David Choquehuanca hired a poet to review his imaginary conquests

The Vice Presidency of the State signed a contract for 50,000 bolivianos for a poet to write about David Choquehuanca's achievements during his administration. The chosen one was the communist Rafael Bautista Segales, a philosopher aligned with the ancestral discourse of "living well."

The writer will have the task of preparing an institutional report on the vice president's administration between 2020 and 2025. The contract was signed on June 6 and has a term of 90 calendar days. The work must be delivered in September, after the general elections.

The service was called "Compilation, analysis, and writing of the main achievements and actions of the Vice President". The proposal was submitted by Bautista himself at the end of May this year.

Additionally, the author committed to conducting a documentary analysis and interviews with different units of the Vice Presidency. The result will be two documents: an introductory one and another political-institutional report. Both will follow an ideological line centered on the Plurinational State.

A poet will write the memoirs of the last Inca

The contract specifies that two axes will be considered to evaluate the administration. The first covers the role of the Vice President in the Legislative and Executive branches. The second proposes the "construction" of the Plurinational State as a civilizational process.

According to Bautista, the goal is to dismantle capitalist structures and recover the "ancestral knowledge". The proposal includes concepts such as "mother earth," "natural laws," and "relationships with nature."

Rafael Bautista, an admirer of Venezuelan misery, has a more poetic than technical profile. He was born in La Paz in 1968 and was part of the group "El tiempo está después." He published books on "living well" and the "myth of development," in tune with Choquehuanca.

In his methodological proposal, he plans to use primary and secondary sources. He will also hold meetings with officials to complement the work.

Criticism of Choquehuanca's whim

The hiring sparked harsh criticism from various fronts. The Evista deputy Renán Cabezas questioned the use of public resources. "The Vice Presidency already has staff for that task," he stated.

Cabezas considered it unnecessary to hire an outsider to write a summary of the administration. In his view, it is a personal whim.  "It's an unjustifiable waste," the legislator emphasized.

The rejection came not only from the Evista faction but also from the opposition. Alejandro Reyes, opposition deputy, described the expense as "pointless." He questioned the allocation of funds for "memoirs empty of content".

According to Reyes, Choquehuanca did not present any relevant law during his term. "It's the most useless administration we've had," he declared. He also criticized the attempt to mask ineffectiveness with poetic speeches.

A document based on Choquehuanca's fables

The contract doesn't mention concrete results or verifiable indicators. It also doesn't require the supposed achievements to be cross-checked with independent sources. Everything will remain under the subjective gaze of a writer aligned with Choquehuanca's discourse.

The content of the report will revolve around concepts such as decolonization. It will also appeal to the defense of Pachamama and the rejection of capitalism.

Bautista even proposes a critique and self-critique of the 2020-2025 period. However, his previous publications show a strong adherence to the official discourse.

Among the most controversial aspects is the focus of the report. It will not be limited to verifiable or quantifiable facts. Messages, purposes, contexts, and trajectories will be valued.

 Messages from the Vice President and the Secretary General will also be included. In other words, a political narrative will be constructed from self-assessment. The report will not be an audit but a personal epic.

This is not the first time Choquehuanca has promoted symbolic initiatives. Since he took office in 2020, he has promoted ritual speeches and ancestral ceremonies. He called himself the "last Inca" and proposed to "re-enchant politics."

This narrative had no legislative or executive counterpart. His administration was characterized by institutional silence. His public interventions were more mystical than concrete.

An administration to forget

In this context, the commission to Bautista seems to be an extension of that logic. The goal is not to evaluate achievements but to narrate a personal mystique. The Vice Presidency is transformed into a space for symbolic construction.

Public resources are allocated to consolidate a political imaginary. "Living well" becomes a discursive pretext to justify inaction.

In the absence of laws or reforms, investment is made in political literature. The document will attempt to give meaning to five empty years. 

Instead of accountability, ideological aesthetics is chosen. The 50,000 bolivianos will pay for a narrative that few will read and no one will verify.

This episode reflects the decline of an administration without institutional impact. The Vice Presidency becomes a refuge of symbolism. A poet is paid to build a nonexistent legacy