When questioned this Tuesday about that exchange of statements, Gutiérrez called for dialogue.
“I would say, let’s agree on things and move forward socially, but that is not even possible, because all day is a confrontation against us. I was telling him these days, how nice it would be if every time he shows up to talk about Antioquia and Medellín, it wasn’t to attack us, how great it would be if he arrived with the resources for the Toyo Tunnel, for the new subway cars of Medellín, with social issues, supporting our zero hunger campaign that we have with the public sector, the private sector, food banks, and so many education issues,” said the mayor during an interview with Blu Radio.
Read also: Heated landing of the sale of UNE in the Medellín Council: Mayor Gutiérrez responded to shouts from the stands
“What a bore and what a drain, so much fighting and people I think are tired of that. I would invite him to even if he wants to come to Medellín to talk and see which issues we can agree on and which we cannot. Let’s work and move forward,” he added.
During the past weekend, there have been primarily two issues that have reignited the fight between the Petro and Gutiérrez administrations.
The first is related to the project for the sale of EPM’s shares in UNE, announced by Gutiérrez since last July and which formally began its processing in the Medellín Council on Wednesday, August 14, where it is still awaiting approval in second debate by the plenary.
This initiative has revived a discussion among various political and civic sectors not only for its substantive reasons but also for the time it will have for discussion in the Council and the allocation of the resources resulting from the divestiture, currently estimated by EPM at least $1.6 trillion.
Continue reading: The first debate on the sale of UNE shares began with stumbles and postponement of the vote
On August 18, President Petro joined that discussion and suggested that the initiative would aim to dissolve public participation in the telecommunications business, alluding to cases like the disappearance of Telecom.
“The political project of Uribismo started and finished the task of removing the public sector from telecommunications, pushing us towards a private monopoly. I propose to reshape the sector to prevent the monopoly that the constitution prohibits,” said Petro through a tweet published on his Twitter account.
Read here: “If we have to make a new fundraising between the Mayor’s Office and the Government, we will also do that”: Federico Gutiérrez
Immediately, Gutiérrez responded to the president and defended the divestiture as a mechanism to safeguard public assets and remove EPM from a business that has its finances stressed.
“The telecommunications industry requires a high capital investment that could imply that EPM risk its stability or be diluted, as happened in 2023 when it capitalized $300,000. From 2020-2023 UNE reported an accumulated loss of $2.3 trillion, and only in 2023 there was a deterioration of $1.1 trillion. This occurred at a time when Medellín was poorly governed by its great ally and partner. Yes, the one who stole and those who stole from Medellín,” replied Gutiérrez, referring to the government of former mayor Daniel Quintero.
From that perspective, Gutiérrez questioned the Petro government’s decision to receive several district officials from the previous four-year term with allegations of alleged corruption in high positions in Bogotá, mainly emphasizing the recent appointment of Jorge Andrés Carrillo as president of ISA.
Read more: The story behind Jorge Carrillo’s election as president of ISA
It was after that questioning that Petro reappeared this past Monday questioning Gutiérrez about whether he recognized him as president and accusing him of a presumed conflict of interest for talking about ISA, due to a sister of his who would work there.
“In a Social State of Law and in a democracy like the one I defend every day, the President governs for everyone and works for the country’s development. Of course, I have recognized him as President since the day he was elected, but it is sad to see that you only govern for some. You are the one who must answer: Is he the President of all Colombians? Or only of those whom he is interested in strengthening and protecting?” replied Gutiérrez, while maintaining that his sister does not work at ISA but at one of its subsidiaries.
“I regret to correct you, President Petro. My sister does not work at ISA; she has worked at one of its subsidiaries for many years, and no, there is no conflict of interest whatsoever. Believe me, if there were, I would be the first to declare it. We are not the ones who have acted outside the law throughout our lives. I celebrate that you give importance to this issue. How great it would be if your appointments were indeed based on ethical criteria and capability, because your delegates on the board appointed a questioned official as president of ISA,” added Gutiérrez.
Regarding Gutiérrez’s proposal this Tuesday, President Gustavo Petro has not yet spoken.