The struggle for local independence and self-determination: an interview with Don Roman Loayza, the first peasant elected to the bolivian parliament

摘要

"I thought that grass-roots organizations should not be degraded to point where they are the servants of politicians." MRD: To begin with, it would be interesting if you could tell us something about the community where you spent your childhood. WhenI went into the communities, I saw that people lived in disgraceful conditions, owing to the incredible social, organizational, and economic hardships they had to endure. I was moved to the bottom of my heart, and said to myself, "How extraordinary! Wehave everything here in our country, so why are we living in such miserable conditions?" We have to organize! That was my plea. But the attitude of our dirigentes was condescending, imposing, and oppressive; moreover, they were at the whim of different governments. I disagreed with this. I thought that grassroots organizations should not be degraded to a point where they are the servants of politicians.