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23-04-2024
BOGOTA: Tens of thousands of Colombians marched on Sunday to reject economic and social reforms being proposed by the leftist government of President Gustavo Petro, the latest in a series of demonstrations against Petro’s policies.
The reforms, which Petro says will fight deep inequality but which opponents say will damage the country’s already-struggling economy, were key campaign promises for the 64-year-old leader, who took office in 2022.
Despite gray skies and rain, some 70,000 people marched in Bogota, the capital, according to city government estimates, chanting “out with Petro,” waving national flags and blowing on trumpets before gathering in the central Bolivar Square.
The march comes after a Senate committee earlier this month rejected a proposed health reform aimed at stripping power from insurers and expanding access to healthcare, as the government took control of two major insurers it said had failed to correctly care for patients.
The government is expected to propose a new version of the health reform once the new legislative session begins in July. Pension and labor reforms are still being debated by lawmakers.
“This government’s policies are dire. The health system, despite its flaws, was working and now Petro is putting an end to it by plunging patients who have no healthcare or medicine into a crisis,” said Monica Leon, a 45-year-old doctor.
Accountant Miguel Angel Larrota, 52, said he was protesting against bad governance and demanding that Petro “not destroy what works and put an end to the corruption he promised to fight.”
Paloma Valencia, a senator from the opposition Democratic Center, a conservative political party founded by former President Alvaro Uribe, said the march was bringing together not only opponents but people who voted for Petro two years ago.
People also took to the streets in the city of Medellin and in Cali, near the Pacific coast.
Marches have also previously taken place in support of Petro’s reforms
Many waved Colombian flags, while white-shirted doctors and health workers carried banners protesting Petro’s healthcare reforms, which have proved a lightning rod for criticism.
The president wants to reduce the role of private companies as health service providers.
“I am here as a citizen, a doctor and a Colombian,” 35-year-old Julio Rivero told media in Bogota. “As a doctor, we see the deterioration, because there are no drugs to give our patients, and because patients face delays in getting treatment.”
Experts agree that the healthcare system is in trouble and needs to be reformed, but some question how the government intends to do so.
Meantime, Petro’s ambitious policy of “total peace” attempting to bring a final end to six decades of armed conflict has also faced reversals.
Concessions to armed groups have been controversial, with frequent violations reported.
Seventy percent of Colombians say the situation in the country “is getting worse,” according to the Invamer polling group.
“This man protects the criminals of the guerrilla more than the good people of this country,” said 67-year-old protester Betty Ospina.
Petro came to power in 2022 as the first leftist to govern a country traditionally run by conservative elites but he lost majorities in the legislature a few months after his inauguration, and his approval rating has plummeted. (Int’l News Desk)
