Bolivia: Evo Strikes Again

Bolivia: Evo Strikes Again
First they came for the oil and gas. Then they came for the telecommunications, electricity, and pensions. Now the state has become the media.On Friday, the Bolivian Congress moved to tighten the grip on Airwave government to pass legislation that will reduce the availability of licenses for private television and radio. Of course, the leftist president Evo Morales said he will sign it.
The enemies of Morales, the new law simply keep off the air in another step towards the nationalization of private property. Carlos Toranzo, an economist based in La Paz with the politics of Latin America Institute of Economic and Social Research, the move leaves the state with almost "nothing more than take over."

The measure gives the government of Evo Morales a large piece of broadcast licenses and divide the rest among some of his power base: the unions, the poor and indigenous groups. The government will make the media "fairness."
In Bolivia, the coming to power five years ago a caller Aymara Indians of the re-nationalization of resources and a redistribution of power and money to give poor people more influence in the political and economic life of age deepened divisions . This is reflected in the media: all the private channels that the war against Morales from the beginning of his term, paving the way for the creation of the state government of a newspaper, television and radio station.
"This is part of the left development of the region: Bolivia, Evo Morales and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Rafael Correa in Ecuador, which are identified by the private media as their main enemies," said Toranzo. "This is part of a government plan for political and economic hegemony."

So in a different way, under any other law that the usual decree for some, this is another crazy Morales movement of nationalization. Since taking Morales took control of the utility of several companies and natural resources.
From the nationalization of hydrocarbon resources in gas-rich country, the trend has raised questions about the ability to grow in the medium term, mainly the lack of foreign investment. Bolivia, once a great hour has been reduced.
While in the office of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has tried to get away from the influence of Morales, Hugo Chávez, to promote the integration of energy and a policy of "neighborliness." But those days seem to have disappeared.
Thursday ', Reuters published a story saying that one of the most important foreign investors in Bolivia, Brazil, Petrobras, is seriously considering selling the property the Andean countries. Select a report:
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Morales is a former union leader himself, but by the end of last year, is facing a kind of orchestrated events have increased his power. In May, the opposition of some of the Bolivian miners 'unions' stopped him to nationalize the mines, some of the private Andean multinational companies, which produce most of the exports of minerals.
Walks on the boom of high commodity prices, the government now estimates that total exports of Bolivia, mainly gas and minerals should peak at about 8 billion this year after reaching a record high of nearly $ 7 billion in 2010 . But with the prospect of nationalization of leading investors absolutely necessary to develop the country's natural resources, the country may face tougher times ahead.
"The government now knows what is coming and the pragmatic turn: The cheaper is because they are desperate for mixed fisheries to foreign investors to keep the numbers," said Toranzo, an analyst. "Still, it is ideologically neutralize opponents."

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