The serious and profound crisis that the Santa Cruz institutionality faces today, starkly exposed in the absurd confrontation between equals, no less than in the Government, cannot be attributed exclusively to the MAS, either as fault or as merit, as they insist the leadership of Creemos and other sectors of civil society do so. We already said it once and we repeat it today: in this crisis there is an enormous responsibility on the part of those who claim to be opponents of the MAS, whether in word or action, or both at the same time.

What has been said does not mean to downplay what the MAS does, whether openly or camouflaged, to neutralize and suffocate its opponents. Of course, the governing party plays a leading role in the crisis that has exploded at the very heart of the political representation of Santa Cruz. But what’s new? None. The MAS has been betting on this crisis since it came to power in 2006, with the firm intention of destroying the institutional fabric of Santa Cruz and, through this, annihilating the productive force, the support of Santa Cruz development.

An evidence that seems to escape the sight of many people from Santa Cruz, as can be deduced from the earthquake that shakes the Governorate of Santa Cruz. I also repeat: it seems that the vast majority of political representatives, business, civic and professional elites, to name a few, were born yesterday. They act as if they were unaware of the monster in front of them, as if they were unaware of all the tricks, strategies and abuses committed by that central power throughout the almost two decades it has been in charge of the country.

We can list dozens of examples seen in all sectors and at all levels, but at this moment we are going to focus on Creemos, the political group that earned the right to be in charge of the departmental government. The serious mistakes committed by the Creemos leadership are not recent, they date back a long time. Among others, although not the only one, having incorporated into its central core none other than the creator and advisor of former president Evo Morales. An incomprehensible decision, denied until recently.

There is still resistance to accepting these extremes, both in Creemos and in other sectors related to the head of the organization and governor of Santa Cruz. They do admit that the architect of the phenomenon, Evo Morales, advised not only the governor of Santa Cruz, but also leaders and candidates of Creemos in the last two electoral processes. How can we deny the impact of that presence/advice on the crisis seen today in Creemos and that impacts local government management in the worst way? Did they ignore the cover letter?

He shows himself like this: “I am very good at waging dirty wars, in fact, I would like to be remembered for that. I’m a cruel, ruthless guy, I infiltrate everyone, I’m a disgrace. I infiltrated Tuto, I had Tuto dead in the middle of the campaign, what he ate, I knew.” When he made these statements at an UMSA event in La Paz, he was already known as an advisor to Camacho, identified as an advisor to Evo in the moments of greatest persecution and discredit of opposition leaders and politicians, between 2006 and 2009.

Does anyone doubt that he changed his strategy in his actions, that he left aside that cruelty or the ability to infiltrate everyone, as he himself maintained? You have to be very naive or, seen from another side, very ambitious to have such a strategist with the sole purpose of seizing power, at any price. From infiltration to manipulation of Camacho, just as he did before with Tuto and Evo, there is little distance. There is no other way to explain this abrupt break between the governor and the lieutenant governor, which has led to today’s crisis.

Of course this is only part of the problem. The governor’s misstep alone is not enough to fully explain a crisis that hits the entire institutional framework of the department, and not just the Government. Other advisors have acted concurrently, but in other institutions and groups or political parties, consolidating a well-constructed plot that further complicates the local reality, and from which no one seems to be saved. Are more infiltrators still appearing? It is likely, apparently in local governments.

Once again, we repeat: no MAS strategy could have results if at its head there were opponents with clear ideas, firm principles and coherence in each and every one of their actions. A lack seen not only in the leadership of Creemos, but also in that of other political parties and in the institutions that represent civil society. Incredible, but what the MAS did not achieve with violence in the case of the Hotel Las Américas, infiltrating Jorge Ròzsa (who was later killed), it has achieved with an “open infiltrator.”

I highlight what other representative institutions of civil society, as well as other political parties, because without their consent, the MAS could not have achieved what it achieved today: breaking the structure of what was already the main opposition political force in Santa Cruz, as it has been achieving in the fractures of other institutions not only in Santa Cruz. A reality that seems to be far from being reversed, from what we are seeing in the departmental government of Santa Cruz.

If the attitudes of confrontation and disqualification continue within the Government and Creemos, there will be no possibility of stopping this irresponsible race towards the abyss, destroying all or the little that remains of institutionality and democracy. This is no longer just a Santa Cruz crisis, a local problem. Given the political weight acquired by the department in recent years and the economic weight already consolidated in the region, what happens here will have a direct impact on the democratic stability of the country.

This challenge is the exclusive responsibility of that institutionality that defines itself as opposed to the power project of the MAS, and no longer that of the governing party. Can they take it on? I hope so, although I confess to having very little hope of seeing a happy outcome.