Peru president counting on Clinton to help sway U.S. lawmakers to approve

[Judi Lynn]

Peru president counting on Clinton to help sway U.S. lawmakers to approve free trade deal
The Associated Press

Published: September 1, 2006

LIMA, Peru President Alan Garcia said late Thursday he was sure former U.S. President Bill Clinton would play a "fundamental role" in helping to sway Democratic votes in the U.S. Congress in favor of a free trade deal with Peru.

"President Clinton, I am sure will have a fundamental role," said Garcia when asked if he thought the former leader might be enlisted by Peru to help lobby Democrats for ratification.

"President Clinton, for whom I have a special affection, is a person who has always demonstrated great human concern for sectors and nations that face difficulties with growth and that have conditions of poverty," Garcia said.

Garcia earlier this month appointed international economist and famed Peruvian author Hernando de Soto as his special U.S. ambassador to promote the free trade pact.

He suggested that de Soto — a personal friend of Clinton's — might enlist the former president's help when he participates in the second annual Clinton Global Initiative Meeting, a forum of world leaders, scholars and economists, scheduled for Sept. 20-22 in New York.
(snip/...)

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/09/01/america/LA_GEN_Peru_US_Clinton_Free_Trade.php

[Peace Patriot]

1. Garcia will destroy Peru's poor and middle class--as has happened

at the hands of "neo-liberals" (fake liberals, global corporate capitalists) throughout Latin America, with control by the World Bank/IMF and associated Global Corporate Predators--then the Bolivarian left will have to pick up the pieces.

The Bolivarian Revolution = Latin American self-determination; rejection of U.S. domination and "neo-liberal" (the rich get richer) policies; national and regional self-sufficiency in food, energy, and other vital needs; and progressive/socialist policies, such as use of the nation's resources to help the poor with schools, health care, housing, and small business loans.

Clintonomics has literally wiped out the economies of many Latin American countries--and has created millions of impoverished people. That's why there is a tremendous, peaceful, democratic, leftist revolution going on throughout south and central America--with leftist governments elected in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Venezuela and Bolivia, and strong leftist movements in Peru (the country in question), Mexico (where leftist Congresspeople just prevented Fox from speaking to Congress, in an election fraud protest), Nicaragua and other places. In Argentina, the World Bank/IMF forced onerous loans on the government, then demanded cuts in social programs and entry of global corporate predators (resource extractors; sweatshop labor) in the price of repayment. Argentinians revolted, and a coalition of the poor and middle class went around with tiny hammers and broke every ATM display window in the country. Three governments later (in quick succession), they finally got a leftist government that promised to extract them from the claws of the World Bank (which they did--with Venezuela's help.)

In Bolivia, Bechtel Co. was the spur. Bechtel privatized the water in one Bolivian city, then jacked up the prices to the very poor, even charging poor peasants for collecting rainwater! A popular uprising ousted Bechtel from the country, and elected the first indigenous president of Bolivia, Evo Morales.

And a similar democratic revolution occurred in Venezuela--despite Bush Junta support of a violent military coup attempt, their support of a crippling oil professionals' strike, a U.S. taxpayer funded failed Recall election against Chavez, 24/7 virulent anti-Chavez propaganda from the corporate news monopolies, assassination threats by White House favorite Pat Robertson, constant badmouthing and slander by the Bushites and by our own corporate news monopolies (to an absurd degree), and now, a special Bushite NSA unit for the overthrow of Venezuelan democracy. Through it all, Chavez and his government remain popular and strongly supported by the great majority of Venezuelans. So it's a war against Venezuelans that the Bushites and their lapdog press are waging. The Venezuelans' ONLY offense--they sit on a lot of oil, and they support using some of the profits to help the poor. Chavez's government is actually quite moderate.

In Peru, in the recent presidential election, leftist and Bolivarian Ollanta Humala came out of nowhere, and, with no money and no corporate support, won 30% of the vote in a multi-party field in the primary, knocking the rightwing candidate out of the race, and then went on to increase his support by 15%, almost winning the presidency. Alan Garcia, who is described as a leftist, is extremely corrupt. He will, indeed, ruin Peru's economy, ravage the poor, and then he will be ousted.

