INDIGENOUS INTERNS ON RACISM, NATIONALIZATION AND

UNCLAS LA PAZ 002932

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON BL
SUBJECT: INDIGENOUS INTERNS ON RACISM, NATIONALIZATION AND
THE UNITED STATES

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Summary
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1. (SBU) Three of the Mission's indigenous interns met with
Poloff October 18 and expressed their views on
discrimination in Bolivian society, the continued
popularity of nationalization, and the reasons for
anti-American sentiment in Bolivia. The root cause of
discrimination, per the consensus reached by the group,
stems from unequal access to adequate education coupled
with urban migration. The three argued that
nationalization is popular due to a general sense of
nostalgia for the pre-1985 era; because many NGOs, public
universities and interest groups which support the Movement
Towards Socialism (MAS) have perpetuated a socialist
agenda; and due to a widespread belief that the public
sector is the easiest way to get rich. In terms of
anti-American sentiment, the interns posited that "leftist
and radical leaders" demonize the United States for purely
political reasons, to boost their popularity and to advance
their socialist, nationalist and indigenous agendas. Over
time, these groups have succeeded in making the United
States the enemy. While the interns clearly do not
represent the views of their larger community, they
represent an illuminating snapshot of Bolivian society in
transition, as seen by individuals who have had unique
experiences both in their own communities and because of
their exposure to our internship program. End Summary.

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Background
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2. (SBU) In 2006, the Embassy's Management Section
established an internship program targeting university
students from various indigenous groups with the objective
of identifying potential FSNs and/or future indigenous
leaders and to foster insights into our programs. Poloff
met three of the Embassy's indigenous interns October 18.
All are Aymaras and each is from a different rural zone
within the La Paz department. All three interns are
university students; two attend the University of El Alto
(a public university),the third attends a rural branch of
the Catholic University. Two are pursuing the equivalent
of a master's degree in education and/or public policy, the
third is studying agricultural engineering. The three
participated in an Embassy-sponsored international visitors
program to the United States in January 2006. Each has
worked for the Embassy for three months. They range in age
from 27-30 years old.

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Discrimination in Bolivia - Access to Education is the Key
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3. (SBU) All three argued discrimination is a problem in
Bolivia; however, the consensus was that discrimination is
not necessarily color-based. The root cause of
discrimination, per the group's consensus, stems from
unequal access to adequate education coupled with urban
migration. Each member of the group emphasized the poor
quality of rural public education, stating that it is not
unusual for a child to complete elementary school barely
knowing how to sign his/her name. All agreed that
Bolivia's 1994 education reform has been a failure in rural
areas, leaving children less, rather than better,
educated.


4. (SBU) Over the past 35 years, Bolivia has seen
significant urban migration. The lack of adequate
education in rural areas not surprisingly has translated
into significant barriers to entry into the urban job
market, according to the interns. They said that even
educated rural migrants have difficulty competing for jobs
because most urban employers (private and public sector)
assume people from the countryside lack adequate knowledge
and experience to perform any job other than menial labor.
The lack of Spanish has been a clear impediment for entry
into public sector jobs (historically considered the best

jobs in Bolivia). (Note: According to the Bolivian
National Institute of Statistics only 34 percent of rural
Bolivians speak Spanish as their mother tongue. End Note)
The interns noted that this urban migration also creates
tensions among the indigenous. Each of the students
commented on how new migrants face discrimination from
earlier migrant groups from the same rural communities,
with older migrants looking down on the "traditional" and
"uneducated" ways of new migrants.


5. (SBU) One of the interns proposed that the Morales
administration's policies are not improving education, the
other two concurred. All of the interns argued that
changing curricula to focus on Aymara (and other indigenous
languages) is an irrational strategy given the current
challenges to the educational system, as well as the need
for Bolivia to become more fully integrated into the global
community. The group consensus was that the MAS-led
government has focused on indigenous language and culture
in schools as a political ploy to placate its base.


