The Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, requested this Tuesday the formal resignation of his entire cabinet after giving a speech in which he criticized the difficulties of processing that the social reforms promoted by his government have had in Congress.
This was confirmed to EFE by sources from the Presidency, who did not give more details about the decision of the president in what would be the second great shake-up of his Government after the departure last February of the then Ministers of Education, Alejandro Gaviria; Culture, Patricia Ariza, and Sport, María Isabel Urrutia.
Then the president published a Twitter thread in which he assured that he would “rethink the government” due to “the political decisions made today.”
This is in reference to the fact that the Conservative, Liberal and U parties ratified this Tuesday that they do not support the health reform that today was approved in its first process by the Seventh Commission of the House of Representatives.
“The invitation to a social pact for change has been rejected. Those who have enriched themselves with the use of public money have not realized that society demands their rights and that this implies dialogue and pact,” said Petro.
He added: “The political coalition agreed as a majority has ended today by decision of some party presidents. Some of whom threaten the majority of their own bench (…) Despite the majority vote at the polls that calls for a change in Colombia, this is trying to close with the threat and sectarianism”.
The cabinet is made up of representatives of the leftist Pacto Histórico coalition, as well as members of the U, Liberal and Conservative parties.
In his speech this Tuesday, during the delivery of a property to peasants in Valle del Cauca (southwest), the president assured that “there is still an opportunity for both the Government and Colombian society so that through dialogue and the pact social reforms of change can be made”.
To do this, he added, “the Government’s determination is needed, the Government’s audacity and a peasant movement that rises in dignity is needed.”
“We must get the peasantry to express itself in Colombia in the mobilization, in the demonstration, in the organization, in the creation of leadership, in the possibility of making real transformations of the land in Colombia,” added Petro.
For this reason, the president said that an emergency government should be installed because “Congress was not able to approve some very peaceful simple articles that would have allowed a better democratization of the land.”
The president precisely assured on April 18 that the health reform is “the litmus test” of the government coalition.
“It is the litmus test of the majority coalition, they are the fundamental reforms that apply the government program that the people chose,” said the president.
The reform was presented on February 13 and aims to bring health care to all corners and strengthen primary care and disease prevention, but it has been strongly criticized because it seeks to change the entire system while ignoring its achievements.
Even former President Juan Manuel Santos (2010-2018), who has been close to Petro on peace issues, told him today in a message on Twitter: “President Gustavo Petro: Colombia has one of the best health systems in the world It’s not me saying it, The Lancet magazine says it. Of course there’s a lot to improve but we can’t destroy what we’ve built.”
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