Calamitous Lack of Political Parties | Calamitosa falta de partidos políticos

Editorial, El Diario:

The country finds itself in an extremely dire situation, nearing its two-hundredth year of existence, compounded by some individuals asserting that it is unnecessary to remember August 6 as the founding date, while others claim Bolivia no longer exists, insisting instead on the notion of a supposed Plurinational State and making other abstractions.

The truth is that Bolivia drifts aimlessly in a stormy sea, without a helmsman, without a ship’s captain, surrounded by visible and invisible obstacles, and with no port in sight. In other words, the ship of state moves in all directions. Worse still, some politicians make such negative statements that it is unhealthy to even quote them.

The Bolivian people do not know where they come from or where they are headed. They lack a guiding light to steer toward and instead look backward, like Lot’s wife. Many politicians resemble piles of broken bricks, focused solely on securing a public office to satisfy personal interests.

The most troubling issue is the absence of genuine political parties. Leaders of even modest merit and intellectuals with sharp vision are scarce. While it is said that the Supreme Electoral Tribunal houses large volumes of political programs, these remain unknown to voters, gathering dust in the archives where only mice venture.

Adding to this grave problem is the lack of newspapers, with the few that circulate facing repression if they do not favor the ruling party. The number of magazines, books, or even pamphlets is minuscule. Many publishing houses have disappeared, and overall, the cultural level of the population has declined due to a lack of interest in promoting reading, in stark contrast to other countries. Two decades ago, authors printed editions of two thousand or more copies; today, they print only a hundred or fewer.

In any case, the national crisis has manifested in the repression of culture, which has led to the near-extinction of political thought. Yet history does not die; new political parties will emerge spontaneously to consciously lead the nation. This current calamitous national situation, devoid of robust politics and political parties, is unprecedented in history. Instead, it is dominated by the cult of the individual, a lack of historical perspective, and the denial of Bolivia through harmful populism.

Finally, one might surmise that certain forces actively work to prevent the formation of new political entities, seeking to maintain only the traditional ones. Their objective appears to be to obscure the national reality and hinder the discovery of solutions to lift Bolivia from the depths of the abyss.

Leave a comment