The Herald

It could be said that this has been the most complex week that the government of Gustavo Petro has had to face, from a ministerial crisis that has called into question the idea of ​​a coalition government, to public order problems that led to the death of a peasant and a sub-intendent in San Vicente del Caguan. These events, added to a stoppage by the high courts and the family scandal involving the president’s son and brother, have generated a perfect storm in which the government begins to understand that in practice, rhetoric is not enough. to face the current situation.

Given the varied situation of the national crisis, which ranges from an attempt to approve a health reform that fails to penetrate either Congress or public opinion, to a national security problem that is becoming more and more notable, it is worth worth, at least, make a brief reference or summary of the issues that occupy the national agenda. Regarding the ministerial crisis, if the government wants to maintain a policy in which voices other than the lines closest to the Historical Pact also have room, it must send a message of calm, ending the uncertainty about the permanence of the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Agriculture. It is clear that governments must form their cabinet according to their strategic considerations, and in the case of Petro’s government, if something has worked for him, it has been to include measured voices in his team, who give support and serenity to his decisions, and who appease the uncertainty of a government from which society is still expectant.

Now, faced with the public order situation in San Vicente del Caguan, although the government succeeded in having the members of the Public Force and the kidnapped civilians released, the reaction of the Ministry of Defense was slow and generated a notable affectation of public order. . The government must assume a comprehensive security policy on which Total Peace is leveraged as a viable project and which does not put at risk what it wants to protect, that is, freedoms, life and personal integrity.

There are so many topics that many will have to be left out of this column. However, it is worth mentioning that the president has made the right decision when referring to the situation of his son and his brother, that is, letting justice do its thing and investigate the scope of the accusations against their relatives. . The great challenge for public opinion will be to look critically at the changes that the country is facing, and for the government to carefully measure whether it has the political and institutional capacity to open all fronts at the same time.

@tatidangond