Does Morales’s “socialist” agenda pose a threat to American values?
Published and Written by The Andean Information Network
February 1, 2010
This should quell some fears about how closed to capitalist and American initiatives the new Bolivian pluri-national government could be:
During his campaign, Evo Morales promised that he would reach out to the lowland upper and middle classes and lobby to have the 2010 Miss Universe Pageant held in Santa Cruz. The lowland city has the stereotype of being preoccupied with beauty queens and contests.
Evo Morales, Culture Minister Zulma Yugar and local pageant organizer, Gloria Limpias, met with representatives from the Miss Universe Pageant on February 1. Representatives will be in the country for a month, visiting landmarks and evaluating whether or not Santa Cruz is an appropriate venue. They plan to submit a full report to pageant owner, Donald Trump.
According to Minister Yugar, this is “the best opportunity we have… to [show the world] our national patrimony…” Yugar highlighted the potentially beneficial publicity, since the contest has millions of viewers around the world. She added that holding the pageant in Santa Cruz would be “the best gift for [the city’s] bicentennial.”
