Evo

Visit me at www.evomorales.net
I am Bolivia's first Amerindian president, and the first indigenous person to lead the nation of Bolivia as its head of state in over 500 years since the Spanish Conquest.You may know me better as the fashion icon who introduced the world to the wonders of the striped alpaca-wool chompa. Some have speculated that it is a protest metaphorically knit of Bolivia’s basic unsatisfied needs or the uniform of les sans culottes of the French Revolution. But really I couldn't find my favourite jumper while packing for my first official world tour, so I grabbed the first thing I saw. I had no idea it would cause such a fuss!Yes, ladies, I am single! For the moment, my gorgeous older sis, Esther, is filling in as First Lady, but my dance card is open. Incidentally, I am also Apu Mallku or Supreme Leader of the indigenous people of the Andes mountains. I am not very rich, though. In fact, I just cut my salary by 57% to $1,875 a month.Seriously, though, I have big plans. I lead the Movimiento al Socialismo and the cocalero movement – a loose federation of coca leaf-growing campesinos who are resisting the efforts of the United States government to eradicate coca. For us, it is a way of life, but coca is not cocaine. Traditionally, Bolivians chewed coca leaves as a dietary supplement and the leaves are considered sacred. We have not processed it into the narcotic drug cocaine. We completely oppose that. I am saying no to zero coca, but yes to zero cocaine. I want to industrialise the production of coca and create markets in legal products such as tea, medicines, herbal treatments and toothpaste. That will then enable us to be tougher on narco-traffikcers. I will not allow millions of poor cocaleros to be hung out to dry by US-led anti-drug policies that would reduce my population to poverty.The worst enemy of humanity is capitalism. I forgive the White House for its many humiliations. I forgive them because through dialog we must seek peace and social justice. But be warned: I sting those who rattle me.When I was a boy I would walk for three weeks with my llamas from the high plains to the valleys to survive. I would gather orange rinds that passers-by would throw out so I could eat. I slept outside watching the thousand stars of the night. Now thanks to solidary governments I travel in my own plane, I am received in different countries with military honors, and they get me around in limosines. They offer me real banquets with varied foods. I rest in five-star hotels and protocol houses; at times I can't believe this is real.