‘Neo-liberalism is burying capitalism in Latin America’

• Marta Harnecker says the world is looking at the new society in the region

• Bolivia is probably the only country that stopped McDonalds, and the natural resource ‘gas’ has been nationalised

Hyderabad: The audience of the international seminar was captivated by the experiences shared by Marta Harnecker, Chilean educator and bestselling author of the seminal work Conceptos Elementales del Materialismo Historical (Basic Concepts of Historical Materialism).

Martha, an advisor to the government of Venezuela, narrated her experiences back home and how peoples’ movements originated in Latin America:

On new socialism

In Latin America people are working towards building a new society and are trying to build an alternative to neo-liberalism agenda. Neo-liberalism is burying capitalism in the region. Bolivia, Nicaragua and Uruguay, to name a few, are advancing at fast pace and people’s movements are the reason for the progress. It is a more democratic society in Latin America. The world is watching Latin America. There is a renewed vigour in constructing a new society. Chavez said that one could not solve problem of poverty if power was not vested in people. That dictum is working in Latin America.

On Bolivian experience

Bolivia is probably the only country in Latin America that stopped McDonalds, and one of the major natural resources, gas was nationalised. Socialism had a negative connotation for a long time that has been erased to an extent in Bolivia. Latin America has changed; there are open spaces for people’s participation. There is strong resistance to capitalist forces.

Can there be a common model for Latin America?

Every country has its own issues and one cannot have a common model. History, culture, mass movements, and participatory democracy are aspects that would play a role in going forward. New Socialism is different from the socialism of erstwhile Soviet Union. New Socialism of the 21st century cannot be a carbon copy of the other models. For instance, in Bolivia, there are parallel economies such as capitalist economy, community economy, cooperative economy, etc. Participation of people at the bottom of the pyramid is the key.