Gustavo Petro lives days of boiling. The approval of the pension reform, which until now was governed by a system that promoted inequality in Colombia, is not enough. The president wants more and believes there is no time to waste. He has just over two years left in power and, unless he manages to leave someone who continues in his place, the change has an expiration date. This makes him think that he needs to apply profound transformations that are irreversible, such that the next head of state cannot undo them. For that he needs people with determination around him and when he looks into the eyes of some of his ministers he can’t find them. Petro feels dissatisfied with the performance of more than one, according to sources close to the Government. Now that he is about to reach the middle of his term, he plans to change to four or five and thus give a boost to the next 24 months, which are expected to be turbulent.
He has discovered that there is much more resistance to change than expected. In Sweden, where he was on a state visit last week, he once again stressed that his government is trying to push in one direction, but the opposition forces are pushing in the opposite direction. “Change always has enemies of change. And the enemies of change are the privileged people of Colombia, those who do not want privileges to disappear, because what change produces is benefit for those who have never had privileges in Colombia, which is the majority of the country,” he said, sitting in an armchair, with a zip-up sweater and a blue shirt that peeked out of his lapel. He was answering questions from a journalist holding a microphone.
Next came the snake bite. It was his ministers turn to question: “We have to evaluate those who have been able to carry the change forward and those who have not been able to with those who do not want to lose privileges and prevent these changes from being made. “We are going to evaluate and according to that there will be changes in the Cabinet.” “It is now a time of rest for some and opportunities for others,” he added. He did not give a date, but there is talk of early July. Which means that those who are theoretically his closest collaborators are going to live 15 days of anguish, knowing that there is a possibility that they will be fired. This restlessness is transmitted to his advisors and at the same time to their advisors and to all those who follow in the ranks.
This way of straining his ministers was also used by Álvaro Uribe, who criticized them in public and scolded them. Hugo Chavez He said goodbye to them live on his television program. Rafael Correa ignored them. Cristina Fernández de Kirchner spoke about them in a mocking tone from time to time. “Petro, don’t hijueputea, but he raises his voice,” says a person who was part of his Council of Ministers during the first year, during which time he received harsh reprimands. Now he subjects them to public examinations. The ministers live uneasily, pending what he publishes on Twitter, interpreting it as the Pope is interpreted: through signals and decrypting his speech.
Because the reality is that not all of them have direct and fluid contact with Petro. They write to Line and it takes a while to respond or leaves them on hold. The most efficient channel is Laura Sarabia, her number two. She doesn’t take more than a few minutes to answer and knows everything the president wants. It is an extension of himself. This difficult access to the president and his public demands mean that not all the people he is canvassing agree to be part of the Government. In addition, some do calculations and believe that it is not profitable for them to get on a ship that they are not sure is not going to hit an iceberg. Petro is looking for new ministers. Resumes are received at Casa de Nariño.
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