2023-12-04 06:00:00
One month before the end of 2023, Gustavo Petro closes a hectic year for his Government. Without mentioning the family troubles – with his eldest son and his brother –, these months included mobilizations, presentation of what he calls social reforms and political tension: a terrain in which he moves like a fish in water.
The president called and led two “balconazos” (speeches from the balcony of the Casa de Nariño) on February 14 and May 1, two large mobilizations on June 7 and September 27 and two pompous public events in which he presented the health and labor reforms on February 13 and March 16, respectively.
Through a right of petition sent to the Presidency, EL COLOMBIANO put a magnifying glass on three events (prioritizing the most massive ones and those that involved the presentation of projects before Congress) and the cost they had for the public coffers.
In its response, the Casa de Nariño responded that between the symbolic acts of establishment of the health reform and the labor reform, as well as the so-called “March for Life” on September 27, $423 million were invested. The most expensive event in its operation was the setup from which Petro gave a 36-minute speech to a crowd in Bogotá’s Plaza de Bolívar.
A lot of money and little progress
On February 13 and March 16, the Head of State presented two of his major reforms – the health system and the labor reform – in events that included guests from Congress, a large part of his cabinet, labor unions and some unions. doctors.
On the second Monday of February, together with former minister Carolina Corcho, he presented what, since then and until now, is the most resisted, debated and controversial project of the “Government of Change”, which ended up destroying his coalition in Congress and removing four ministers (Cork included).
For that event, which began when night fell in Bogotá, the cameras showed dozens of guests in Rimax chairs, in the Plaza de Armas of Casa de Nariño, two large screens with a mount around them separated by the entrance stairs to the presidential house at the top of which were Petro, Vice President Francia Márquez, First Lady Verónica Alcocer and the then Presidents of the Senate and Chamber, Roy Barreras and David Racero.
According to the Presidency’s response, this staging cost the country $79 million. This value is derived from six white tents for registration, hydration and sound master; another ten to locate bathrooms for men, women and disabled people; three access ramps; glasses and chairs, whose value was $24 million.
The other $55 million was distributed in intercoms, audio systems, sound boxes, wireless microphones, power plants, logistics operators and equipment transportation.
This work was carried out by the company Plaza Mayor Medellín Convenciones y Expósitos SA through an inter-administrative contract with the Administrative Department of the Presidency.
Almost ten months later, progress on health reform has been pyrrhic in Congress. Although it is still in the second of four debates, it has cost Petro and the Ministry of Health governability and credibility in the midst of a river of technical criticism, as well as allegations of procedural defects that could end up under the magnifying glass of the Constitutional Court.
The labor reform had a worse path, after a symbolic act in which the President presented it together with the Minister of Labor, Gloria Ramírez, which cost $17 million.
Although this event – held on March 16 – was cheaper than that of the health reform, its path in the Legislature was a disaster, as it collapsed without even passing the first debate. For this reason, the Government presented it again in August and just last week its positive presentation was filed.
The proceeds from this event were distributed as $7 million for chairs, $8 million for plastic tents and $1 million for transportation, assembly and disassembly of the stage. It was also paid with money from the contract with Plaza Mayor Medellín.
March for life and buses
September 27 was the last time that Petro called on the Historical Pact, citizens, students, workers and followers to take to the streets to support his reforms and, incidentally, his government.
That time its power of convocation was reflected in a Plaza de Bolívar attended by almost 32 thousand people. There, on a platform that took up part of the block of the Bogotá Mayor’s Office and where more than 20 people participated, Petro spoke about his popularity, the changes he wants to promote and the call for the “National Agreement.”
According to the Presidency’s response to this newspaper, $316 million were invested in the entire assembly, with fees and VAT (value added tax) included, through the same inter-administrative contract with Plaza Mayor, but with a contribution of $259 million from the Presidential Council to the regions.
The highest items were the transportation of bathrooms and the assembly of fences and sanitary batteries, which cost $63 million; the payment of logistics, cleaning and brigade personnel, for $58 million; the retaining walls, for $34 million; the electric generators, which were worth $33 million; the rental of generators, for $27 million, and snacks for $17 million.
For this march, the Youth Ministry provided $10 million for the transportation of indigenous youth from the southwest of the country. The buses traveled back and forth between Cartago and Cali (Valley) and from neighborhoods in the south of Bogotá to Plaza de Bolívar, also round trip. An investment that, without a doubt, helped fill that place.
A strategy that will be repeated?
In dialogue with EL COLOMBIANO, political analysts agreed that this strategy, although valid and legal for the Government, cannot become the only way to promote an agenda of change that has to go through Congress.
“The challenge is to find a credible path to carry out your reforms and that arises from finding agreements on essential points, as well as agreeing with your own team to make solid and achievable reforms,” said former Bogotá councilor Juan Carlos Flórez. .
In turn, the postgraduate director of Political Science at the Javeriana University, Patricia Muñoz, said that “the plaza is not the only way to reinforce the construction of governance,” but rather that “social dialogue, the confluence of actors and the search for points of view in the interests of the country that provide different paths to generate a governance construction process.”
Without going any further, it is evident that the Petro government does not deny any weight to promoting its reforms and calling on the streets to do so, although in the cost-benefit of the advancement of its proposals the balance is not what they expected. 2024 will bring answers about whether this type of investment continues or if other paths are sought.
This is how social reforms go
Twelve months after the health reform was filed, this project is in the second debate in the House of Representatives, with 90 articles approved and eight eliminated. If this procedure is passed, two more debates would remain in the Senate. However, in the discussion, possible irregularities that would affect the health system have been reported. Regarding labor, last week the positive presentation of version 2.0 – as its speakers call it – was filed after it collapsed in the Chamber last June and did not even pass the first debate. Meanwhile, the Green Alliance and Liberal parties announce that they will leave the government coalition.
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