Collector leads Dalits into temple

Dalits offering worship at
Sri Kamakshi Amman Sametha Ekambareswarar Temple,
Chettipulam, near Vedaranyam on Tuesday

NAGAPATTINAM: C Munianathan, District Collector, led Dalits into Sri Ekambareshwarar Temple at Chettipulam near Vedaranyam on Tuesday, putting an end to the alleged discrimination and law and order problems in the village.

The CPM had alleged that Dalits were not allowed inside the temple by the villagers.

The party had organised temple entry agitations twice this month (on October 1 and 14).

On October 1, the temple remained locked.

On October 14, the village witnessed violence, lathicharge and police firing when the vehicles in which Dalits, accompanied by police and revenue officials were proceeding to the temple, were attacked by a mob.

Following the violence, the Collector had organised a peace talk with members of all communities of the village. He had conveyed that any discrimination on the basis of caste will invite severe punishment. He also conveyed that he would personally lead the Dalits into the temple. The villagers assured their cooperation to the collector.

On Tuesday morning, Munianathan, accompanied by top police officials including Abhay Kumar Singh, Thanjavur DIG, Maheshwar Dayal, Nagai SP, Praveen Kumar Abinabu, Tiruvarur SP, Annadurai, DRO, Rajendran, RDO, Thennarasu, HR and CE Assistant Commissioner and others, visited the village.

About 75 Dalits went inside the temple with pooja articles. Munianathan himself distributed prasadam to all the Dalits. He said police security would be continued at the temple for some more time to prevent any untoward incidents.

Even after death, they remain untouchable

MADURAI: A shocking case of untouchability after death comes from M Duraisamipuram under Maraneri police limits in Sivakasi block of Virudhunagar district.

The burial ground in the village had been built under the Anaithu Grama Anna Marumalarchi Thittam (AGAMT). But the authorities had taken care to earmark a section of the cemetery as that of ‘Parayar’ while another area has been allotted for others (‘Idharars’).

M Duraisamipuram panchayat covers the villages of Ammapatti, Kottaimdeu and Idayankulam.

The population comprises 450 families of Yadavas, about 250 of Nayakkars while the Dalits and others number about 350 families.

About two months ago, it was decided to build a burial ground under the AGAMT and work is in progress at the cemetery. It is being built in three sections - two for caste Hindus and the other for Dalits.

What has irked the Dalits in the village is the bold lettering ‘Parayar Mayanam’ (the cemetery of Parayars). The section for the other communities bears the legend ‘Idhara Mayanam’.

There have been many agitations against segregating a burial ground on the basis of caste.

This is also said to be an offence under the SC, ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. But the M Duraisamipuram panchayat authorities are either ignorant of the rules or have deliberately done this to win the support of the caste Hindus, observers say.

The Dalits of the village told this correspondent that this was the height of discrimination against them by the panchayat.

They said that at least the burial ground should be common to everyone and there should be no discrimination after death.

When this was brought to the notice of the NGO Evidence, its Director A Kadir contacted the panchayat president, Ponnulakshmi and sought her explanation.

She said that this had not been brought to her notice and may be the contractors had done this. He offered to change the lettering as ‘Adhi Dravidar Mayanam’. It was pointed out to her that burial grounds should be not segregated on the basis of caste. Whether she will make amends remains to be seen.

CPM leaders brief MK on ground reality

CHENNAI: A 10-member delegation led by State CPM secretary N Varadharajan on Tuesday met CM M Karunanidhi at the Secretariat and raised a host of issues being faced by the Dalits in the State, which included prevention of entry into temples, manual cleaning of drainages, backlog of vacancies in the government to be filled up, two-glass system at tea shops prevailing in many parts of the State and strict implementation of the Protection of Civil Rights Act and Prevention of Atrocities Act.

Answering queries of reporters after meeting the CM, Varadharajan said the Chief Minister had promised them that he would look into their demands.

He recalled how G Latha, MLA from Gudiyatham Assembly constituency, was roughed by the police when she had led the Dalits to a temple at Chettipulam village in Villupuram district on September 30. All those arrested by the police on that day should be freed without any further delay, he urged.

