of all children die before reaching their first birthday.

Znet

[kenny blankenship]

1. Waitasec. I thought the only thing that spread socialism in Latin America

was the USSR, (that's why we killed all those people in Central America during the 80s, right, to save them from Russian brainwashing?) and now with the Soviet Union gone, the threat is supposed to be over.

[bperci108]

2. Let's hope that tide keeps moving north...

This country need a wake-up call that the "free market" and it's swooning disciples are full of shit.

:woohoo:

[IntiRaymi]

3. He is echoing the famous Zapatista declaration:

"Housing, land, employment, food, education, independence, democracy, liberty, justice and peace. These were our banners during the dawn of 1994. These were our demands during that long night of 500 years. These are, today, our necessities."

http://flag.blackened.net/revolt/mexico/ezln/jung4.html

The ideological beacons for south american left wing ideologies are Mexico and Cuba. And in both cases, revolution came as a response to opressive, US sponsored 'capitalism.'