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English Version of Lucha Obrera N° 13 from Bolivia

Bolivia: A revolution in the making

1ro de octubre 2003

EDITORIAL
Bolivia: A revolution in the making
The uprising staged by the workers, the peasants and the people back last October runs against the reactionary tendencies at work on the world arena after the imperialist victory in Iraq. It stands out, along with the Palestinian"s resistance and the struggle of the Iraqi people, as a momentuous episode of the class struggle worldwide.The October uprising also represents the climax of a wave of struggles that have been rocking our continent in the last few years, starting with the revolts in Ecuador against President Bucaram first and Mahuad later on, the Argentinian revolutionary days of December 2001 that ousted President De la Rúa and the sharp fights that rocked Peru since the demise of President Fujimori. The October uprising, then, is a continuation of this upswing of the mass movement throughout the continent, but it also represents a watershed as well with regards to previous struggles. There are two factors accounting for this. First, the intervention of the working class, represented by the Huanuni workers, as a distinct social subject, with its own methods -the general strike. Secondly, the radical methods of struggle, such as barricades, grassroots" organization of struggle and the emergence of embryonic dual power on a local and regional level.
During the October uprising, the general crisis engulfing both the state and society grew into a revolutionary crisis, with the question of power openly posed on the agenda, thus ushering in a revolutionary situation -in spite of its momentary derailment. A regime that had so far relied on a democracy propped up by rotten agreements is now in tatters, with the Parliament -as the realm for negotiation and bargaining between rival classes- tangled in a terminal crisis as well. October has exposed in full light the fact that the solution to all the big problems afflicting the nation, in the period ahead, shall be delivered by direct actions on the streets. Both imperialism and the local bourgeoisie are aware of this, and they are busy trying to hoodwink the people one way or another to make up for lost time, trying to stage some kind of muffled Constituent Assembly. At the same time, they are also trying to engineer a big-frontist solution to tie up the working class, the peasant movement and the urban poor to some kind bourgeois alternative. The MAS, the MIP and a bewildering array of careerist lawyers and supposedly patriotic militaries are more than willing to play their roles accordingly. However, this political engineering of the ruling class might also be changed to more authoritarian solutions, either by encouraging a section of the army to impose a counter-revolutionary solution or else by dragging the country into a civil war. All these factors could be seen at work in an embryonic form during the October shake-up, and they are bound to unfold and grow stronger from now onwards.
New problems have arisen, then, for the working class and the mass movement. We are in a race against the clock to forge an independent alternative that should empower both the toilers and the peasants to take over the reins of the state and the country alike. The working class should think again in terms of "workers power", placing itself right at the core of the struggles of the people at large, and it should also be able to build ample organizations to knit an alliance made up of labor, the peasantry and the whole people. An urgent task in this perspective is that of fighting for a People"s Assembly relying on accountable delegates representing all the workplaces, which should provide a democratic platform to discuss and legislate on all the big problems afflicting the nation, a forum that should become a true workers" parliament or council. But this is not enough. As it was clearly seen during the 1952 revolution, the 1971 People"s Assembly or the great protests in 1982-85, the working class needs to set up a truly centralized command of socialist revolution, i.e., a mass Revolutionary Workers Party to successfully challenge the trap of the people"s front on one hand, and civil war, on the other. The Huanuni workers, the fighters in El Alto and all those willing to learn from the mistakes of the failed left currents, all those aware of the urgency of the task, should give the lead and set up that party. We, militants of the LOR-CI, fight for that perspective, trying to help and learn alongside this new generation of militants being nurtured by the new political situation.

Prensa

Virginia Rom 113103-4422

Elizabeth Lallana 113674-7357

Marcela Soler115470-9292

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