Photo taken from Cubadebate

By Roberto Morejón

One of the main promoters of the coup d'état in Bolivia in 2019 and current governor of the department of Santa Cruz, Luis Fernando Camacho, continues to stoke hatred.

As the head of a protocol act in the rich and industrialized department, the leader of the right-wing alliance "Creemos" did not allow Vice President David Choquehuanca to speak on behalf of the national government.

The followers of the arrogant authority of Santa Cruz went even further by insulting the Whipala, the flag of the native peoples, by abruptly lowering it from the flagpole where it was raised by Choquehuanca.

As expected, growing sectors of the majority Indigenous population, legislators and the Bolivian government strongly condemned the outrage in Santa Cruz, directed against one of the patriotic symbols, recognized by the Constitution.

Described as racist, the fateful gesture reinforces the opinion that dark forces are encouraging separatism from there, in addition to the open defiance of the central government.

Camacho is unable to stop his impotence for obtaining a third seat in the last presidential elections, with only 16 percent of votes, far behind the current president, Luis Arce.

Son of an individual who is said to be a contact between uniformed sectors participating in the coup against former president Evo Morales, Luis Fernando Camacho has openly antagonized Arce's administration. 

He also tries to deepen distrust between the inhabitants of the eastern plains and those of the Andean zones, in addition to assuming actions as if Santa Cruz were his fiefdom and not one of the 9 departments of Bolivia.

As a multicultural country, in Bolivia there should be no space to delve into the diversities, with its particular history and customs.

As President Luis Arce pointed out, Bolivia must move forward and get out of the discriminatory logic that existed in the colonial days.

The authors of the contempt for beloved symbols should not now regret the wave of rejection and even the opening of criminal proceedings.

Instead, they should dedicate themselves to pressing the desires of the inhabitants of Santa Cruz, where although the natural and industrial wealth is remarkable, there are still unsatisfied requirements, ignored by the reactionary governor of Santa Cruz.