The Indigenous towns count for the department

Between the introduced modifications to the statutes of the department of Santa Cruz approved at large last Wednesday, the most outstanding were obtained by the four indigenous representatives in the Provisional Autonomic Assembly. The representatives sent by the towns of Guarayo, Chiquitano, Ayoreo and Guarani achieved that the statute contain the acknowledgment of the 169 Agreement of the International Organization of Work and the Universal Declaration of Rights of the Indigenous Towns of the American States Organization.

With this, they reassure themselves the right to self-government in the local scope, the recognition of its Institutes and the designation of its authorities by uses and customs.

The four representatives didn’t pass by on anything and demanded that the term “Originary” be changed to native of the department, since they only recognize themselves as indigenous. Other than that, they managed to achieve that the statute recognize the existence of another indigenous town in the department, the Moxenos from Ichilo, which will be incorporated in a direct way to the Department Legislative Assembly.

They also achieved at least one of the secretaries (equally to the ministries in the departments legislative) be exclusively for the dealing of there issues. Also, the statute assures that their governments and organizations be born with resources for its administration through the transfer of 10% of department royalties.

Another of its rein vindications achieved is that the five native tongues be recognized as official by the department, so from now on, all the existing documents emended by the department government will have to be translated to guarayo, guarani, chiquitano, ayoreo and moxeno.

Even though several of these points were not in the statute approved at large, they were approved by unanimity by the assembly people.