Solidarity with Bolivia!

In Maputo, Mozambique, in the vast African continent, we are over 500 delegates from different farmer's and indigenous people's organizations arrived from more than 70 countries from the 5 continents, meeting at the V International Conference of La Via Campesina under the same slogan: “Food sovereignty now, supporting the struggle and the unity of the people”. Within this framework, the Bolivian people, represented by thousands of indigenous people, peasants and workers united in the National Coordinator for the Change (Coordinadora Nacional para el Cambio, in Spanish) step  forward, at the Murillo Square, in La Paz, demanding the elected parliament to approve the law to call for the  referendum of approval of the new political State Constitution written by the Constituent National Assembly with popular majority.

 The Constituent Assembly's proposal for a new Constitution for Bolivia, made by Evo Morales' Government as an step in the global process of construction of a new homeland, is based on deep changes that will lead to a true democracy, with a true participation of the people under the principle of reassuring the social, economical, political and cultural rights for all the Bolivian people.

All these initiatives taken by the Bolivian Government and the citizens are being repeatedly attacked by the creole oligarchy, with the aid of the North American imperialism. They keep ignoring the popular will making use of destabilizing plans and systematic murdering of social leaders as it happened in the Pando's massacre. They are looking to stop the development and the struggle of the Latin-American peoples. This is the same oligarchy that has stolen the natural resources and any other wealth of this country for over 500 years pushing into the deep poverty the peasant and indigenous majority.

The delegates of the 5th Conference of La Via Campesina would like to become solidary with our Bolivian brother-land and we condemn the coup attempts, the intromission in the internal affairs of a sovereign country like Bolivia and any other action aiming to disregard the reality that Latin-America, and Bolivia in particular, is living.

In the same way, we would like to express our unconditional support and adhesion to the popular movements currently happening in La Paz, fighting for the approval of the new political State Constitution that confirms the route to the full sovereignty and autonomy of the Bolivian people.

Lets globalize the struggle.

Matola, 19th to 21st of October of 2008.