Maria Clara Ospina
Former minister and brilliant economist Mauricio Cárdenas comments in El Tiempo (I/21/23), how optimistic there is with the conclusions of the recent Davos Economic Forum, where it was demonstrated, to the tranquility of global economies, that the expected dangerous global economic recession it had been managed.
This is due, among other things, to the fact that the strongest economies seem to have managed to curb the momentum of inflation and moderate their handling of the new outbreaks of Covid19. Today, the world breathes calmer, something reflected in the improvement in the stock markets in recent days.
Colombia could get on the global recovery train if Gustavo Petro and his government team handle their speeches and projects with an intelligent, sensible and coordinated language, far from the populism and divisionism that until now, in his first months in power, the has characterized.
These are not times for as much tack and improvisation as we have seen from the government. President, ministers and ministers, go to the government meetings and agree on what you are going to say and do; don’t act like crazy goats competing to see who says the most bestialities.
Let’s start with Petro himself, who is often denied publicly by one and the other, as happened with his announced proposals for peace with the ELN, which were immediately denied by the terrorist group.
Not to mention the permanent lack of coordination and folly of the Minister of Mines. While the president says one thing, she comes out with completely opposite statements, crazy and extremely dangerous for the economic stability of Colombia. This is what happened in Davos when the minister declared: “the National Government will not sign more contracts for the exploitation of coal and oil”, while the president assured that this would be done gradually. It’s like crazy! This, in the most important economic forum in the world.
The President and Minister should consult the former Minister of Mines, Diego Mesa, who affirms that: “the energy sector contributes 40% of exports, 30% of foreign direct investment, 15% of tax revenues, 25% of investment budgets of municipalities and departments” , and that Colomba only emits a small fraction, 0.54%, of total global CO2 emissions.
Former President Duque has rebounded on the government’s statements in Davos: “For Colombia to stop exploring for oil and gas means a kind of economic and social suicide.”
On top of this, Petro proposes, in Davos, to turn Colombia into a tourism powerhouse to replace the mining economy. But it does not count how many decades it will take to achieve this. Don’t you know that despite the natural beauty of Colombia, its exceptional biodiversity and great tourist potential, the country does not have the infrastructure to develop “grand tourism”, such as, among many other things, excellent communication routes, hospitality at all levels and minimum security? Petro made a lot of “straw”, and “cañando” does not build a country.
Not to mention the storms that are coming with crazy proposals, such as the elimination of the EPS that today efficiently cover 98% of the population and the manipulation of pension funds
As Mauricio Cárdenas says: “To take advantage of the best winds that are blowing in the world economy, it is essential not to create internal gales due to bad decisions, or, what is worse, disjointed or unnecessary announcements”.