Petro the “Hugo Chávez” of Colombia
Bogotá Mayor Gustavo Petro´s disastrous move to nationalize the city´s garbage collection last month is to be examined by the highest courts in the land.
The nation´s second most powerful politician is set to face possible sanction for the move which left Colombia´s capital swimming in uncollected rubbish over the Christmas holiday period.
Petro reacted with fury this morning, labelling the attorney´s announcement an attempted coup d´état, and even a threat to the peace process with the FARC.
Petro, in a series of tweets, called on the “people” to “take to the streets” in a “mass mobilization” to defend his government against the “political interests” of those attempting to “sabotage the peace process” and cause an “institutional coup”.
For Petro the legal investigation into his woeful handling of the new waste collection service is not a simple move to challenge his lack of administrative skills, but instead an outright threat to Bogotá from the “mafia”.
Has Petro lost the plot?
Frankly, the former M-19 guerrilla´s behaviour appears increasingly erratic as he struggles to govern Colombia´s capital city a year into his mandate.
The Economist magazine has labelled Petro “arrogant” while others suggest he is paranoid and hopelessly unprepared for high office. Nestor Morales, of the influential BluRadio, this morning drew the similarity between Petro´s populism and Venezuela President Hugo Chávez´s style of government.
Morales appeared exasperated at the latest twist in what has been an unhappy 12 months in the life of Bogotá´s politics, reacting with indignation at the mayor´s attempt to cast those who criticize him as mafiosos, and opponents of the peace process.
Since coming to power in January 2012, Petro has polarized the city, seeming to seek to pitch rich against poor, private industry against the public, in a series of aggressive policy decisions that borrow from the Bolivarian rhetoric of the Venezuelan leader.
Moves are underway to collect the necessary signatures to remove Petro from office. And although this initiative is not supported by the political class, and (as we stand) has little chance of success, there is a very real prospect that the multiple legal challenges to his authority (currently underway or soon to begin) will land Petro in sufficient hot water to leave him incapacitated, unable to govern.
One thing is clear – whether Petro stays or goes – Bogotá will not survive three more years of this zero-sum battle between the mayor, the city, and the political class.
Few doubt that there are those out to get Petro. But frankly the city is more important than one man. Petro must get on with the job or he must hand over the reigns of power.
