Every country
that has fought to rip itself from the grip of Western imperialism and create a
workers’ democracy has had to face the issue of land reform. In Bolivia it is
estimated that only 100 families own 25 million hectares of the best land—about
a quarter of the country. And the
majority of the people working that land are not the colonialist-descended and
foreign owners, of course, but the indigenous peoples of the region.
|
Guarani people near Caraparacito Ranch |
Centuries of
subjugation of the indigenous peoples of Bolivia have resulted in the masses of
poor peasantry living in utter poverty while the landowners’ wealth grows.
The Bolivian
courts recently upheld a previous decision to seize the Caraparicito ranch,
belonging to Montana native Ronald Larson, where 12 Guarani families were
living in servitude as ranch hands. The land is to be redistributed to the
Guarani Indians, Bolivia’s third largest indigenous group.
Larsen denies
that his ranch hands are servants. And yes, they all received food, clothing
and housing, but the senior workers were paid less than $6 per day. As Oscar
Robles, a 52-year-old ranch hand said, “We are not slaves. But we are not
prospering. We just exist.” (New York Times, May 5)
Larson says he
is being targeted by Morales, because he is a relatively wealthy white
American. But the issue of the indigenous Bolivians being held in servitude is
not singular to Larsen’s ranch. According to human rights groups, there are
several thousand Guaranis in that region who live as indentured servants,
making less than $40 per year. This is why servitude is grounds for seizure in
Bolivia’s land reform laws. This is also why a nearby ranch is also being
confiscated and divided among 2,000 Guarani families. And why 15,500 hectares
of land have already been confiscated in that region from two other landowners.
(AP, Aug. 2)
Centuries of
subjugation will only result in more subjugation unless there are steps
actively taken to stop it. In the time that Evo Morales has been in leadership,
illiteracy in Bolivia has been eradicated, millions of people who never had
health care have received free medical attention, and infant and maternal
mortality rates have dropped, among other gains. These strides were only made
possible by using the nation’s resources, land included, for the good of the
people—not to make a profit.
