#Humberto de la Calle

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Colombia Politics awards 2013

2013 has been unpredictable. Rural rebellion, polemic peace talks, anti-democratic “coups”, and re-election rumours abounded.

To close this year of locura in our querida Colombia we bring you the best, the worst and the most ridiculous politicians of the past 12 months.

These are the Colombia Politics awards. Happy New Year.

Hero of the year –  Nairo Quintana

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Nairo is no politician, but his was a gritty and unassuming leadership all the nation admired this year.

While rural Colombia revolted, a bicycling sensation was born as Señor Quintana, claimed second place in his first ever Tour de France, this year.

The humble 23 year old, born to campesinos from Boyaca, stole Colombian hearts as he was first crowned the Tour`s King of the Mountain and then later stepped up to the Parisian podium in July.

Quintana`s story is a folklorically different to the pampered, and elite-trained athletes of Europe and North America.

There were no nutritionists to help Nairo in his teenage years, the diminutive youngster instead relying on Colombia`s carb-heavy culinary staples, sancocho and ajiaco.

Nairo cycled miles to school – as money often didn`t run to the bus fare – on a rickety old bike he father said was useless. Today, he is a gentleman; a smiling unassuming sporting hero.

Nairo, we salute you.

Politician of the year  – Humberto de la Calle

DelacalleDulcet-toned de la Calle is the Santos Government`s chief negotiator in the peace talks with the FARC in Havana.

An eternal statesman, de la Calle has held cabinet positions over much of the last 20 years and has with huge aplomb steered the polemic and public-opinion-dividing talks with the guerrillas towards to a hopefully succesful conclusion.

Despite constant sniping from the sidelines and despite negotiating with the wily guerrillas who have devoted the last 50 years to a war against the Colombian state, de la Calle has managed to maintain the appearance of order and control.

Leadership is a rare quality and de la Calle`s erudite and calming influence has been its best example in 2013.

Wind bag of the year – Gustavo Petro 

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Love him or loathe him, Petro`s rhetoric has been unrivalled (in its verbosity) this year.

The newly sacked Mayor of Bogota is reminiscent of a 1980s University Student Union “trot” determined to divide the world into the bourgeois (evil) and the proletarian masses (virtuous yet down-trodden).

Commentators have perhaps a little unfairly said Petro has a “speech for everything and a solution for nothing”, but the mayor`s time in office has certainly been characterized by hyperbole and very little rolling up of sleeves and getting on with the job.

When the right-wing Inspector General Alejandro Ordoñez (hate figure for those on the left) decided earlier this month to depose Petro for his mishandling of the nationalization of Bogota`s rubbish collection (yes, really), Petro was handed the opportunity of a lifetime to transform himself from terrible administrator to the “people`s matyr”.

Expect 2014 to be another year of plaintive pomposity from Petro as he fights Ordoñez’s decision and tries to build a coalition of “indignados” ahead of congressional and presidential elections.

Foot in mouth moment of the year – President Santos

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“El tal paro no existe”

Whoops, Mr President.

President Santos might be a nice patrician sort of chap but he is not the most charismatic of politicians. When forced to ad-lib,  Juan Manuel often trips over himself with a sort of self-consciousness not usually associated with those who have risen to the top.

As nation-wide protests at the economic ruin of rural Colombia began to take hold in August, Santos appeared on television to utter the infamous line, “this national strike doesn`t exist”.

Lampooned and harrangued in equal measure, Santos appeared out of touch, insensitive, and worse still, unable to manage a crisis. The country told him in no uncertain terms that “yes, there jolly well was a strike, and what`s more we`re going to stick it out until you get on and do something about it”; roads were blocks, pots and pans were bashed in protest against the president, and Bogota rioted. Santos was forced to “militarize” (in his words) the capital to stop the rot.

The president saw his popularity levels fall below 20% and hasn`t since recovered.

Opposition politician of the year – a tie!  

robledouribePresident Santos controls over 90% of congress and has most of the national media eating out of the palm of his hand (or his pocket, if Uribe`s allegations are to be believed).

Opposition in Colombia`s highly presidentialized system has often been a lonely pursuit.

So particular mention is merited for those who have stuck at it and tried to hold the president to account this year.

Colombia Politics could not decide on a winner between Jorge Enrique Robledo on the left and Alvaro Uribe on the right and so we decided to split the gong in two.

Former President Alvaro Uribe has been a constant thorn in the side of his successor, attacking Santos for being all talk and no delivery, for duplicitousness and betrayal in entering into talks with the FARC, and for weakness in his dealings with firebrand neighbours in Caracas and Managua.

Robledo too has been an almost lone voice in congress opposing government policy. Robledo`s engaging and forensic style has been put to effect with devastating effect, hastening the fall of ministers and ambassadors.

His dearest wish would be to put an end the Santos regime. This may be a step too far, but in 2014 he heads the senate list for the left wingers, Polo Democrats and could well be elected with the highest number of votes.    

There are many other figures we would like to raise a toast to here, like the offensive Senator Gerlein who called homosexual sex “excremental”, and the corrupt former Bogota Mayor, Samuel Moreno who is alleged to have stolen over 15 million dollars of public money in the just three years he was in power.

What does 2014 hold? We hope for new leadership, some new faces and for Colombians to continue their “civic rebellion”, demanding more of their political class.

Here`s to a 2014 in which Colombia votes for peace and hopefully a little bit of a change too.

