• In his message, the President presented a balance of the work done and the major reforms proposed to achieve change.
• The head of state indicated that “the peace policy has also begun” and highlighted that about 1.5 tons of cocaine are seized daily.
• He affirmed that “an increase in the interest rate puts the entire productive economy of the country at risk” and therefore asked private banks to reduce as much as possible their intermediation rates on loans to the productive sector.
Social justice and environmental justice are fundamental pillars to achieve peace and a deep democracy, emphasized Gustavo Petro, the President of the Republic, in an address to the Colombian people this Friday.
“Nine months have passed since we took office and reforms have been debated to bring about a change. We said in the campaign that to achieve peace and a deep democracy, we need two fundamental pillars: social justice and environmental justice”, said the head of state.
He recalled that Colombia is “a country that has democratically chosen change and peace.”
“I humbly and responsibly accept the commitment to be the guardian of democracy and change for millions of Colombians,” the president said. , but “a historical necessity”.
He indicated that “in the field of the environment we have become a world savior in the fight against the climate crisis” and that “the process of energy transition, expanding clean energy and regenerating the Amazon forest is just beginning.”
And he added that “in the field of social justice, it is undoubtedly necessary to achieve economic growth and stop the rise in prices for food and public services.”
President Petro insisted that there is economic growth and jobs, and food prices are starting to decline.
He specified that, an increase in the government-set minimum wage, and support to the populist economy, and the introduction of the Civilian Income Program, which provides 500,000 pesos per month to mothers who are heads of households and children under the age of five. Are. years, the poverty level can be reduced.
He also mentioned the program of handing over land to farmers and the Youth in Peace program to get youth out of violence.
In his address, the President warned that “the rise in interest rates has put the entire productive economy of the country at risk. The government must mitigate this risk and that is why I call upon private banks to intervene in loans to the productive sector, including housing.” Let me ask you to max out the rates. Public sector banks are already doing that,” he said.
Similarly, he indicated that “the peace policy has also started. We destroy illegal economies as before, we seize about 1.5 tons of cocaine a day, but at the same time, we are responsible for the areas and populations Proposes prosperity where violence has been encouraged.
He added that “every armed organization, faced with the destruction of the illicit economy, has an alternative to what we offer: complete peace. The legal and political possibility to reduce weapons and violence in transitional and restorative justice processes , with truth, lots of truth and above all, with compensation for the victims.
“In these nine months, we have made progress in environmental justice, social justice, and therefore we have opened the way to peace,” he said.
