The Congress of Peru declares Evo Morales ‘persona non grata’ and the former Bolivian president responds

Posted: 23 Nov 2021 14:38 GMT

The parliamentarians point to Morales of “interference and interference”, while the former president asserts that he hopes that these accusations are not due to racism.

The Foreign Relations Commission of the Peruvian Congress declared former Bolivian President Evo Morales ‘persona non grata’ for “his negative political activism in Peru.” Given this, the founder of the Movement for Socialism (MAS) responded that “unity and solidarity” is above what is expressed by the parliamentarians.

The declaration, approved by the majority of that Commission, is of symbolic character. The full text was published on the Twitter account of its president, Ernesto Bustamante, a member of the right-wing Fuerza Popular party, whose leader, Keiko Fujimori, was Pedro Castillo’s main contender during this year’s presidential elections.

“Declare Evo Morales Ayma unpleasant person in our country for his negative political activism in Peru and his obvious interference and meddling in the political, social and economic agenda of the government of Peru, clearly detrimental to the interests of the Peruvian people, “says one of the paragraphs of the document signed by Bustamante.

The letter asks “the competent authorities” to prohibit the entry of the ex-president Bolivian to Peruvian territory and to the Interior and Defense ministries “take the necessary actions to comply with this agreement.”

Faced with this announcement, the former Bolivian president responded in a triumph that both countries “are brothers with historical and unbreakable ties of struggle for dignity and sovereignty” and added that “unity and solidarity” comes before what is expressed by the group of congressmen. “We hope they are not part of racism“he added.

Bolivia and Peru are brothers with historical and unbreakable ties of struggle for dignity and sovereignty, for example, in times of the Peru-Bolivian confederation. Unity and solidarity are above any statement by a group of congressmen, we hope they are not part of racism

– Evo Morales Ayma (@evoespueblo) November 23, 2021

Last August, when the former president of the Council of Ministers, Guido Bellido, went to Congress to ask the ministerial cabinet he leads for a vote of confidence, he began his speech in Quechua, but was interrupted by the president of Parliament, María del Carmen Alva, who asked him to translate, while some parliamentarians yelled at him to learn to speak.

In addition, the presidential campaign in Peru was marked by expressions of classism and racism on the part of Fujimori’s followers against Castillo and his sympathizers, mainly from rural and indigenous areas of the country.

What are the reasons?

The statement explains that since July of this year Morales has been visiting Peru and has held “proselytizing meetings with different political organizations” in that country, which “is attended in official vehicles” and “provides thankless statements that warn of an agenda of their own according to foreign interests “.

In the same way, it is stated that he has referred to “sensitive issues that divide the Peruvian population”, such as the formation of a Constituent Assembly, the nationalization of natural resources and hydrocarbons, anti-imperialist policies, expansion of coca crops and the rejection of the US organizations such as the DEA and USAID, which were expelled by La Paz during Morales’ mandate.

Another reason outlined in the statement even reaches Runasur, a South American platform of social movements that Morales has been promoting, whose meeting would be held in the Peruvian city of Cusco, between December 20 and 21. The right-wingers allege that “the meaning of the patronage of the national authorities” is not officially known.

Evo Morales and Peru

The Bolivian leader entered the neighboring country on July 26 to attend two days later the swearing-in of the leftist as the new president. Upon arriving at the border area of ​​Desaguadero, in the department of Puno, he declared that he was in “permanent contact“with Castillo during the campaign and that they had” political and programmatic coincidences. “His previous visit had been in 2018, after the International Criminal Court rejected Bolivia’s request to negotiate an exit to the sea with Chile.

The days he was in Peru, he met with the founder of the ruling Peru Libre party, Vladimir Cerrón, and expressed his desire that the Bolivian president, Luis Arce, and his Peruvian counterpart establish a bilateral agenda.

Morales also held meetings with union representatives of the Peruvian teachers and coca leaf producers. Upon leaving this last meeting, he said that they agreed to “work for unity”, that “Latin America is not the backyard of the United States” and spoke of the need to create an Andean Council of Coca Producers.

The former Bolivian president also asserted at that time that Argentina, Bolivia and Peru should industrialize lithium as States.

Last August the Bolivian leader was in the Peruvian city of Arequipa, where he participated in the First National Youth Congress. From there, he expressed his agreement with the convocation of a Constituent Assembly in the Andean country, which was one of Castillo’s campaign promises. “It is a new re-foundation for Peru, as was done in Bolivia“, said.