K Varadharajan, politburo member of the CPM, said a separate commission should be formed to look into the issues being faced by Dalits and a time-limit should be set for completing the study of socioeconomic conditions of the Dalits and tribals. The Tiruvallur district administration had given a report about the acquisition of 250 acres of land by Justice Dinakaran and the State government should not give any report contrary to that. He said the Chief Minister had agreed to that.

In the memorandum submitted to the Chief Minister, the Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front’s State organiser P Sampath said the government should completely stop using human beings for cleaning the underground drainages as well as cleaning excreta.

N Varadarajan warned of more agitations if the DMK government did not take steps to eradicate untouchability in the State.
(courtesy : Indian Express)

Dalits enter TN temple first time in 100 yrs

NAGAPATTINAM: For the first time in a hundred years, dalits of Chettipulam village stepped inside the local Shiva temple on Tuesday, in a historic moment brought about by government and political intervention.

Escorted by revenue and police officers, nearly 70 dalits of the village situated near Vedaranyam in Nagapattinam district entered the century-old Kamatchi Amman Sametha Ekambareswarar Temple at around 11 am and offered prayers for 25 minutes. Dressed in their best, women had brought flowers and other offerings. A group of non-dalits, including panchayat president V Manimaran, also accompanied the dalits. District collector C Munianathan himself distributed prasadam' to the dalits after the prayers.

"It is a historic day for us. For decades, we were barred from entering the temple. All we could do for generations was to stand 10 feet away from the temple entrance and offer prayers," said Nandan alias N Natarajan, a dalit labourer. He and other dalits were greeted by non-dalits inside the temple.

The dalits here had earlier made three attempts to enter the temple. On September 30, they found it locked. The next day they were arrested when they tried to break the lock. On October 14, when Nagapattinam revenue divisional officer Rajendran led the dalits towards the temple, violence broke out as non-dalits started pelting stones. Police fired warning shots in the air and resorted to a lathicharge. The CPI(M), spearheading the agitation, had warned of another attempt on November 2 if the government failed to ensure entry of the dalits into the temple by October 30.

A tripartite meeting involving non-dalits, dalits and government officials was held on Monday. It was decided there that the dalits would be taken into the temple on Tuesday.

A large of posse of police personnel was deployed in the village. On Tuesday morning, a police vehicle picked up dalits from their doorsteps and took them to the temple. Once everybody gathered in front of the temple, the collector ushered them in. Thanjavur range DIG Abhay Kumar Singh and SPs of Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur were also present.

"The dalits need not worry about their safety in the village. They can enter the temple and offer prayers without fear. The district administration will ensure that they are not stopped from entering the temple," said Munianathan. Police would be stationed in the village for a few more days, he said.

Meanwhile in Chennai, the CPI(M) took out a rally to highlight the rights of dalits and tribals. Later, they met chief minister M Karunanidhi and handed over a 14-point charter of demands pertaining to the welfare of Scheduled Castes and Tribes.
(Times of India)

“Only democratic movements will secure rights of oppressed”

CHENNAI: Democratic movements, and not exclusive Dalit organisations, will secure the rights of the oppressed people in the country, said P. Sampath, organiser, the Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front, on Tuesday.

Addressing a huge rally taken out by his movement and various Dalit and tribal organisations in the city, Mr. Sampath said the government was forced to announce that it would fully mechanise the cleaning operations of underground sewage canals in all municipal corporations after the protest rally was planned.

He along with CPI(M) Polit Bureau member K.Varadarajan, State secretary N. Varadarajan, party legislature party leader K.Balabharathi and many others met Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi and submitted a memorandum. He said Mr.Karunanidhi himself had acknowledged the demands and agreed to take action to implement them.

“We hope that the government will keep its promise. Otherwise, we will mobilise people in every village and the government will be held responsible for our action, said Mr. Sampath.

K.Varadarajan said though those claiming to be the inheritors of the legacy of Periyar and Anna were ruling the State, they were not able to eradicate untouchability. N. Varadarajan said his party would continue to fight against untouchability and other social evils.

