This week the alarming tone of the political news in Colombia continued; It is as if Petro’s presidential term were the summary but living representation of his life, from his time in the M19 to the Bogotá Mayor’s Office. Once again, messages about the planning of a coup d’état in Colombia abounded, the “people” were summoned on television to support the “change” and irresponsible pressures on journalism were evident.
This situation weakens democracy and fuels the dangerous polarization of the country. What a particular way of doing politics! It does not matter how badly they do, but how many times the microphones are taken and it appears in the headlines of the press. It seems that, beyond the ideological differences, Roger Stone himself advised the Government on communications: “it is better to be infamous than not famous at all,” says one of his vile Stone’s Rules.
The technique is simple and ensures the holding of power: the strongest voters must be figured and used. The other effects that the message may produce, such as the weakening of the national economy or the rise of the dollar, are maliciously ignored, since power is an end in itself and the weightings are not worth it. Do you remember Sebastián Guanumen’s advice? The ethical lines are not borders of this way of doing politics.
This is how Petro’s erratic behavior makes sense. He always promises his presence, but decides to be absent frequently, which builds expectation and creates an atmosphere of mysticism. Immediately, the press wonders if he is sick or just trying to demonstrate the dominance he exercises over others. This week he repeated the strategy with the Foreign Relations Commission. Annoyed by the three hours of fruitless waiting, Ernesto Samper said that he “had attended meetings of the advisory commission with former presidents, without former presidents, but never without the current president.”
The use of this type of instrument put the US electoral system in check, and led to the assault on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. From breakfast you know what lunch is going to be like… and you don’t want it. The poor performance of the Government of Gustavo Petro is similar to the personality of the president. He is so narcissistic and domineering, he is so thirsty for attention and power, that his life story defines the general perception of managing him.