A potential presidential decree that would strip privileges promised to Mennonites in Bolivia has Low German Old Colony members concerned about their future.

The decreto supremo — which has been written but not numbered or signed — could also take away land purchased in the last 15 to 20 years.

Low German Mennonites have considerable autonomy. Unlike the rest of Bolivia, they run their own schools and are not compelled to serve for one year in the military. While it would probably overturn those exemptions, the decree’s changes to land title and zoning issues would have the biggest impact.

“This is a politically sensitive issue in Bolivia, and still much more fueled by rumor than fact,” said Mennonite Central Committee Low German Program coordinator James Schellenberg.

President Evo Morales came into office eight years ago promising sweeping socialist changes. The first indigenous president, he nationalized many industries, including the booming mining sector, overseeing what could be the longest period of growth and relative peace Bolivia has experienced in several centuries.

As Morales faced re-election Oct. 12 for a third term, the issue of “foreigners” owning vast amounts of land has arisen, though the topic has simmered since he entered office.

Land titles are not carefully structured, said Willmar Harder, pastor of Buhler (Kan.) Mennonite Church, who recently returned to the U.S. after coordinating MCC’s Low German Program in Bolivia for four years with his wife, Hannah Neufeld. One plot may have three claimants. Boundaries can shift. Laws limit who can own certain types of land.

“The way Mennonites do things is they have a large colony with one owner, one title, and that is whoever is the legal representative of the colony at the time,” Harder said. “On paper you look at this and the elders tend to be Mexican or Canadian or Paraguayan, and you see this guy has thousands of hectares of land and indigenous Bolivians have challenged legal ownership of the land.

“What they don’t see is there are 7,000 people living [in colonies] in subdivided lots, of which 75 percent are likely Bolivian citizens.”

With a high birthrate and large families, colony populations double about every 15 years.

New land is constantly being scouted for new farmers. Some purchasers have been scammed, buying parcels of land with counterfeit titles. Land ownership is further complicated by environmental concerns and efforts to redistribute plots to indigenous groups.

Harder said the presidential decree attempts to clean up confusion over sloppy land titling, but government officials did so by erasing all previous privileges.

“Whether they know that or understood those privileges are more important or as important as land titling, we don’t know,” he said.

Tracing their roots through Canada to Russia, colonists’ anxiety is fueled by a history of fleeing persecution.

“A lot of the colonists feel that all of a sudden they will be made to leave,” Harder said.

It is unclear if the decree could be signed or when it could go into effect.