He said the government should abolish the posts of Vettiyans and re-designate them as graveyard assistants, by making them employees of local bodies.

Besides demanding 19 per cent reservation for Dalits in employment and education, the memorandum urged the State government to appoint a commission, headed by a High Court judge, to study the socio-economic conditions of tribals in the State.

The leaders demanded a total ban on employing humans in cleaning operations of sewage canals. “It should fill all the backlog vacancies in the various departments of the State government,” the memorandum said.

Another demand was the constitution of untouchability eradication committees at the district and state level to ensure Dalits the right to worship in temples and other civil rights.

Most of the mass organisations of the CPI(M), including the CITU and Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers Association, took part in the rally.

(Courtesy : The Hindu, Photos : Gavaskar, Theekathir)

"Flawed programme and practice"

Interview with Prakash Karat, General Secretary, CPI(M)

AS a party based on the Marxist-Leninist ideology, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has serious differences in theory and practice with the Maoist groups in the country. In an interview to Frontline, party general secretary Prakash Karat explained why the tactics of the Maoist groups will never help solve the problem of poverty. Excerpts:

How does the CPI(M) assess the spurt of Maoist activity? Politically, how do you view the approach of the Maoist groups?

The Maoists claim to be a revolutionary force. But they are far from being an organisation based on a Marxist outlook. Though they call themselves a communist party, their ideology and practice go against the basic principles of Marxism and what a communist party should be. Their programme and practice are flawed; they do not even recognise the realities. They harp on India being still a semi-colonial country; their politics is based on the gun and the use of violence, which essentially disrupts the working class movement and mass mobilisation. By indulging in senseless violence mainly directed at its political opponents, the Maoists end up helping the state to come down heavily on the people they claim to champion.

The Left Front government in West Bengal has been at the receiving end of such violence for some time now. How has the character of such activities changed over the years?

The Maoists have been trying to organise and be active in West Bengal for quite some time now. They have failed to acquire a mass base. Where they are active is mainly in the border districts of Paschim Medinipur, Purulia and Bankura, all bordering Jharkhand. Here we have seen how, in the past few months, they have systematically targeted the cadre and supporters of the CPI(M). Though they claim to have popular support, the Maoists are not willing to put it to the test. The CPI(M), which has a large mass base among the tribal people, is opposed to the disruptive politics and violence of the Maoists. That is why they are indulging in targeted assassinations and killings. Some of the people they have killed have been executed in a brutal fashion, in front of their family members. How can the killing of CPI(M) workers, most of them poor tribal people, be considered a revolutionary activity by any standard? It is now well known that the Maoists collaborated with the Trinamool Congress to fight the CPI(M) and the Left Front. This is a feature of the Maoists elsewhere too. Their squads have no hesitation in backing one bourgeois party or the other. It can be seen in Bihar and in other States too. Most of the people killed by the Maoists, apart from policemen, are poor peasants, agricultural workers or the rural poor.

There has been a palpable change in the Central government’s approach to these Maoist groups. It now views them as a serious threat. At the Chief Ministers’ conference on internal security in Kolkata recently, Home Minister P. Chidambaram described naxalites as the biggest threat to internal security. Do you think that just stepping up police and other paramilitary support is enough to quell the activities of these groups?

As far as the CPI(M) is concerned, we think that the Maoists have to be fought and countered politically and ideologically. Wherever they are active and try to mobilise the tribal people and poorer sections, they must be combated politically. When they indulge in violence and terrorising of political opponents, administrative steps have to be taken to curb them. It is not possible to deal with them only politically when they are resorting to large-scale killing. In Lalgarh alone, in the past few months, more than 60 CPI(M) supporters were killed by the Maoists.

The Central government has announced it will deploy more paramilitary forces in some of the Maoist-affected States. This alone is not sufficient. In those areas, the government must embark upon socio-economic development; there have to be immediate measures to execute land reforms and provide basic services to the people. Without a comprehensive approach that deals with people’s problems in backward and tribal areas, the Maoist threat cannot be contained. The government should identify such areas and plan concrete measures, which is not being done sufficiently at present.

