Harsh criticism from former Vice President Germán Vargas Lleras against the National Government has been, after pointing out that like any authoritarian regime, Petro will seek to rewrite the country’s history. Regarding the housing sector, he indicated that the modifications only bring a lag. Today his visit is expected in Neiva.
Newspaper of Huila, Huila
By: Gloria Camargo
Former Vice President Germán Vargas Lleras continues touring the country and holding meetings with various leaders, businessmen and politicians, and it is expected that in the next few hours he will arrive in Neiva, where he will meet with more than 200 businessmen and Radical Change aspirants to different mayors, councils , Assembly and Government.
And where also in Ibagué, Tolima, he expressed concern about the situation he found in the region and that he disclosed through his personal Twitter account.
According to the former vice president, the region and the country in general are feeling the slowdown of the economy, with halted investments and thousands of jobs at risk due to the legal and political instability caused by the tax reform and the government’s “change” blows.
In particular, Vargas Lleras pointed out that in Ibagué there is total pessimism about the consequences that the National Development Plan and the health, pension and labor reforms will have for businessmen.
Vargas Lleras also made reference to the construction of the third lane Bogotá-Ibagué, a work that he promoted during the government of Juan Manuel Santos. The former vice president expressed his surprise at the delay in the works and his concern about the consequences that this may have for the development of the region.
The former vice president also made reference to some statements by Senator Gustavo Petro in which he stated that “the attempt to restrict the reforms can lead to a revolution.” Vargas Lleras criticized the phrase and stated that “by hook or by crook the reforms will be approved and as they were presented by the president’s providential government,” referring to President Iván Duque.
The critics
The former vice president of the Republic, Germán Vargas Lleras, has generated controversy after harshly criticizing the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, accusing him of using the presidential balcony of the Casa de Nariño to intimidate Congress, the courts and threaten the public.
According to Vargas Lleras, Petro has used the presidential balcony twice for these purposes in his nine months in office.
In his column entitled “El balconazo”, Vargas Lleras also questioned the speech that Petro gave on the presidential balcony on May 1, in which he assured that in Colombia there are no freedoms due to the existence of needs. The former vice president quoted the philosopher Hegel to question this statement and stressed that Petro is leading the country towards a dictatorship.
In addition, Vargas Lleras assured that Petro seeks to rewrite the country’s history, highlighting his speech on 500 years of history and slavery, in which, according to the former vice president, the president seeks to offer a new version of independence and the Liberator, as well as of republican life, violence and the exclusion of majorities.
Vargas Lleras also pointed out that the president does not seem to take into account polls that indicate that his popularity is declining and that the majority of Colombians do not trust him to lead the country.
Vargas Lleras’ criticism of Petro has generated various reactions in the country. While some political sectors have supported the former vice president, others have defended the president and described Vargas Lleras’ statements as an attempt to discredit the current government.
Minhacienda
The former Vice President of the Republic and member of the Radical Change Party, Germán Vargas Lleras attacked former Finance Minister José Antonio Ocampo and pointed out the main “sins” that, in his opinion, Ocampo committed during his time in the portfolio.
Vargas Lleras, launched harsh phrases against Ocampo, noting, in the first instance, that the former minister remained “silent” in the face of the fiscal impacts that could derive from the approved National Development Plan and social reforms.
«Ocampo did not intervene in the filing of all the projects that are being discussed this week in the Congress of the Republic and where I think that all the ministers were dispatched with their proposals (…) The minister was silent. He left and now the reform projects are beginning their process in Congress, ”he indicated.
Secondly, he mentioned that for him Ocampo’s work caused the lawsuit to be suspended. “All economic activity in the country was affected in all sectors, largely due to high interest rates. This is the worst year for housing, for the automotive sector, infrastructure and commerce itself, among others. Consumer credit interest rates went from 21 percent to 35.4 percent. Ocampo brought the economy to a halt,” he said.
Finally, he did not let mention of the tax reform that the former minister managed to approve in Congress, described as the “most ambitious in the history” of the country, taking into account that it collects more than 20 billion pesos annually.
Vargas Lleras was emphatic in saying that it was filed at the worst moment and was “totally unnecessary.” In addition, he warned that although he could raise taxes in a short term, it would not be the same for the following years.
“It is going to have a terrible economic impact. All sectors are already stopped: we see a drop in investment, the postponement of many projects, uncertainty, instability. Many Colombians in this month of May will have to pay the first installment of the new wealth tax. More than 65,000 Colombians have already transferred their fiscal residence abroad.
It should be noted that Petro has been the subject of various criticisms since he took office in August 2022. Some sectors accuse him of leading the country towards communism and of not taking into account the needs of businessmen and the middle class. However, the president has defended his government and has highlighted the importance of working for social justice and reducing inequality in the country.
