Indigenous people demand autonomy that exceeds departmental boundaries

FULL AUTONOMY • The indians of the "Confederation of Indigenous Peoples of Eastern Bolivia"(CIDOB) require that indigenous autonomy will be applied over municipal and departmental boundaries. Government refuses to grant that status because it puts at risk the territorial unity of the multinational state.

By EUGEN ROXAS

Bolivian nations. Photo © ABI®. All rights reserved.

TRINIDAD, Bolivia.— Indigenous people of the Indigenous Confederation of Eastern Bolivia (CIDOB) require full and total indigenous autonomy asking the government that autonomy will be applied over municipal and departmental boundaries.

Covered by a constitutional provision, the president of CIDOB, Adolfo Chavez, says:

“The Article 289 of the Constitution defines indigenous autonomy as ‘self-government of nations and indigenous peoples, whose population share territory, culture, history, languages, legal, political, social and economic organization’”

Chavez argues that the indigenous peoples who want to be autonomous must have a territory and natural resources.

Government refuses to grant that status because it puts at risk the territorial unity of the multinational state. President Evo Morales said yesterday in Santa Cruz:

"It is not possible to eliminate departmental boundaries, that is not in the Constitution. The implementation of autonomy must be based on the constitution. "

Source: LA PRENSA^®