The Maoists have to understand that they won’t be able to accomplish anything by their sectarian and adventurous approach of resorting to arms and violence. They should learn from the experience of the Maoist party in Nepal. Building a mass movement on a political platform and relying on the people for political change can be the only correct perspective.

There have been expressions of support for the Maoist cause, sporadically of course, from a section of the intelligentsia. It confers a certain degree of legitimacy to the Maoist approach and acceptance of their tactics.

Some intellectuals and civil liberties organisations refuse to see the enormous damage being done by the Maoists by their senseless and indiscriminate violence. For some of these intellectuals, it seems as if they do not want to get into the hard work and grind of building a genuine mass movement but take vicarious satisfaction in supporting such pseudo-revolutionary activities.

Poverty can never be eliminated by such violent tactics as it only disrupts the possibility of developing a powerful and united mass struggle against exploitation and the iniquitous order. By just targeting a few so-called enemies of the people, one cannot bring about any change in the system of injustice existing today.

Courtesy : (T.K. RAJALAKSHMI, Frontline)

Central Committee Communique

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) held a meeting from October 23 to 25, 2009 at New Delhi. It has issued the following statement:

The Central Committee took stock of the international and national situation and the developments since its last meeting held in July 2009.

Alarming Price Rise

The Central Committee expressed its serious concern at the continuing relentless price rise of food items and of all essential commodities. The unprecedented rise in the prices of food grains, dal, sugar, edible oil and vegetables is causing immense hardships to the people. Inflation measured by the Consumer Price Index (Industrial Workers) stood at 11.72 per cent in August and the Consumer Price Index (Agricultural Workers) stood at 13.19 in September 2009. Currently India has one of the highest consumer price inflation rates in the world.

In the face of this alarming price rise, the attitude of the Congress-led government is shockingly callous. All that it promises is that the prices will come down some time in the future. The demand made by the Left parties to prohibit speculative futures trading in essential commodities and a crackdown on hoarding have been ignored.

The inaction of the government on the price front has resulted in increased suffering for the ordinary people.

Agrarian Scenario

The peasantry and the rural poor have been badly hit by the severe drought which affected nearly 300 districts across the country. There has been a shortfall in the cultivation of paddy and many other crops. At the advent of the Rabi season many states are facing a situation of unprecedented floods and destruction of standing crops. Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, Maharashtra, Assam, West Bengal and parts of Kerala have witnessed loss of standing crops due to heavy rainfall and floods. The provision of drought relief by the Centre and the concerned state governments have been either tardy or non-existent.

The Central Committee resolved to continue with the campaign against price rise, for drought relief and for food security. In this connection, the Left parties have been holding conventions and state level rallies will be held in the month of November.

UPA Government's Economic Policy

The Central Committee noted that the second UPA government is bent upon pursuing the same neo-liberal policies. The Central Government has embarked upon disinvestment in profitable public sector units including navaratnas like the NTPC. The Government has taken a $ 2 billion loan from the World Bank to recapitalise some public sector banks. Given the World Bank conditionalities, this is a precursor for disinvestment of shares in public sector banks.

The Direct Taxes Code Bill proposed by the government has several regressive provisions and would led to a significant loss of revenue. The corporate tax rate is proposed to be reduced from 30 per cent to 25 per cent and other measures such as reducing the rate of wealth tax and capital gains and give more relief to the upper bracket of tax payers. The UPA government wants the rich to be richer by cutting taxes. This also exposes its lack of commitment in raising resources to fund social welfare measures.

The UPA government is also in the process of implementing neo-liberal reforms in several areas. The proposal to amend the FDI limit in the insurance sector and the legislation to allow FDI in higher education are among them.

The Central Committee strongly opposed the disinvestment of shares in the profitable public sector units. In this connection, the Central Committee fully supported the call of the central trade unions who are observing a protest day on October 28 on this and other demands.

