the pillars of President Petro’s speech

“Today our second chance begins,” said Colombian President Gustavo Petro during his inaugural speech. In front, in the heart of Bogotá, the capital of the country, a Plaza de Bolívar full of people who a short time before chanted “Yes it could.”

The phrase, pronounced solemnly, was loaded with symbolism. He was referring to one of the fragments of the historical Colombian novel by Gabriel García Márquez ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’.

Petro recalled his end: “Because the lineages condemned to a hundred years of solitude did not have a second chance on earth.” His government assured that it will open a new path for a Colombian society that, according to what he said, has been “condemned” many times.

At his side, another icon: Bolívar’s sword. The same one that the extinct guerrilla of the M-19, to which the president belonged, had stolen and that after being returned rested somewhere in the Casa de Nariño, the presidential headquarters.

Recently inaugurated, Petro did not hesitate to carry out his first mandate: bring the sword to the ceremony. He went down one of the entrances of the Plaza de Nariño loaded in a glass chest until he reached the side of the president. His presence allowed the speech to begin.

“This sword represents too much for us and for us and I want it to never be buried again, never to be held again, I want it to be unsheathed when there is justice in this country,” said the president.

But the symbolism did not stop at its promise to build social justice in Colombia. The possession sought to show the closeness that Petro promised he would have with the citizens. And before beginning with his promises of office, he greeted his guests of honor who represented various trades in the country.

Thus, immersed in symbols, Petro delivered a speech in which he assured that he will fight for peace, equality, security, the environment and the integration of Latin America.

Peace, the transversal axis of the discourse

It was the first issue to which the president referred. Peace was present from the beginning to the end of the speech.

Petro assured that “we have to end six decades of armed conflict. I would say with two centuries of permanent war, eternal war and perpetual war in Colombia.”

An objective for which he promised to comply with the Peace Agreement with the FARC, signed in 2016 between the extinct guerrilla and the Colombian State, and to follow “to the letter the recommendations of the report of the Truth Commission”, which was presented to end of June after years listening to testimonies from the different parties of the internal war in the country.

At the same time, Petro asked “all the armed to leave their weapons in the nebulae of the past.” And he promised to dialogue to find alternatives to the violence, which continues to cross much of the country. “Society as a whole is the one that should talk about how not to kill us and how to progress,” she said.

He reiterated that he will seek that his Government be remembered for building peace and protecting life throughout the territory.

Bolívar’s sword and debt to equality

Beyond the symbolism, Petro promised in his speech to build social justice based on the fight against the inequalities that the country is experiencing.

“10% of the Colombian population has 70% of the wealth. It is nonsense, ”he asserted.

In addition, he reiterated that the Latin American nation is one of the most unequal in the world and that only by reversing this situation can peace be built in Colombia.

The president outlined some of the policies with which he will seek the redistribution of wealth. Among them, he announced a tax reform that would be presented by the Minister of Finance, José Antonio Ocampo, on Monday before Congress. This seeks to raise 50 billion pesos (about 11,543 million dollars today) and will be based on the increase in income tax for the richest people in the country and the fight against tax evasion.

“We will be equal when the one who has the most when paying taxes does so with pleasure, with pride,” Petro said.

On the other hand, the speech made reference to women on multiple occasions.

“That gender equality is possible,” said the leftist, who also expressed his commitment to generating more job opportunities for women. He also made reference to his Ministry of Equality, which will be headed by Vice President Francia Márquez.

“It is time to combat all these inequalities and balance the balance,” he concluded.

“The failure” of the fight against drugs

When he referred to the fight against drugs, Petro not only made a call to Colombians but also to different countries of the world. The leftist asserted that a change in “anti-drug policy” is necessary, in which the prevention of consumption “in developed societies” prevails.

Petro also added that “it is time for a new international convention that accepts that the war on drugs has utterly failed, that it has left a million Latin Americans murdered, most of them Colombians, during these 40 years.”

The president was emphatic about the need for joint action with developed countries to stop the consumption of drugs that motivates production in Colombian territory.

“Are we going to wait for another million Latin Americans to be murdered and for overdoses to rise to 200,000 in the United States?”

Thus, it ended with a call for a transformation of the anti-drug policy that “allows life and so that it does not generate death”.

Food sovereignty and the eradication of hunger in Colombia

“The time has come to be aware that hunger is advancing, it is advancing throughout the world because an idea of ​​food security based on international trade has collapsed,” Petro declared.

The president assured that Colombia must go towards food sovereignty that “is the guarantee that every society must have to consume its essential nutrients” and so that “hunger is zero” in the country.

In this way, he assured that food sovereignty will be a mission of his Government and that it will promote technical development, while at the same time providing farmers with improved seeds, credits and protection.

In another of his declarations loaded with symbolism, he said: “In the land where the human being discovered corn, we must produce corn again.”

A phrase that allowed him to express that he intends to ensure that the Colombian fields produce the food that all national citizens need.

In addition, he assured that the Army will play an important role towards that goal, opening roads and taking care of the peasantry. The president affirmed that he will have the mission of ensuring that food reaches all of Colombia.

The fight against climate change: an alternative to reduce foreign debt

The protection of the environment is foreseen as one of the pillars of the new Government. Petro promised during his four years in government that he will fight against climate change. However, he also reiterated the need for collective work at the global level.

“From this Colombia we ask the world for action and not hypocrisy. We are willing to transition to an economy without coal or oil, “he said. And he added: “It is not us that emit greenhouse gases, it is the rich, bringing the human being closer to extinction.”

The president recalled the importance of the Amazon rainforest and its conservation. At the same time, he suggested an alternative for joint work. “Reduce the external debt and we will spend the surplus on saving human life, if the IMF helps to exchange debt for concrete action against the climate crisis we will have a new prosperous economy”, he proposed.

In addition, he hinted at the need for a Global Fund to save the Amazon rainforest and to carry out real actions and not just “speeches”.

The aspiration of a Latin American union

Alongside several presidents of the region, Petro was emphatic in his desire to find a Latin American union.

“Today we need to be more together and united than ever. As Simón Bolívar once said: ‘Union must save us, just as division will destroy us if it comes between us.’ Let the division of Latin America come to an end,” said the president. .

The leftist pointed out that said unity must go beyond ideological differences and that it must serve to work together.

“Let’s understand once and for all that there is much more that unites us than what separates us. And that together we are stronger,” he said.

Petro also said that this cooperation should range from knowledge sharing to economic integration and collaboration in terms of health.

The Decalogue of the Petro Government

At the end of his speech, Petro listed ten “commitments” that will mark his Government, which are:

• The work for “true and definitive” peace

• Caring for marginalized people

• A government that integrates and works for women

• Dialogue with “everyone, without exceptions or exclusions”

• Listening to all Colombian men and women

• The elimination of violence and the security of the country

• The fight against corruption

• The protection of the Colombian ecosystem

• The development of the industry and the Colombian countryside

• Compliance with the Constitution