Morales administration Supreme Decree sets off protests
In addition to the blockade on the highway between La Paz and Oruro at Patacamaya, protests occurred in several other regions. The majority of participants could lose their jobs at duty-free zones as a result of the new restrictions. The December 4th decree, which limits the import of vehicles to cars produced since 2004 and trucks and buses produced after 2001, represents an attempt by Bolivian authorities to stem the flow of older used cars.
This trend exploded during the last three years, exacerbating fuel shortages and air pollution. Bolivian companies and enterprising individuals increasingly imported cheap used vehicles from Japan and others discarded by U.S. consumers, including 10 to 15 year-old cars. A significant portion of these cares have been “totaled,” so that buyers in the U.S. can obtain them for several hundred dollars and then pass on the savings, and the safety risk, to Bolivian consumers. Gas-guzzling SUV’s rejected by American drivers are also popular here, considered both a status symbol and a necessity because of poor road quality. The availability of affordable natural gas to fill their tanks also makes this more viable for some Bolivians. Although many of these vehicles enter the country legally, others slip in as contraband and are often sold in rural areas for public transportation, where regulation is almost nonexistent.
The greater accessibility of affordable vehicles for middle class and low-income Bolivians helped strengthen the popular perception of greater widespread prosperity during the Morales administration, although this phenomena is for the most part unrelated to government policy.
Although the move mirrors actions taken by other governments like Peru, and greater regulation of car imports is clearly necessary, the Morales administration’s announcement highlights the difficulties of balancing competing agendas in a reform government:
1) It makes the purchase of recently imported vehicles out of economic reach for most Bolivians. (To put things into perspective, I drive a 1996 model car). This gives the impression that the initiative is an elitist, discriminatory measure, although I do not believe that that is the intent.
2) Vehicle imports will probably go down 75%-80% as a result, potentially leading to widespread lay-offs of personnel in duty-free zones. These employees carried out the road blockade.
3) The price of used vehicles already in Bolivia will increase, benefiting owners, but increasing the cost for potential buyers, thus further reinforcing the perception of limited buying power exacerbated by the pending world economic crisis.
4) The volume of trade rs with Chile will diminish. According to the Chilean newspaper El Mercurio, up to 300 million dollars and 13,000 jobs related to auto trade with Bolivia may be lost in the Iquique and Arica regions of Chile.2 The Decree affects an estimated 97 percent of cars and 91 percent of trucks and other large vehicles imported through Chile.
Death and injuries
The protestor killed, Nelson Aduviri Mamani, age 27, worked in the duty free zone of El Alto. The bullet wound on the back of his neck suggests he was not attacking police.
Unconfirmed press reports of wounded protestors:
Eloy Mamani, metal projectile (bullet wound? in the groin)
Juan Fernandez Valencia, 74 (fractured right foot)
Lidio Mamani Marca, 50
Rodolfo Lino Cori, 29, (wound to the right arm)
Javier Choque Mamani, (treated for injuries from the explosion of fireworks)
Police officers wounded:
Bismark Lozano Velasco, 24, (multiple contusions)
Jose Luis Estaca Valencia, 22, (wounded from rock impact)
Harold Rojas Rojas (beaten)
Gregorio Huanca Chura
Transparent legal investigations crucial, but improbable
Furthermore, although it is heartening that the Bolivian government has refrained from sending the armed forces against civilian protestors in recent months, civilian deaths in confrontations with the police force on the La Paz–Oruro highway in both August and now in December highlight the need for enhanced negotiation and dialogue as well as a heightened capacity for dissuasive law enforcement action. Unfortunately legal investigations of killings during protests still rarely reach conclusion. As a result, following an unfortunate and longstanding trend, no members of the security forces have yet faced legal consequences or been definitively acquitted in protestor deaths. It is essential that judicial authorities thoroughly investigate these incidents.
1 La Prensa, “Un muerto, 10 heridos, saldo del enfrentamiento entre la Policia y trabajadores de zonas francas.” 16 December 2008. http://www.laprensa.com.bo/noticias/16-12-08/16_12_08_nego1.php
2 Los Tiempos, “Restriccion de vehiculos en Bolivia afecta en Chile negocio en 300 millones dolares.” 16 December 2008. http://www.lostiempos.com/noticias/16-12-08/16_12_08_ultimas_eco1.php