“Todos son iguales antes la ley”

Evo Morales is more than a president, he is a symbol. Some have portrayed him as a communist, others like to think he is an anti-imperialist. I guess it just depends which politically-motivated newspaper you read. In my opinion, one thing is certain though. Morales has sought to reconcile a highly divided nation and restore the dignity of people groups who have been mistreated for centuries. Today you will see various colorful wipala patterned flags soaring next to the green yellow and orange national banner. Today you will see little white papers plastered in tiendas that proudly read: “Todos son iguales antes la ley!” Today you will only hear the word chola murmured at most.

But there is more to the story. The law refers to a piece of legislation that was passed in 2004 and has been effectively used to favor the downtrodden. As a result, it has helped restore land, resources and honor to many indigenous people who rightfully deserve it. All of these things are incredible accomplishments in my mind. However, positive discrimination has also been used with a political agenda as a means to an end. President Morales has seemingly used class politics to nationalize the private sector, restrict foreign investments and close the economy. I could care less for McDonalds or Starbucks, but shunning emerging neighbors (think, trivial land disputes with Chile and Peru) and chastising Western investors (remember that Spanish oil company?) is simply poor foreign policy and terrible economics. In summary, class politics has become a double-edged sword: the economic force of the country has been frightened and effectively brought to a standstill while the poor continue to grow impatient with the lofty promises of an idealist reformer.

Bolivia remains one of the few Latin American countries with an indigenous majority. To my knowledge, it is also one of the only developing nations that has not been devastated by civil war. Therefore, I naturally have great hopes for reconciliation and am somehow stubbornly convinced Morales has a similar vision. However, politicians need to step away from a short term mentality. Democracy should not be defined by fair elections, to the contrary, the ballot ought to be a democratic outcome of a free society marked by equal access to economic opportunity. Community is a powerful instrument that can be used for better or worst. President Morales’ approval ratings have hit an all time low of 40 percent. Roughly two weeks ago, he even expressed sympathy towards President Obama and openness towards increased dialogue. Other notoriously left-leaning states have softened their language as well. For example, Cuba has recently begun to open its agricultural industry under the interim presidency of Raul Castro. Will these unpublicized diplomatic steps materialize or will politics continue to be dictated by the latest scoop?

No, I have not seen Snowden. But I have seen a united country that holds great economic opportunity and remains only divided by the woes of class politics.