El Diario’s editorial clearly reflects current Bolivian government’s performance:
Failure of the “campaign against corruption”
More than six years ago the then brand-new Government of Evo Morales announced with energetic attitude and deployment of advertising that it would end with the corruption problem that had acquired epidemic character and threatened to spread like oil on water. Offers in this regard originated in the Presidency of the State and were disseminated by the most outstanding representatives of the new administrative apparatus of the country, causing public satisfaction, although there was no shortage of pessimistic voices which predicted that the campaign would not succeed.
Responding to the ominous of the failure, the new Government made new threats, began to enact laws, adjusted legal mechanisms, increased law enforcement mechanisms, threatened with new and more drastic sanctions, offered to open prisons and other niceties. In a Word, the government assured that would end up with such a serious scourge and this remarked that it would make true citizen security with “a hardening of the legal framework” to punish the crime.
With that attitude of good intentions the law “Marcelo Quiroga” was approved, the law against racism and discrimination was issued, the administration of the judiciary was “cleaned”, and elected its new judicial authorities by way of the popular election, police chiefs have been changed, increased troops, motorcycles were purchased, and adopted a series of secondary determinations, although some sectors insisted that all these measures were bound to fail, given that they simply attack the effects of evil and not the causes thereof.
After more than six years, now the facts confirm that the anti-corruption campaign (notably disseminated by means of the administration of the State) was little more than a failure, since it erupted serious cases of offenses not only in public institutions but in the apparatus of the State, including among senior officials, some of whom are in prison, although many others enjoy freedom and enjoy diplomatic benefits outside the country.
However, finally, in recent weeks, government authorities have reported a series of acts of corruption at every level of society, but especially in the Executive and Judicial bodies, as well as private entities. Such allegations are horrifying, both the amount and the quality of them. But, what is worse, is that already it is not individual cases, but actions of corrupt networks, as in the recent case reported by the Minister of Government, who reported on the existence of bands of organized corruption by government officials, some of whom were arrested, while others are fugitives.
Thus, rather than disappear or decrease corruption, it is actually increasing, noting that the anti-corruption campaign has not been successful and that, on the contrary, it is failing across the line, to the end that State authorities confirm these extremes and at the same time, they claim that there are other bands of “white-collar criminals” engaged in unlawful acts “of high-caliber”. Furthermore, word is out that there is a group of scammers composed by policemen who appropriated more than one hundred thousand dollars, covered in their ranks and titles.
In synthesis, the anti-corruption campaign offered more than six years ago, has not succeeded, instead this evil continues to grow, which means that the official procedure lacks utility, while those who criticize official policies are right.
Bolivian Thoughts | Pensamientos Bolivianos (Bilingual/Bilingüe) 