Doha Round & Climate Change:

Succumbing to Pressure

The Central Committee voiced its strong disapproval of the way the UPA government is resiling from stated positions and giving in to pressure of the United States and other western countries. This is evident in the changing stance in the Doha round of the WTO negotiations and the Climate Change talks. The End Use Monitoring Agreement with the United States on arms purchased from it, is another instance of succumbing to pressures.

The Central Committee decided to mobilise public opinion against the government succumbing to such pressures and adopting positions which are not in the interests of the country.

The Central Committee adopted a resolution on Climate Change and the stand India should take in the Climate Change talks. (The resolution is being released separately.)

Nuclear Liability Law

The Central Committee noted that the proposed legislation on Nuclear Liability is being brought to favour the US companies which will supply nuclear reactors to India. Given the bitter experience of the accident at the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal 25 years ago, any law for liability in the case of nuclear accidents should ensure that the suppliers of the reactors are made to pay adequate compensation and the liability cannot rest on the operators and the Government of India.

3rd December this year marks the 25th anniversary of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy. The Party will observe this anniversary and highlight the necessity to ensure the liability of multinational companies who will supply nuclear reactors to India.

Maoist Attacks

The Central Committee strongly condemned the vicious violence unleashed by the Maoist squads in various parts of the country. In West Bengal, the Maoists have targetted the CPI(M) and have killed more than 60 members and supporters of the Party in the past few months. They have killed a CPI(M) cadre in Chattisgarh recently. The Central Committee decided to conduct a campaign against the disruptive activities and politics of the Maoists and to mobilise the people against such forces.

West Bengal

Since the Lok Sabha elections, in West Bengal there have been continuing attacks on the CPI(M) and the Left Front. In a number of places the Trinamul-Congress combine have unleashed violence directed at the CPI(M), its offices and houses of its supporters. Many families have been displaced from their homes. Such attacks are taking place in conjunction with the Maoist attacks in the border districts.

The CPI(M) will continue to organise the people for their legitimate demands and rights. At the same time, the Party will mobilise the people to resist such attacks. The Party units all over the country will step up their campaign in solidarity with the Party and the Left in West Bengal and to expose the sinister nature of these attacks.

Asean FTA

The Central Committee reiterated the Party's opposition to the terms and conditions of the Free Trade Agreement with the Asean countries which will prove detrimental to agriculture, fisheries and certain sectors of industry.

In this connection, the Central Committee congratulated the Kerala State Committee of the CPI(M) for organising a human chain across the state on October 2 which saw the participation of 20 lakh people.

Hindutva Terrorist Groups

The recent death of two persons carrying explosives in Goa, highlights the threat from certain extremist Hindutva groups in the country. The Sanathan Sanstha which is responsible for collecting such explosives is part of the network which was uncovered after the Malegaon blast last year. Firm action should be taken against such groups to suppress such illegal activities.

Sri Lanka

In the situation obtaining after the crushing of the LTTE, two and a half lakh people of Tamil origin have been living in refugee camps in the Northern region. The Sri Lankan government had committed to rehabilitate and return people to their homes within six months. Yet, this process has not taken place as planned. The Government of India must exert all efforts to ensure the speedy return of all displaced people and their full rehabilitation. There are concerns about human rights violations which needs to be investigated and addressed by the Sri Lankan government.

The Sri Lankan Government has not yet taken any effective steps for a political solution to the Tamil problem by providing full autonomy in the Tamil-speaking areas. The Central Committee urged the Sri Lankan government to take meaningful steps in this direction. The Government of India should take political and diplomatic measures in this regard.

Rectification Campaign

The Central Committee discussed and adopted a document for initiating a rectification campaign in the Party. The process of the rectification campaign at the political, ideological and organisational level is to remove the wrong trends and shortcomings so that the Party emerges more unified and strengthened. The recent document has updated the 1996 rectification campaign report and is based on the experience of the Party in the last twelve years.

