By Cecilia López Montaño
Colombia, or it is better to say, the Colombian governments, did have always close relations with the United States. Even during the government of President Samper, when those relations endured the most difficult period of their history, political internal decisions in the country were always made according with the USA government wills. But what is happening now during the government of President Uribe is real astonishing and worrying. It has come to be that even changes in the ministries are done in order to please the Congress of that country. We have some questions in this regard: What is the real game behind, so we come to this extreme? Is not this a bad signal to the Colombians who see with worry that the pressure of the Gringos has more effect than the arguments of the Colombians of the political opposition? Are we losing sovereignty?
Mister President was very surprise that the proceeding of the Free Trade Agreement was romped in the United States. It is an autistic government unable to understand that Bush is not God and that he [Bush] truly has the sun at his back. But the substantial subject cannot be gotten in this country. Globalization has its values and in this interconnected world of today many of the Colombian evils are not recognized and even they are seen, as they were the most natural. Carving up people alive as the Paramilitary groups did to those who they considered their enemies, shows savagery and not strength; when you do not respect the opposition, which is anti-democracy and when you accept that irregular forces are those called to apply justice, all this is inconceivable to the civilized world; the fact to accentuate inequality with public politics that benefit only the rich in detriment of the poor is not understood in most parts of the world, as it is inconceivable the murder of unionists, as it happens in this country. When a society or a government is not adjusting to the global values, it is worthy to receive the refuses as it is happening with the Free Trade Agreement with the United States.
In a recent travel to that country, Mister President Uribe received insinuations that have become orders to him to the surprise of the Colombians. It is said that the sudden change of the Ministry of Culture for an Afro-Colombian woman, was made to please Mr. Rangel, a black senator, so much influent in the Free Trade Agreement negotiation. Apparently it was the reason, because that Congressman expressed that Colombia was fulfilling his recommendations. Independently of the qualities of the new Ministry, it is unacceptable that now the Gringos come to pour their noses in the conformation of the Ministries. Is it not losing of sovereignty?
The other subject is the renegotiation of the FTA that the Democrats have raised. Now it comes to be that the most important is what they said, but the same arguments expressed before by the Colombian opposition were refused. Beside this total giving that pain to we all that believe in the National dignity, it is also another way to offend the National Congress. Who is representing the interests of the Colombians? Are they represented by the Gringo Democrats o by the Senators and Representatives elected by the people of this country? Somebody could make this question to Mister President.
Moreover, is it required this total giving? Is it necessary to remind that famous sentence of Joseph Stiglitz when he came to Colombia three years ago? He said clearly to Roberto Juanguito, then Ministry of Hacienda, and to Antonio Hernández, in that moment General Public Accountant Prosecutor of the Republic, that Colombia should let the table of negotiations of the FTA with the United States because that country was so interested in having negotiations with Colombia. As in this country many people assumed positions without information and reading the Treat and understand it is a titanic task, its defenders do not know that to United States, especially to the Multinationals, either for producers and investors, that Treat is a big business and it is better not to opposed to it. On the other hand, the big Colombian enterprisers know that as always they are the winners and that it is not important what happens to those who always lose. Unknowing the obvious gain of the United States and ignoring the possible Colombian losers, the Government and the enterprisers are ready to give it everything.
See also
Tratado de Libre Comercio (TLC) Andino-EEUU, The Colombian Goverment.