Paz urges governors and mayors to combat narcoterrorism in Bolivia
President Rodrigo Paz called on departmental and local authorities to unite in the fight against organised crime and drug trafficking across the country.
Paz convenes governorships and municipalities against organised crime
Bolivia's president, Rodrigo Paz, demanded on Sunday the support of governors and mayors to confront what he called "narcoterrorism" widespread across the entire national territory. He made the call during his speech in Cobija, capital of the Pando department, on the occasion of the commemorative ceremony marking 124 years of the Battle of Bahía, which was attended by numerous national, departmental and local authorities, according to El Deber.
"I want the governorships and municipalities to help me fight organised crime in this country. I want them to participate so we can end with public ministries that do nothing but extort businessmen, are linked to drug trafficking and generate a process of lack of credibility in the nation," Paz said before those present.
Narcoterrorism "from west to east, from south to north"
The head of state stressed that the problem is not limited to one region. The municipalities, governorships and central government must act jointly, he argued, because narcoterrorism "spans from west to east, from south to north". Paz warned that the absence of legal security drives away investments and compromises development projects in departments such as Oruro, Potosí, Pando, Tarija and Santa Cruz.
"If there is no transparent justice and there is no Public Ministry that does nothing but extort and persecute the good men and women of the nation, where do they want to go? Where do they want to present a better country to the world?" the president asked.
The Mariaca case and the distribution of resources
During the same ceremony, Paz also referred to the 50-50 distribution scheme of resources between the national government and the governorships, which he described as a tool to "modernise and develop the nation", and not as a mechanism to transfer structures of corruption to subnational levels. "It is not a question of decentralising what does not work," he warned.
He also mentioned the ongoing investigations linked to former attorney general of the state Róger Mariaca, in the context of which he pointed to the complicity of sectors of the Public Ministry with drug trafficking networks.
Warning before his arrival in Cobija
The president revealed that on Saturday night he was advised not to travel to Cobija. The reason, as he was told, was the recent imprisonment of members of the PCC—"big fish, as they say in popular slang"—and leaders of the Comando Vermelho.
"How is it possible that our country allowed itself over the last 20 years to have the greatest drug traffickers in the South American context?" Paz posed. His advisers warned him that there was a security risk and that his absence could weaken the fight against corruption. Despite this, the leader arrived in Cobija as planned.
"Those of us who want to transform the nation are interested in fighting that narcoterrorism, that organised crime that does not allow us to move forward as a country," he concluded.
Source: El Deber