07.12.1995

Bolivia’s Gerry Healy

BOLIVIA is a country with an important Trotskyist tradition. The most well-known representative of this movement is Guillesmo Lora, author of more than 50 books and a protagonist in a number of revolutions. However, Lora is fast becoming a Bolivian version of Gerry Healy.

In the past he has accused leaders of the United Secretariat, the Spartacists, the Workers’ International and so on of actually being agents of the state. Also, he has physically attacked comrades of Poder Obrero (the LRCI’s opposition section in Bolivia). In 1993, he expelled his number two of 20 years, Juan Pablo Bacherer. Typically, this comrade was accused of being a police informer.

In response to this expulsion and Lora’s accusations, an international tribunal was convened to investigate these charges (this is common practice in Latin America). Amongst those attending this tribunal in La Paz were leading people from the Latin American left including Trotsky’s grandson, the president of the Human Rights Assembly of Bolivia, as well as leftwing and union leaders from Brazil, Argentina and other countries in the region.

Finally, after several months of investigation, the tribunal last week condemned Lora as a slanderer. However, instead of defending himself, Lora responded by publishing several attacks on his opponents and published in a special journal the LRCI’s long resolution of expulsion of its Latin American members. This was how the Latin American ex-members of the LRCI actually learned of the existence of this document!

We believe that this is wrong. We need openness in our movement in Latin America and internationally.