President Morales stated,

�This morning I was asking myself what I could say to so many experts, and I arrived at the emphatic conclusion that capitalism is the worst enemy of humanity. Capitalism brings selfishness, meanness and individualism. It causes wars and it feeds on wars. Every war fought in Bolivia has been a war of capitalism, not a war of the people. Transnational corporations are the victorious parties in these wars; they provoke conflicts to accumulate capital.�

He then stated, �we must consider what kind of society we want, both in Bolivia and in the world. We cannot let transnational corporations continue to provoke humanity�.

He also gave strong criticism of the dominant lifestyle and thought:

�In Western culture, the first endeavor a politician engages in after assuming power is thinking how to make some �extra� money. Politicians always considered their interests as a group, they did not think of Bolivia as a whole. That is why I want to recall the indigenous principles: don�t steal, don�t lie, don�t be weak.�

The president explained how the recovery of natural resources has allowed for a tenfold increase in the public budget of many small towns and cities around the country.

�From the 1970s to 2005, Bolivia always had a fiscal deficit. I used to say that it would take two or three years for Bolivia to stop wandering around �hat in hand� for help, because Bolivian ministers always went to the US, every year, to ask for money so that the workers could receive their annual bonus. Last year was the first time we did not do that. In the past, because our natural resources were plundered, millions and millions of dollars fled abroad. Natural resources should never be privatized. They are not part of any business. Water is one of humanity�s rights.�

Morales strongly criticized the Bolivian judicial system:

�We have justice that does not deliver justice to the majority of the people. I used to be afraid of politics because of the negative image of politicians. I thought �they must be fake, rascals, and looters.� I slowly realized that politics is the science of serving the people. Being the authority means that living for the people, and not off the people. Bolivian justice should mean living for justice and not off justice.�

He also commented on the environment: �There are also the issues of our Mother Earth, as we, indigenous peoples, like to call her. Unless we defend Mother Earth, humanity will be the enemy of humanity.�

He also stated that �the new constitution of Bolivia will renounce war� and that �the capital that some have accumulated should be reinvested in saving humanity.�

The Fifth World Conference of Artists and Intellectuals in Defense of Humanity will take place on 23 and 24 May, its main theme being �In Defense of the Truth and Against Media Manipulation.� The 100+ participants include the Ministers of Culture of Cuba, Venezuela, and Ecuador, as well as the Vicepresident of Bolivia. Most of the participants in the International Conference on Communication on �The Right to Inform and to Be Informed,� organized by Latin American TV channel Telesur a few days ago in Caracas, will also attend this Fifth World Conference: British-Pakistani writer Tariq Ali; Belgian journalist Michel Collon; the Director of Prensa Latina, Frank Gonz�lez; the President of Vive TV Venezuelan TV channel, Blanca Eckout; the Director of the Chilean magazine Punto Final, among many others. Many communication professionals from Bolivia and Venezuela will participate as well.

Spanish journalist Pascual Serrano is a founding member of Rebeli�n and editorial adviser to the Latin American television channel Telesur.

Original Source in Spanish: Rebeli�n

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