6. (SBU) The interns acknowledged that public and private
institutions discriminate against indigenous peoples based
on their surnames and indigenous dress. The most obvious
form of discrimination was the practice of excluding people
with indigenous surnames from public institutions, which
was pervasive until the 1980's. Likewise, many private
employers discriminate against female employees who use
traditional dress. The female in the group discussed how
wearing "chola" clothing (a many layered skirt, a shawl,
and a bowler hat) in a professional environment is not
acceptable. In a previous job, some people in her office
assumed by her dress that she was not educated. Under the
current GOB, reverse discrimination toward more traditional
business-dress (especially by men) in the public sector is
common. A male member of the group noted that if
government officials wear a tie they are called a "k'ara",
a derogatory term for Caucasians in Aymara.

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Why is Nationalization Popular?
Nostalgia, Opportunism & Riches
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7. (SBU) Each member of the group advanced his/her ideas as
to why nationalization is so popular. The first reason
proffered is a general sense of nostalgia for the pre-1985
era. The interns stated that many Bolivians look back
fondly on that era when the government controlled up to 85
percent of all companies, remembering it as a time of high
employment rates. An intern explained that due to the lack
of education most Bolivians do not fully comprehend why the
pre-1985 system collapsed and that the endemic corruption
and cronyism that plagued state-run enterprises are often
overlooked.


8. (SBU) The interns then expounded on how leaders from
various sectors, NGOs, public universities, unions and
other interest groups exploit the pervasive lack of
education in society to push their statist, communitarian
agenda. The left blames privatization for Bolivia's high
unemployment and generally poor economic performance, never
acknowledging the problems of the pre-1985 era. One
student said when he first started public university he
shared this leftist thought. Over time, he realized that
the "leftist agenda including nationalization" was not
sustainable. The two interns who attend public
universities explained that the universities are full of
radical left (Marxist, Trotskyites and Maoists) students
and professors. One of the students said the MAS
government uses state tools to expand its leftist message
to an even larger audience.


9. (SBU) A member of the group introduced the idea that
politics and working in the public sector have historically
been the path to getting rich in Bolivia. The other two
interns agreed and then each added that many Bolivians do
not see the private sector as the means to prosperity.
Instead, the elite have always been involved in politics
and worked in the public sector. All three agreed that

many Bolivians view nationalization as a possible
entry-point into the public sector and therefore the
promise of future riches.

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Why is Anti-American Sentiment So Strong?
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10. (SBU) The group consensus regarding anti-American
sentiment is that "leftist and radical leaders" demonize
the United States to boost their popularity and to advance
their socialist, nationalist and indigenous agendas. One
student explained that until the mid-1990s USAID assistance
was largely ineffective and that many Bolivians felt the
assistance went into the pockets of the elites. "Leftist
leaders" exploited this perception. As indigenous
movements grew in the early 1990s, "leftists" allied
themselves opportunistically with the indigenous
movements. Leftist leaders told indigenous groups that
indigenous subjugation was the result of imperialist (i.e.
U.S.) intervention in Bolivia. According to the interns,
radical elements of society -- such as their university
classmates -- intimidate people who view the United States
favorably. For example, all three of the students state
they would not openly advertise that they work for the
Embassy.


11. (SBU) One intern also pointed-out a major inconsistency
in the MAS agenda. MAS leaders frequently hold up the Inca
empire and the concept of the "ayllu" or community as the
first "socialist or communist" society in history.
However, the "ayllu" historically included private property
and community (or shared) property. Per the students, many
indigenous people are very uncomfortable when MAS leaders
talk about how pre-Columbian indigenous society was
communist. One of the students cited the example of Riego
Alfa which was an attempt to turn a modern day "ayllu" into
a collective. There was so much infighting between members
of Riego Alfa who wanted to protect their individual
property that the collective eventually failed.

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Comment
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12. (SBU) While the interns clearly do not represent the
views of their larger Aymara community (their educational
level and pro-U.S. sentiments themselves are unique),they
articulated some of the institutional problems facing
Bolivian society. We record their views as a snapshot of
Bolivian society in transition, as seen by individuals who
have had unique experiences both in their own communities
and because of their exposure to our internship program.
End Comment.
GOLDBERG