The document has prepared guidelines for strengthening democratic centralism as the organisational principle of the Party, ensuring proper integration of parliamentary and extra-parliamentary work, maintenance of communist norms and values and remoulding the outlook of the Party members towards upholding progressive values. Guidelines for conducting the rectification campaign have been set out. The rectification campaign based on this document, will be initiated at all levels of the Party.

Telecom Minister Should Step Down

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) now in session in New Delhi has issued the following statement:

The CBI investigation into the allotment of 2G spectrum licences to some private companies by the Department of Telecommunications is a long overdue step. The Central Vigilance Commission had directed the CBI to conduct the enquiry into the scam which involves a loss of Rs. 60,000 crore to the public exchequer. The CBI is questioning certain officials and has searched the premises of the department.

It is shocking that the Communications Minister, Shri A Raja, has reiterated that he will continue in office despite the investigation. The Minister cannot evade his responsibility and involvement in the matter when all his explanations for adopting the first come first serve policy have proved baseless. In the interests of having a fair probe, it is essential that the Minister not continue in office.

Resolution on West Bengal Martyrs

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) now in session in New Delhi adopted the following resolution:

West Bengal Martyrs

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) salutes the 124 martyrs who have been killed in the pre and post poll violence unleashed by the anti-Left forces in various parts of West Bengal between March 3 and October 22, 2009. More than half of them were killed by Maoist gangs. 120 of them belonged to the CPI(M) while four belonged to other Left Front partners. Two of them were children from families of CPI(M) members.

The Central Committee salutes the memory of these comrades who have become victims of the depredations of extremist Maoist gangs and the Trinamul Congress party combine. These brave martyrs laid down their lives holding high the red banner of the Party and its cause.

The Central Committee is confident that the ultimate sacrifice of these comrades will not go in vain.

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) dips its red banner in salute to these martyrs.

DYFI members stage novel protest

SALEM: Members of Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) staged a novel protest by attempting to build an integrated sanitary complex near the Salem Corporation on Monday urging it to provide toilet facilities to the residents of Meiyanur and Kuttatehru areas in the city.

The members brought a brick and one kg of cement and registered their protest by symbolically constructing a complex near the Corporation office.

Sanitary complex

The members said that the Corporation had not provided sanitary complexes to the people living in Meiyanur in 18th division, Chinneri Vayalkadu in 24th division and Kuttatheru in 4th division.

The residents, particularly those living under the below the poverty line, had to undergo untold miseries. Despite repeated reminders to the Corporation, no effort was taken to redress the grievances of the locals here.

“It is an ordeal for us daily,” said a woman resident of the area.

They also pointed out that the sanitary complex constructed at Ammasi Nagar in 23rd division was not in use. The complex was built recently after a series of agitations by the people. The Corporation took up the project and after having completed it, never permitted the residents to use it. Though many representations had been made, the civic body remained silent on the issue.

Hence to highlight these issues, the DYFI (Urban West) organised the agitation in which the members brought the building materials. V Bharathi Kannan, DYFI’s Urban president and others participated.

In another agitation, cadres of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) staged a demonstration near the Collectorate urging the Corporation to provide basic amenities to the people living in MGR Nagars and Periyar Nagars in wards 2, 5, 8, 12, 13, 28, 37, 44, 50 and 51.

(Courtesy : The Hindu)

"A Nobel Prize for Evo Morales" : Fidel Castro

IF Obama was awarded the Prize for winning the elections in a racist society despite being African-American, then Evo deserves it for winning in his country despite being an indigenous man, and moreover for keeping his promises.

It was the first time in the two countries that someone from each of their respective ethnic groups became president.

More than once, I noted that Obama was an intelligent, educated man in a social and political system in which he believes. He aspires to extend health services to almost 50 million U.S. people, to pull the economy out of the profound crisis it is experiencing, and to improve the image of the United States, deteriorated due to its genocidal wars and torture. He does not conceive of or desire, nor can he change, his country’s political and economic system.

The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to three U.S. presidents, a former president and a presidential candidate.

The first was Theodore Roosevelt, elected in 1901, the man of the Rough Riders that landed their riders – without their horses -- in Cuba for the U.S. intervention in 1898 to prevent our country’s independence.

