http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/09/13/news/journal.php
Thousands of President Evo Morales's supporters traveled to Sucre, Bolivia, by bus and on foot on Monday to denounce the city's campaign to become the nation's full-fledged capital again. (David Rochkind for The New York Times) Sucre wants back title of Bolivian capital By Simon Romero Published: September 14, 2007 SUCRE, Bolivia: "Welcome," reads a sign greeting arriving passengers to this sleepy city's airport, which shuts down its runway at dusk, "to the capital of Bolivia." Yes, the home of the president, congress, central bank, government ministries and foreign embassies might be in La Paz, 400 kilometers, or 250 miles, to the north and with a population four times that of Sucre's 250,000. But as residents here attest, many of them recovering from weeks of street protests and hunger strikes, the sign is correct - sort of. Still festering from a civil war in 1899 that stripped the executive and legislative branches from Sucre and removed them to La Paz, leaving only the highest courts based here, this city is pressing ahead with a campaign to become Bolivia's full-fledged capital again. Sucre's seemingly quixotic effort to regain what it lost has evolved into the most pressing crisis facing Evo Morales, the member of the Aymara indigenous group and former llama-herder who is Bolivia's first Indian president. "We don't sacrifice llamas here, as they do in the altiplano," said Jaime Barrón, the rector of Sucre's university and a leader of the city's campaign, in a dig at both Morales's radical social policies and Aymara traditions in the Bolivian highlands. "We simply want what was taken from Sucre 108 years ago, allowing us to develop into the geopolitical center of South America." That is a lofty goal for this city, whose whitewashed buildings recall a more genteel time in Bolivian history. For the time being, Sucre's economy revolves around its university, founded in 1624, and the high courts. It is also a goal unlikely to materialize. One million protesters recently flooded the center of La Paz to oppose Sucre's campaign, reflecting the strength of Morales's political base. Economists say the costs of transferring the presidency and legislature to Sucre, which retains the title of "constitutional capital," would be staggering for South America's poorest country. But supporters of Sucre's proposal have already won a victory of sorts by making their campaign the most polemical project in an assembly convened here to rewrite the Constitution, distracting delegates from proposals that would accelerate Morales's challenges to Bolivia's light-skinned elite. Concerned about their safety as street protests raged here last week, delegates to the constituent assembly over the weekend called a one-month recess. That decision, combined with a court ruling allowing the assembly to discuss Sucre's campaign, encouraged protests to be lifted and dozens of students hunger strikes to start eating again. "The opposition pulled a rabbit out of a hat with the demand from Sucre to move the capital," said Jim Shultz, a political analyst in Cochabamba. Boosted by majority support for Morales, the assembly was convened a year ago with dreams of forging measures aimed at lifting Bolivia's indigenous peoples from centuries of privation and servitude. Proposals range from rechristening Bolivia with an indigenous name, Qollasuyo, to allowing Morales to be reelected indefinitely. Politicians in lowland provinces chafe at such ideas, claiming Morales is a puppet of his closest ally, President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela. And while eastern Bolivia remains a center for anti-government groups and talk of separatism, Sucre has become a flashpoint for efforts to chisel away at the president's influence. Outside the office of Mayor Aydeé Nava, for instance, hangs a poster depicting Morales in a Nazi military uniform and using dogs to attack protesters. Nearby at the provincial government's headquarters, protesters have unveiled a banner reading, "Government Palace, Bolivia." This sentiment runs even to the backpacks of schoolchildren here, many of whom have the words "Sucre Full-Fledged Capital" etched on them. In these actions and others around Bolivia, Morales's government sees efforts aimed at ousting him from office. Pointing to documents obtained by the federal intelligence service, officials in La Paz last week said a group from Santa Cruz had elaborated a plan to sabotage the proceedings of the constituent assembly, stoke regional tension and initiate protests to topple Morales. Heightening fears that Sucre's struggle with La Paz could turn violent, about 10,000 supporters of the president traveled here this week to denounce the campaign to transfer greater administrative authority to Sucre. They chanted, "Death to those who want to divide the country." But visions of returning bureaucratic grandeur to Sucre outweigh concerns over the clashes that could result if this city's campaign actually gains traction. "We are the capital of Bolivia," Jhon Cava, president of Sucre's civic committee, said in an interview, as if this city had never lost that distinction. "We're reasonable people here, many things are still on the table." If embassies wished to remain in La Paz, he added, "That would be their choice." [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Post message: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] List owner : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/ Yahoo! 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