Category: Comment, News Review
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FARC, “restructure Colombian state”

Farc leaders Marcos Leon, Ricardo Tellez, Mauricio Jaramillo and Andres Paris

Colombia´s FARC guerrillas today called for a “restructuring of the Colombian state” to secure a deal as part of the Havana peace talks.

Rebel spokesman, Rodrigo Granda read a press statement announcing a 11 point plan for the “creation of a fourth power; people´s power…orientated towards the greater citizen participation”.

The plan calls for wide-ranging changes to the state, including economic and justice reform as well as a reconstitution of the military and the police.

Santos´s government and FARC guerrillas are discussing point two, “political participation” of the five point agenda for peace agreed last year. President Santos and government chief negotiator, Humberto de la Calle argue this discussion is restricted to the FARC´s involvment in politics once demobilized.

The FARC´s demands however, go beyond this, proposing a major redesign of the 1991 Constitution.

Ivan Márquez, top FARC negotiator, has asked for Santos to postpone next year´s congressional and presidential elections to allow more time to negotiate peace without the pressure of electioneering.

The Marxist group also put forward a “constituent assembly” to set in legal stone the detail of the agreement, once signed.

Santos told the FARC he is sticking to the 2013 year end deadline set at the start of the talks and dismissed the assembly claiming it opened a pandora´s box.

Colombia Politics view

The government have been clear that the peace talks are not an opportunity for the FARC to achieve the “revolution through negotiation”.

The talks will lead to the demobilization of the FARC and their eventual incorporation into civilian life, but they will not allow the FARC to advance their politics at the negotiating table.

But the FARC´s demands are a manifesto to rebuild Colombia in its image.

All this means public opinion is being tested to the limit. Time is running out and the talks are progressing painfully slowly.

The FARC´s apparent intransigence has led commentators and opposition politicians to dismiss the talks as unworkable. They argue that the FARC is up to its old tricks, that it doesn´t want to negotiate but instead to impose its vision for the nation.

Our hope, however, is that the FARC´s “demands” are in fact a bluff, a dress rehearsal for what will happen once they lay down their arms. They are preparing their discourse and preparing their audience for a time when they enter politics. Unsurprising they should attempt to drum up support at this early stage.

The FARC top brass is more than aware of the government´s position, they are no fools.

So, as unpalatable as it is to see FARC attempts to gain political capital, it is, after all, entirely predictable. We did not expect the guerrillas to give up give in and demobilize quietly, did we?

And we should have confidence that the government will not concede ground to the FARC. Both Santos and Humberto de la Calle have been strong and direct.

We must continue to hope.

Photo, El Tiempo.

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Colombia government, FARC “Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed”

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Colombian government chief negotiator, Humberto de la Calle today announced an historic agreement on agrarian reform had been reached with the marxist guerrilla group the FARC, six months on from the start of peace talks in Havana, Cuba.

Previous peace talks shied away from land rights and rural change, an issue which goes to the heart of why the FARC took up arms nearly fifty years ago. But de la Calle confirmed that at last the text of an accord for “an historic change, a rebirth of the Colombian countryside” had been established.

Details remain unknown and will have first to face the public vote, alongside the rest of proposals that emerge as part of an eventual agreement on the five point agenda for the negotiations, but many are seeing today´s news as a signal that the peace process has a real possibility of success.

While international actors, ex-presidents, prime ministers and top diplomats have lined up to throw their weight behind the talks, in Colombia scepticism about their outcome has grown over recent months. Recent polls suggest, while Colombians are willing to support the talks, the majority are rather less than hopeful they will come to anything.

Using the news of this important step forward, Humberto de la Calle and President Santos took the opportunity to ask the nation to renew its faith in the process with the former claiming, “to support this process is to believe in Colombia”.

Opinion remains divided though, and a number of high profile politicians considered to be loyal to ex-president Alvaro Uribe reacted with scepticism. Some argue that until we understand what exactly has been agreed it is difficult to judge whether Colombians will accept the proposals. How much has the government given in to the FARC´s wishes? How far have the government been able to move the guerrilla group?

Anticipating this response, de la Calle indicated there would be “an ambitious programme of restitution and adjudication of lands”, but that “legal landowners have nothing to fear”.

Meanwhile Uribe himself is yet to take to the social media to express his view. The normally hyperactive Twitter account of the ex-president remains silent.

Politicians of the left have enthusiastically supported the news with Piedad Córdoba, Nicolás Maduro and Gustavo Petro effusive in their praise.

Colombia Politics view

Colombia Politics takes a cautious view.

Our editorial line has continued to be in favour of the peace talks, and has remained optimistic for their positive conclusion, despite the slings and arrows of the misfortune of the last six months of stalemate.

At times the apparently remorseless rhetoric has asked us to question and doubt, but today´s announcement is real cause for hope.

However, the negotiations are far from over. Santos has talked of them lasting for “months, not years”, and Internal Affairs Minister, Fernando Carrillo this week issued what the FARC see as an ultimatum that talks would not extend “beyond 2013”.

Yet it has taken half a year to agree on the first of five points.

Sure, agrarian reform might be the hardest of the lot, but on 11 June the Government and the FARC will sit down to discuss the political involvement of demobilized guerrillas.

Remember, all this will have to face a referendum; and if there´s one thing Colombians appear to have little appetite for, it´s seeing señores Catatumbo, Granda, Márquez, Santrich and Timochenko in congress.

Work must still be done to move public opinion, and to move the FARC negotiating team towards an agreement the nation can swallow.

As de la Calle made clear, “Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed”.

We hope for the best.

Photo, University of Antioquia.