Editorial, El Diario:

The so-called industrialization of the country, loudly proclaimed since 2006, is an affair worthy of public attention due to the scandalous failure it led to. This, after the MAS regime claimed it would be one of the pillars of the economy of the Plurinational State—along with other niceties from the “first indigenous president of Bolivia” and his associates.

For example, the decision to install the Mutún Steel Plant to industrialize the iron from the deposit located in the municipality of Puerto Suárez, in the department of Santa Cruz, taken by the MAS regime, is little less than a mystery. This is because the project was never put out for bidding and was approved under the logic of “just push it through, and my lawyers will take care of it, that’s what I pay them for”—a hallmark of former president Evo Morales Ayma.

According to rumors, the first equipment acquired for the smelter was not only ordered behind closed doors, but it was also leftover stock from an old Chinese foundry. Moreover, it no longer had any value or price. Despite everything, it was purchased during the era of “fat cows,” when the Plurinational State was swimming in dollars from gas exports and other raw materials that had high market prices.

State-aligned media at the time announced that the Mutún state smelter would not export raw materials but instead produce finished products such as industrial-grade steel, supposedly saving the state millions of dollars and other “wonders.” According to official propaganda, the smelting plant should have been operational years ago, then they said it would be in 2023, but it turned out to be just another broken promise.

In other words, this “white elephant” did not function as announced, and the millions of dollars spent on its acquisition were of little use. As a result, large quantities of iron from the deposit—touted as “the largest in the world”—are still not being smelted. Instead, the country has continued exporting only iron ore, further increasing its colonial dependency and impoverishment.

The MAS governments are responsible for this failure, as they repeatedly claimed that the Mutún smelter would flood the country with its industrial production—something that has yet to happen. However, the administrators of the Plurinational State now claim that the project is merely “delayed” and will be fully operational by the end of this year. This is highly doubtful, for, as the saying goes, “from the mouth of a liar, even the truth becomes doubtful.”

Indeed, for the smelter to operate at full capacity, it must first be completed and tested under full-scale operation. And second, it must have sufficient gas to carry out smelting—yet therein lies the problem: the country is running out of gas!