LA PAZ.— Bolivian President, Evo Morales, stated on October 22, that indigenous people are prepared to govern, despite what neoliberal politicians have said for many years.

Morales, who participated in the inauguration of irrigation projects in Ocuri, in the north of Potosí, stated that in the past it was said that indigenous people were only good for voting and not governing.

He stated that over nine years we have shown that we are able to govern and that’s why we have won elections, reported PL.

The Bolivian President commented that indigenous people are leftists, anti-capitalists and anti-imperialists, thanks to their ancestors, among which he mentioned the Katari brothers (Dámaso and Tomás). "They left us their heritage, their principles," he stated.

According to the country’s first indigenous president, "In Bolivia, we are just taking back what they stole from us with the European invasion. We are demonstrating that we know how to manage the State, which is why we won (the elections) with more than 60%."

In addition, he emphasized that colonial policies attempted to eradicate the indigenous peoples: "we are going to wipe out the Indians, they said. We were condemned to extermination. There are islands in the Caribbean where there are no indigenous people. In Uruguay there are none. In Chile, a few, but in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Mexico and Guatemala there are many."

Here, we are not talking about resistance. You have to take power, and that’s what we did, backed with social, economic and energy policies. All part of a plan to resolve our problems, he remarked.

According to Morales, regions which previously lacked water and electricity, now even have internet and telephones, thanks, above all, to the Bolivian people’s struggle, which brought the socialist movement to power.

We are fulfilling the peoples´ wishes. We have nationalized companies and now these resources are being redistributed through public works, basic services, and hospitals. And we are in a more favorable economic position than before.