MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Morales calls for “indigenous rule” in Latinamerica

Bolivia's first indigenous president, Evo Morales said Tuesday in Guatemala that Latin America's indigenous peoples “must move from resistance to taking power”.

Following a meeting with local indigenous leaders, Morales said at a press conference that the message, which he heard for the first time in 1991 in the western Guatemalan city of Quetzaltenango during a forum on indigenous resistance, was what inspired him to strive to become president of Bolivia.

"After resisting for 500 years, I think that it's our turn to rule ourselves, but without excluding anyone" Morales cautioned.

"In Bolivia, if we don't solve the economic and social problems of the indigenous people and peasants, we'll never be able to solve anything" insisted Morales who is of Aymara ethnic.

"In Bolivia, through a Constituent Assembly, we are trying to refound our country, our homeland, but this refounding will not be to take revenge on those who did us so much harm. Rather, we want to live as equals respecting all peoples' rights" he emphasized.

The Bolivian leader, who is on a short visit to Guatemala to participate in the assembly of the Latin American Indigenous Forum, expressed his wish that Guatemala's Indians - just like those in Bolivia, "may soon be able to rule their country".

"I really want our brothers in Guatemala, along with other professional and intellectual sectors, to lead their country and in this way overcome the scorn and hatred they've been subjected to for so long" said Morales.

Guatemala and Bolivia are two of the Latin American countries with the highest percentage of indigenous population, over 60%, but Guatemala has never had an Indigenous president elected.