The Plunder Of Bolivia: Morales' Theft And Corruption

Bolivia's former president, Evo Morales, has been accused of stealing from the country's people. Morales, the country's first indigenous leader, was forced to resign in 2019 after a disputed election and subsequent unrest. He has been criticised for allowing the cocaine industry to flourish and for democratic backsliding. However, Morales is also credited with overseeing significant economic growth and poverty reduction, as well as increased investment in schools, hospitals, and infrastructure.

Evo Morales' net worth

Evo Morales, the 65th president of Bolivia, has a net worth of $500,000. Born in 1959 to a family of Aymara subsistence farmers, Morales grew up in the small rural village of Isallawi in western Bolivia. After completing his basic education and mandatory military service, he moved to the Chapare Province in 1978, where he grew coca and became a trade unionist.

Morales' political career began in 1995 when he entered electoral politics and was elected to Congress in 1997. He became the leader of the Movement for Socialism (MAS) party in 1998 and gained popularity through his involvement in the Cochabamba Water War and gas conflict. Morales was expelled from Congress in 2002 for encouraging anti-government protesters, but he came second in that year's presidential election.

In 2005, Morales was elected president of Bolivia, and he took office in 2006. As president, Morales implemented leftist policies, increased taxation on the hydrocarbon industry, and prioritised social spending to combat illiteracy, poverty, and racial and gender discrimination. He also worked to reduce Bolivia's dependence on foreign aid and international financial institutions. Morales' administration was marked by strong economic growth, increased investment in social infrastructure, and improved living standards for Bolivia's indigenous population.

However, Morales' presidency was also criticised for democratic backsliding, environmental policies that fell short of his rhetoric, and a failure to adequately address the country's cocaine industry. In 2019, Morales was pressured to resign amid allegations of election fraud, and he subsequently went into temporary exile.

Morales' involvement in the cocalero movement

Evo Morales, Bolivia's first indigenous president, was a prominent figure in the cocalero movement. Morales was born into a family of Aymara subsistence farmers in 1959. After completing his mandatory military service, he moved to the Chapare Province in 1978, where he grew coca and became a trade unionist. Morales rose to prominence in the campesino ("rural labourers") union, campaigning against the US-Bolivian attempts to eradicate coca as part of the War on Drugs. He denounced these attempts as an imperialist violation of indigenous Andean culture. Morales' involvement in anti-government direct-action protests led to multiple arrests.

Morales' administration worked to implement left-wing policies, focusing on legal protections and socioeconomic conditions for Bolivia's previously marginalized indigenous population. He increased taxation on the hydrocarbon industry to fund social spending and combat illiteracy, poverty, and racial and gender discrimination. Morales also scaled back US influence in Bolivia, building relationships with leftist governments in Latin America.

Despite his popularity among indigenous and poor communities, Morales faced criticism for his handling of the cocalero movement as president. Some cocaleros felt that Morales prioritized the interests of coca growers in the Chapare region, where he had strong support, over those in other areas. There were also concerns that Morales' defence of coca contributed to illegal cocaine production.

Morales' legacy

Evo Morales, the first indigenous president of Bolivia, is a controversial figure in Bolivian politics. Morales' legacy is a complex mix of progressive social policies, economic growth, and allegations of authoritarianism and corruption.

Morales' supporters laud him as a champion of indigenous rights, anti-imperialism, and environmentalism. During his presidency from 2006 to 2019, he implemented leftist policies, increased social spending, and reduced poverty and illiteracy. Morales' administration worked towards legal protections and improved socioeconomic conditions for Bolivia's previously marginalized indigenous population. He also opposed neoliberal economic policies, reduced the country's dependence on organizations like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, and oversaw strong economic growth.

However, Morales' legacy is also marred by allegations of democratic backsliding, corruption, and a failure to live up to his environmentalism and indigenous rights rhetoric. Critics argue that his defense of coca production contributed to illegal cocaine production, and that his policies sometimes contradicted his commitment to environmentalism and indigenous rights. Additionally, Morales was accused of allowing the cocaine industry to flourish and was criticized for his authoritarian tendencies, including his attempts to abolish presidential term limits.

In conclusion, while Evo Morales implemented progressive social policies and oversaw economic growth, his legacy is tainted by allegations of corruption, democratic backsliding, and inconsistencies between his rhetoric and actions.

Morales' relationship with the US

Evo Morales' relationship with the US was strained, to say the least. Morales, an indigenous Bolivian politician, trade unionist, and former cocalero activist, served as the country's president from 2006 to 2019. He is known for his left-wing policies, particularly his focus on combating US political influence and the activities of multinational corporations in Bolivia.

Morales' anti-imperialist stance was evident in his opposition to joint US-Bolivian attempts to eradicate coca production as part of the War on Drugs. He denounced these efforts as a violation of indigenous Andean culture, arguing that the US should address its domestic cocaine abuse issues without interfering in Bolivia. Morales' administration sought to reduce Bolivia's dependence on institutions like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, and he built relationships with other leftist governments in Latin America, notably Venezuela and Cuba.

The US government, on the other hand, took several actions that negatively impacted relations with Bolivia. In 2002, for example, the US ambassador to Bolivia, Manuel Rocha, threatened to cut aid to the country if Morales' party won the election. Additionally, in 2007, the US State Department criticised Bolivia for regressing in its counter-narcotics efforts and drastically reduced aid to combat the narcotics trade.

Tensions escalated further when, in 2008, Morales accused the US ambassador, Philip Goldberg, of "conspiring against democracy" and expelled him from the country. The US responded by expelling the Bolivian ambassador and withdrawing the Peace Corps from Bolivia. This incident led to a deterioration in relations, with the US characterising Morales' government as "the least US-friendly" in Bolivian history.

Despite a slight improvement in relations following Barack Obama's election as US President in 2008, Morales continued to be a vocal critic of US policies. For instance, he condemned the US-backed military intervention in Libya in 2011 and called for Obama's Nobel Peace Prize to be revoked.

In summary, Morales' relationship with the US was characterised by ideological differences, with Morales seeking to reduce US influence in Bolivia and the region, and the US taking a largely oppositional stance towards his administration.

Morales' involvement in the 2025 Bolivian elections

Bolivia's Constitutional Court has disqualified Evo Morales from running for re-election in 2025. Morales, who was the country's first Indigenous president, has since fallen out with his former ally, current president Luis Arce. Morales has criticised the ruling as evidence of complicity against him among judges, the government, and the right wing in Bolivia.

The former president has been at the centre of a schism within the ruling left-wing MAS party. Morales supporters have blocked every piece of legislation proposed by Arce supporters in Congress. The rivalry culminated in Arce's expulsion from MAS, but the conflict is expected to extend well into the election season.

Morales has said he wants to run for president in 2025, locking horns with Arce, who was his ally and economy minister during most of Morales' time in power. Morales has criticised every aspect of Arce's presidency and tenure as economic minister, attempting to position himself as the candidate who will bring back economic growth to Bolivia.

The MAS-IPSP (Movement towards Socialism-Instrument for the Political Sovereignty of the People) is the largest political party in Bolivian history. It has controlled the presidency since 2005, first under Morales and now under Arce. However, the party's unity is threatened and its ability to govern is in decline.

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