This leftist democratic movement in Latin America is huge and unstoppable. Clinton can't lie to these people and get away with it, as he did to us. They are at the far end of global corporate piracy--where we are heading. The outsourcing of American manufacturing jobs to sweatshop nations, under Clinton, was only the beginning. Bush has compounded this with a $10 TRILLION deficit--for a corporate oil war, and multiple tax cuts for the super-rich. We are heading the way of Argentina. School funding cut. Looting of Social Security and government pension funds. Medical care a disaster for the poor and middle class. A disappearing middle class. No hope for the poor. Breaking the back of the labor movement. Elimination of a living wage, of benefits and of bargaining power. Corporate Democrats like Clinton pave the way. The fascists clean our clocks.

Well, Latin America has had it. Luckily, in much of Latin America, extensive work has been done on TRANSPARENT elections--by the OAS, the Carter Center, EU election monitoring groups and local civic groups-- and it's paying off in elected governments that represent the true interests of their countries and peoples. In Mexico, although they've just suffered a stolen election, the people are NOT putting up with it. They know what's happening throughout the rest of Latin America, and they, too, want representative government. The vast population of the poor and the brown, and their leftist compadres in the middle class--long exploited, ignored and even brutalized (by U.S.-backed dictatorships)--is finally coming into its own. Their common themes are anti-US domination, anti-globalization, local control and progressive economic policy.

As Evo Morales, the new president of Bolivia, has said: "The time of the people has come."

And the time of fake liberals--like Clinton, Alan Garcia and Fox/Calderon--is over.

Viva la revolución! Let it happen here, too!*

------------------

*(We first need to do a bit of work on transparent elections--priority no. 1.)

[Dover]

3. "...even charging poor peasants for collecting rainwater! " CONTROL!!!!

Thanks for all that good info.
If you have any links to the story about charging for rainwater collection, I'd really like to read more.
And if they (bipartisan/corporate elites) tried it in those countries, you can bet it's on their water ownership agendas for this country as well. In fact I think I recall hearing about some politician who attempted that in N.Mexico or Arizona. People prefer their illusions about politicians in this country, but if the people don't start uniting soon, we will be in the same boat as third world countries, where the elites have all the control as the economy tanks.

[Judi Lynn]

4. Found a succinct bit immediately to give you an example:

"In 1999 water privatisation was part of a package of reforms required by the World Bank so that Bolivia could receive debt relief. In Cochabamba the sale - to UK company International Waters Ltd - led to charges so crippling they sparked mass protest. Water suddenly cost more that food. Those on the minimum wage saw nearly half their budget devoured by the water bill. Even collecting rain water in rooftop tanks on a farm became illegal without a permit."
(snip)

http://www.ddavid.dk/2005/03/en-regning-for-regn.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bechtel took over the water supply in Cochabamba city, Bolivia, in end-1999. In the space of a few months the price of drinking water had risen by two and a half times. The reason was a government guarantee to the powerful water firm that user fees would remain the same in dollars, so every time the local currency fell the price would spiral. By January 2000, an aggrieved population had taken to the streets demanding the privatization deal be cancelled. The government had no choice but to give in, although Bechtel now threatens it with a $25 million legal battle for breach of contract.
(snip)

http://www.indiaresource.org/issues/water/2003/privatewaterpublicmisery.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Olivera, speaking through a translator, says the fight over water resources has been going on for the past several decades in his hometown due to the scarcity of water in the area. At the end of 1999, the struggle intensified when the government privatized the city’s water supply to an Italian-owned company, Aguas del Tunari, which is partially owned by Bechtel, an American corporation. The 40-year contract guaranteed the company at least a 16 per cent profit per year.

It was due to the pressure from the World Bank and transnational corporations in conjunction with corrupt government officials that the privatization deal went through, according to Olivera. He goes on to further specify that in order for Bolivia to receive aid and loans from the World Bank, the government is coerced into privatizing their resources without consulting citizens.

“Through the neo-liberal model and through what the transnational corporations are doing, they are not only taking away people’s resources, but they’re also taking away the people’s decision-making power. They have no say what happens in their own country and to their own resources,” he says.

