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Thousands of indigious bolivians march capital Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/ap10-20-110654.asp?reg=AMERICASIts like the people are running the government down there, its unheard of.
http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/ap10-20-110654.asp?reg=AMERICAS
Tens of thousands of Indians march on Bolivia's capital, celebrating a popular revolt
LA PAZ, Bolivia, Oct. 20 — Tens of thousands of Indians, farmers and students marched on the Bolivian capital Monday, celebrating a popular revolt that forced the ouster of former President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada.
The marchers descended on downtown La Paz from the nearby city of El Alto, the epicenter of weeks of rioting that killed at least 65 people. Many in the crowd also said they wanted to keep pressure on the new government to address the needs of Bolivia's Indian poor majority.
''We are really happy with what we've done so far,'' said Jorge Khana, 46, a farmer. ''But we must keep fighting. It's not over.''
Hundreds of bystanders lined the sidewalks and cheered as protesters wound down the steep roads connecting the two cities.
''We succeeded in throwing out Goni!'' said peasant leader Juan Tinkuta, 39, referring to the ex-president by his nickname. ''That shows the sleeping people are finally waking up.''
The renewed marches came a day after the new president, Carlos Mesa, named his new Cabinet. In keeping with Mesa's promise to name ministers independent of the political establishment, most of the 15 ministers are little-known economists and intellectuals, though some were once politicians with the leftist party called Free Bolivia Movement.
''The abyss is still close at hand, and any mistake, any lack of perspective, any stinginess can push us over that abyss,'' Mesa, who took office Friday night after Sanchez de Lozada resigned, told the group at their swearing-in ceremony.
Sanchez de Lozada was forced out Friday after a monthlong popular revolt sparked by his plan to export natural gas. Labor leaders and Indian groups used the clashes to express their frustrations that the government has failed to improve living conditions.
Mesa created a new ministry, called Ethnic Affairs, to address the problems facing Bolivia's majority indigenous population. It will be led by an Indian from eastern Bolivia. Mesa still must name a 16th minister for mining.
After decades of rule by elite politicians far removed from the reality of their indigenous constituents, Bolivians hoped Mesa's ministers would finally address their concerns.
But analysts questioned whether the new Cabinet would be able to counter the opposition.
''Mesa already faces a lot of difficulty because he is an independent, and has no constituency,'' said Frank Boyd, a Latin American expert at Illinois Wesleyan University. ''I don't know how naming independents to his Cabinet helps him. It's a strategy that's fraught with danger.''
The appointment of Juan Ignacio Siles as foreign minister may prove to be Mesa's most controversial. Siles is the nephew of Jaime del Valle, who served as foreign minister under former Chilean dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet.
Foes of Sanchez de Lozada want him back in Bolivia to face trial. Evo Morales, the opposition congressman who has championed the cause of Bolivian coca leaf farmers, accused the former government of ''economic genocide'' and said Sanchez de Lozada should be jailed.
Morales supported Mesa, but indigenous leader Felipe Quispe warned of new protests within 90 days if Mesa does not institute policies to help Bolivia's native, peasant population.
''There will be more blood, more fighting, more rebellions,'' Quispe, also a congressman, told Radio Panamericana.
Sanchez de Lozada hoped to tap the country's expansive natural gas reserves and export the gas to Mexico and the United States to boost economic growth.
Chile was an alternative to ship the gas to the Pacific Ocean, but many Bolivians distrust Chile, which won a 19th-century war and cut Bolivia off from the sea. Siles, a career diplomat, said he would support Bolivians' fight to regain access to the sea.
In the Chilean capital of Santiago, presidential spokesman Francisco Vidal quickly dismissed the chances of a sea outlet for its neighbor that could affect Chile's territory.
Chile is prepared to cooperate with Bolivia ''as long as Chile's sovereignty remains unchanged,'' Vidal said.
Mesa, a 50-year-old journalist and historian, must reunite South America's poorest country, where the divide between rich and poor widened under the free-market economic policies his predecessor. Unemployment is at 12 percent and many Bolivians earn about $2 a day.
© 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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