The second was Thomas Woodrow Wilson, who took the United States into the first war to divvy up the world. In the Treaty of Versailles, he imposed such harsh conditions on defeated Germany, that it laid the foundations for the emergence of fascism and the breakout of World War II.

The third is Barack Obama.

Carter was the former president who, several years after ending his mandate, was awarded the Nobel Prize. Without a doubt, one of the few presidents of that country incapable of ordering the assassination of an adversary, as others did; he returned the Canal to Panama, created the U.S. Interests Section in Havana, and avoided falling into large budget deficits or squandering money for the benefit of the military-industrial complex like Reagan did.

The candidate was Al Gore when he was already vice president, the U.S. politician who knew the most about the terrible consequences of climate change. He was the victim of electoral fraud when he was a presidential candidate and had victory snatched away from him by W. Bush.

Opinions about the awarding of this prize have been very much divided. Many are based on ethical concepts or reflect evident contradictions in the surprising decision.

They would have preferred that prize to be the fruit of a task fulfilled. The Nobel Peace Prize is not always awarded to people who deserve that distinction. Sometimes individuals have received it who are resentful, arrogant or even worse. Lech Walesa, upon hearing the news, said disdainfully, "Who, Obama? It’s too fast. He hasn’t had time to do anything."

In our press and on CubaDebate, honest and revolutionary comrades have been critical. One of them said, "In the same week that Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the U.S. Senate passed the largest military budget in history: $626 billion". During the television newscast, another journalist commented, "What has Obama done to achieve such a distinction?" Others asked, "And what about the war in Afghanistan and the increase in bombings?" Those are viewpoints based on reality.

In Rome, the filmmaker Michael Moore made a lapidary statement: "Congratulations, President Obama, on the Nobel Peace Prize; now, please, earn it."

I am sure that Obama would agree with Moore’s statement. He possesses sufficient intelligence to understand the circumstances surrounding the case. He knows that he has not yet earned that prize. That morning, he stated, "I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who have been honored by this prize."

It is said that there are five members on the famous committee that awards the Nobel Peace Prize, all of them members of the Swedish Parliament. A spokesperson said that it was unanimous. One question fits here: did they or did they not consult the winner? Can a decision of this type be made without first notifying the winning individual? This cannot be judged morally in the same way if the person knew or did not know beforehand about the awarding of the prize. It is also fitting to affirm that about those who decided to award it to him.

Perhaps it is necessary to create a Nobel Prize for Transparency.

Bolivia has major gas and oil deposits and holds the largest known reserves of lithium, a mineral greatly needed in our era for storing and using energy.

Evo Morales, a very poor indigenous farmer, traveled throughout the Andes, together with his father, before he was six years old, shepherding the llamas of an indigenous group. They led them for 15 days to reach the market where they sold them to buy food for the community. Responding to a question of mine about that unique experience, Evo told me that at the time, "they stayed in the 1,000-star hotel," a beautiful way of referring to the clear skies of the mountains where telescopes are sometimes placed.

During those hard years of his childhood, the alternative for the farmers in the community where he was born was to cut sugar cane in the Argentine province of Jujuy, where part of the Aymara community sometimes took refuge during the sugar cane harvest.

Not very far from La Higuera, where Che, wounded and disarmed, was murdered on October 9, 1967, was Evo, who was born on the 26th of that same month in 1959, not yet 8 years old. He learned to read and write in Spanish, walking to a little public school five kilometers from the hut where, in a rustic room, he lived with his brothers and sisters and parents.

During his eventful childhood, wherever there was a teacher, Evo was there. From his race, he acquired three ethical principles: not to lie, not to steal, and not to be weak.

When he was 13, his father permitted him to move to San Pedro de Oruro to go to high school. One of his biographers tells how he was better in geography, history and philosophy than in physics and mathematics. The most important thing is that Evo, to pay for his studies, would wake up at 2 a.m. to work as a baker, construction worker, or in other physical labor. He attended classes in the afternoon. His classmates admired him and helped him. From the very start, he learned to play wind instruments and was a trumpet player in a prestigious band in Oruro.