As a result of the deal, many problems arose for the one million people living in and around Cochabamba. People were charged different rates depending on if the water was used for a business or residence, or based on “who they were.” Rates were charged in American dollars, and many citizens saw their rates increase. These hikes resulted in people having to use around 20 per cent of their income to pay for this essential need; the World Health Organization has suggested that only two or three per cent of an individual’s income should be used to pay for water.
(snip)

Other problems occurred for those who wished to dig a well on their property, as they were told to purchase and install a water meter in the well at their own cost. Those in the countryside also felt the effects of the privatization deal. Many dug dykes to collect rainwater, but then they had to ask for permission and receive a special permit before constructing one.
(snip)

The government responded by getting the police and army to repress the protesters, says Olivera. During this time, several coalition leaders went to jail, forcing Olivera and others to go underground. The government put out an order to kill any of the coalition leaders in hiding; the military, armed with weapons, even went to Olivera’s parents’ home and searched. The coalition leader still played a large role in the protests while hiding in various homes — sometimes right next to the military base — and pressure increased on the government to cancel the contract. The leaders were eventually invited out of hiding to begin talks with the government as a result of the massive protest.
(snip)

http://umanitoba.ca/manitoban/2004-2005/1117/article.php?section=features&article=02

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In January 2000, just months after it took over control of the water system of Bolivia’s third largest city, Cochabamba, a Bechtel Corporation subsidiary hit water users with enormous price increases. These increases forced some of the poorest families in South America to literally choose between food or water. A popular uprising against the company, repressed violently by government troops, left one 17 year old boy dead and more than a hundred people wounded. In April 2000 Bechtel was finally forced to leave. In November 2001 Bechtel decided to add to the suffering it had already caused by filing a legal demand for $25 million against the Bolivian people – compensation for its lost opportunity to make future profits.
(snip)
http://www.democracyctr.org/bechtel/

Images of the Cochabamba Water War
February - April, 2000
http://www.xs4all.nl/%7Earenaria/water/Cochabamba%20pictures.html

(There's a photo of someone you'll recognize on the phone within the photos. Very interesting!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Arguably, the best-known reaction to water privatization occurred in Cochabamba, Bolivia when the engineering giant Bechtel set up its subsidiary, Aguas del Tunari, in early 2000 and immediately raised the price of water beyond the reach of the vast majority of the population. Its contract even gave the company the right to charge people for the water they took from their own wells and to send collection agents to homes to charge for rainwater collected in cisterns on roofs. Consumers were hit with up to 200% rate increases as the company planned for annual profits of $58 million.8 Public protests forced the government to reverse this privatization effort, but Bechtel is now suing Bolivia for $25 million in lost profits. Despite the fiasco in Cochabamba, the Bolivian government is still pursuing several other privatization schemes, including plans to export and sell bulk water to neighboring Chile for use in its mining industry. If last October’s attempted exportation of gas through Chile is any indication, this plan is bound to provoke a negative response from the Bolivian public.
(snip)

http://www.globalpolicy.org/socecon/gpg/2004/0704waterprivatization.htm

[Dover]

6. Thanks for those articles. Really unbelievable!

I completely missed this story. Sorry, don't recognise the photo of the guy on the phone.
Who is he?

This is what we can expect of corporate global governance.

[Dover]

2. Those who think the Dems don't share many of the same globalist

privatization intentions with the PNAC, should read read this article once a week. It represents the DLC Clintonian approach, which sees globalization through the lens of the corporations.
Perhaps their methods would be more diplomatic, but don't confuse that with the end game they both seek. So when will the Dems have a real conversation with the people about nationalism/globalism and where they intend to take this country? NEVER, because then they couldn't keep up their front as the people's party.

[w4rma]

5. DLC, not Dems. (nt)

[Judi Lynn]

7. I couldn't find a photo quickly from exactly the same angle,

but these photos might ring a bell for you!



The man at that water privatization protest, on the phone, was the current President of Bolivia, Evo Morales!
:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

[Dover]

8. Wow, it is him!

Thanks for the photos.