During the ‘Government with the popular neighborhoods’ day in Santa Marta, President Gustavo Petro scolded two of his closest officials in public: Gustavo Bolívar, director of the Department of Social Prosperity, and Alexander López, director of the National Planning Department.
“We are telling the nation that it will take us a century to solve the problem of drinking water.”Petro warned before interrupting his speech to reprimand Bolívar and López for not listening to him carefully.
“Alexander López is involved there, who is over there talking to Gustavo Bolívar and does not pay attention to his problem. We got into a problem that is your responsibility, Alexander. And it is to change the future validity matrix of public investment in the next 30 years,” expressed the President.
For their part, the directors of Social Prosperity and National Planning stopped talking and nodded at the order of the Head of State.
This is not the first time that Petro has caught the attention of his officials in public. In his May 1 speech in Plaza de Bolívar, he not only insisted on his social reforms, but also asked ministers who do not believe in change to depart from him.
”We must raise the flag of constituent power, we come to raise the flag of social justice and definitive peace. This government has to move forward and if a minister is afraid, then he should take a step back,” he said.
“The word fear, in reference to governing and in a democratic context, is completely out of place. If we add his allusion to handing over power to the people in 2026, It cannot be ruled out that what President Petro is implying is that he needs ministers willing to override anything and any formality, in order to fulfill his designs,” he explained.
According to the analyst, It is very possible that the phrase is directed at ministers from whom he expects more radical executions, such as that of Agriculture, Jhenifer Mojica, that of Justice, Néstor Osuna, and that of Education, Aurora Vergara.