When he was still an adolescent, he organized his community’s soccer team, and was its captain.

Access to the university was not within his reach, being an Aymara Indian and poor.

After his last year of high school, he served his mandatory military term and returned to his community, located high up in the mountains. Poverty and natural disasters forced his family to migrate to the subtropical region of El Chapare, where they were able to obtain a small land parcel. His father died in 1983 when he was 23 years old. He worked hard on the land, but he was a born fighter; he organized all of the workers, created labor unions and with them filled the vacuums to which that the state was not paying attention.

The conditions for a social revolution in Bolivia had been created over the last 50 years. On April 9, 1952, before the start of our armed struggle, the revolution broke out in that country with the Nationalist Revolutionary Movement of Víctor Paz Estenssoro. The revolutionary miners defeated the forces of repression and the MNR took power.

Revolutionary objectives in Bolivia were far from being met. In 1956, according to well-informed people, the process began to fall apart. On January 1, 1959, the Revolution was victorious in Cuba. Three years later, in January 1962, our country was expelled from the OAS. Bolivia abstained. Later, all of the governments except for Mexico broke off relations with Cuba.

Divisions in the international revolutionary movement made themselves felt in Bolivia. Still to come were 40 years more of blockading Cuba, neoliberalism and its disastrous consequences, The Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela and the ALBA; still to come, above all, were Evo and the MAS in Bolivia.

It would take to long to sum up that rich history on a few pages.

All I will say is that Evo was able to overcome the terrible and slanderous campaigns of imperialism, its coups d’état and interference in internal affairs, and to defend Bolivia’s sovereignty and the right of its millenary people to have respect for their customs. "Coca is not cocaine," he exclaimed to the largest marijuana producer and largest consumer of drugs in the world, whose market has maintained the organized crime that costs thousands of lives every year in Mexico. Two of the countries where the yanki troops and their military bases are located are the largest producers of drugs on the planet.

Bolivia, Venezuela and Ecuador are not falling into the deadly trap of drug trafficking; they are revolutionary countries that, like Cuba, are members of the ALBA. They know what they can and should do to bring health, education and well-being to their peoples. They do not need foreign troops to combat drug trafficking.

Bolivia is going forward with a program of its dreams under the leadership of an Aymara president who has his people’s support.

In less than three years, he eradicated illiteracy: 824,101 Bolivians learned to read and write; 24,699 did so in the Aymara language and 13,599 in Quechua; it is the third country to be free of illiteracy after Cuba and Venezuela.

Free medical attention is provided to millions of people who had never received it. It is one of seven countries in the world that in the last five years has most reduced its infant mortality rate, with the possibility of reaching the Millennium Goals before 2015, and it is the same case with maternal deaths, in a similar proportion. Restorative eye surgery has been performed on 454,161 people, 75,974 of them Brazilians, Argentines, Peruvians and Paraguayans.

An ambitious social program has been established in Bolivia: all of the children in public schools from first to eighth grade receive an annual donation to help pay for their school materials, benefiting almost two million students.

More than 700,000 people over the age of 60 receive a voucher for the equivalent of some $342 annually.

All pregnant women and children under the age of 2 receive assistance of approximately $257.

Bolivia, one of the poorest countries in the hemisphere, has placed under state control the country’s principal energy and mineral resources, respecting and compensating each one of the interests affected. It marches along carefully, because it does not wish to retreat a single step. Its hard currency reserves have been growing. Evo has no less than three times what the country had at the beginning of his administration. It is one of the countries that makes the best use of foreign cooperation and firmly defends the environment.

In a very short time, he has been able to establish the Biometric Electoral Register, and approximately 4.7 million voters have been registered, almost one million more than on the last electoral register, which in January 2009 had 3.8 million.

On December 6, there will be elections. It is a sure thing that the people’s support for their president will grow. Nothing has been able to stop his growing prestige and popularity.

Why isn’t he awarded the Nobel Peace Prize?

I understand his big disadvantage: he is not a U.S. president.

Courtesy : Granma)