2023-08-13 12:12:07
Former prosecutor Néstor Humberto Martínez, in his column this Sunday in El Tiempo, referred to the constant “disappearances” of President Gustavo Petro, which have led him to fail to meet dozens of appointments in the country and abroad.
“This week ends, once once more, with the news that the head of state was lost for 24 hours, on the occasion of his trip to Brazil to attend the Amazon Summit. Similar incidents have occurred since the first day of the government, which initially motivated hilarious memes and hundreds of popular jokes of all colors. But today they are cause for deep concern, because of their recurrence, because of their effects, because of the speculation regarding health and presidential habits, and even because of the danger of a new ‘heel blow,’” Martínez points out.
“These disappearances are not new. I remember that in 1998-1999, when I was the undersigned Minister of the Interior, I was informed from a municipality in Cauca of an alleged kidnapping of which Petro would have been a victim. The versions indicated that the then parliamentarian had not woken up in his room, where his shoes and glasses were abandoned. The situation constituted a great challenge for the Government, for which reason all State security schemes were activated to guarantee its integrity. What would be my surprise when, following hours, I received a call from Petro’s own representative, who was safe and sound, without being able to offer me a clear explanation”, says the column.
The former prosecutor recalls an episode when Petro was elected mayor of Bogotá: “His loss on the day he won the mayoral elections of Bogotá is also famous, which almost caused a political tragedy with the government of the time, because the Polo was responsible from the loss to uribismo, in power, when what happened was a monumental foforro. There are more events that confirm that these disappearances are not new. What is new is its frequency and visibility, with the aggravating factor that its protagonist is the head of state and his conduct has achieved international reach. Biden has been an hour late or the President of Switzerland twelve hours, he does not attend official photos, nor does he attend dinners for heads of state – as happened at the Davos Forum this year – or, simply, he does not attend official events scheduled abroad. In France he got lost just when he was having breakfast with the most important businessmen ”.
“There are already dozens of disappearances of the president. No one in the country has been spared from rudeness, which ends up generating unnecessary tensions with the other powers and with civil society organizations. The magistrates of the high courts did not get to an official meal. He left the thousand mayors planted. The members of his own cabinet were served Christmas dinner. He left the Army seeing a spark on the day scheduled for the recognition of troops, under the pretext of urgent private meetings and a bad stomach, when it is fully known that he was in the north of Bogotá, “says the former prosecutor.
“While these episodes continue, possible and credible excuses are running out. Journalists who had to make a free bed at the Colombian embassy in Paris, while Petro reappeared, listened to a discussion by the Military House regarding how to face this new situation; they ended up reporting that he was lost there for two days due to a visit to an aircraft factory, which never happened. And now the same thing is happening in Brazil, alleging bad weather, which never existed. As always, the owner of the truth is the famous Colonel Feria, ”he notes.
The column by former prosecutor Martínez concludes: “The private life of the head of state must be respected, as long as it does not compromise order and institutional stability. The time has come to be informed regarding the causes of this behavior, whether they are health reasons or personal habits. What is serious, now, is that the concern is not the “disappeared”, but the “disappeared”, as a high-ranking member of the Government, who is part of the official payroll, jokingly told me, because every time he returns to his duties they are his tendency to become radicalized, the confrontation with his team and the announcement of a cabinet crisis are common… it will therefore be necessary to light the candles recommended by María Isabel Rueda, so that nothing serious happens”.
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