Colombia Passport

A research leaded by groups of citizens with the support of some corporations and newspapers, evaluated results in Medellín in questions of security, services, education and other aspects of the Colombian metropolis during the current year. The results show for example that the city has a backward in the fighting against criminality in comparison with 2008 numbers. The publication of the study that is called ‘Medellín, cómo vamos’ (How we are), produced already debates in the city and changes in the administration of Major Alonso Salazar.

The initiative of evaluate the quality of life of the city and the improvements in safety, education, health and public services came from different groups of citizens with the support of El Tiempo and El Colombiano newspapers, the Corona Foundation and the chambers of commerce of Medellín and Bogotá.

The most underlined results were of security, stating that there is a backward in this aspect and that the Medellín inhabitants feel less secure this year. The study was presented last September 16 before local authorities, financial groups and private sector and produced some changes in the administration of Major Salazar like the resign of some of the municipal secretaries.

Medellín is today a city with a best level of urban transportation, according to the study. In this aspect, it overcame Bogotá where the 64 of its inhabitants considers the capital of the country a city of easy urban access by transportation, while Medellín has the 69 percent of satisfaction. But the Medellinians feel less secure than what it was in 2008. The 49 percent considers that the city is secure, an evident fall comparing the 72 percent of last year. However, inhabitants of other urban centers in Colombia have a worse feeling: In Barranquilla the 33 percent of its people say it is secure, while in Cartagena and Bogotá only the 22 percent say it. The cooperation with authorities to denounce crimes or prevent them was 52 percent in 2006. But this year, according to the research, it reaches only 35 percent, because people lost trust in the authorities.

The study evaluated also the level of proud of its inhabitants for the city, a traditional characteristic of the Paisa people. This year the 40 percent feel proud (in 2008 it was 46 percent). However, the 71 percent of the Medellineans say that things are improving, but it is also a fall of 13 points in comparison with 2008.

Other areas as health, education, public services and public space got a good score in the annual evaluation.

Mr Alonso Salazar, Mayor of Medellín, lost popularity. Only 46 percent of the Medellineans support his administration, when it was 61 percent in 2008. His most near collaborators lost also in popularity, a situation that caused the resign of some of them.

However, Mayor Salazar took the study from a positive side. He said that the results will help to evaluate and improve things. He considers that the main reason for the decline in his popularity was that the trust in security dropped drastically in the past months. He said also that he is working with the national government to rescue the former improvements. He blamed too the financial global crisis, because, according with him, it affected other cities of the world and not only Medellín.

Mayor Salazar focused in the reduction in the number of murders as a point to recover the trust of the citizens in the government and the institutions. But he underlined that other kind of crimes like cars’ theft was reduced in a considerable number.

The study also notice that the inhabitants of Medellín are going more to malls and parks (41 percent) than rumba (the traditional Colombian nightlife with only 28 percent) and cinema with 19 percent. Sport – in one of the Colombian stronghold of sports – has been noticeable reduced to 23 percent. Reading books, visiting museums and concerts rose and the 82 percent consider that the city has an excellent offer in cultural life. The attention of public service companies like EPM and Metro de Medellín got high scores by the citizens, while the Metropolitan Police has the lowest score with 52 percent.

Changes in the administration of Mayor Salazar

The consequences of the publication of the research are already on the way. Last Tuesday, Mayor Salazar asked the resignation of his team of government, the 16 secretaries. Soon after, the Secretary of Government, Jesús María Ramírez, presented his resign stating that the results of the study affects his administration in particular, especially in what it has to see with security in the city. Salazar accepted his resign.

A debate for the opening of a Clinic for Women caused the resign of Luz María Agudelo Suárez, Secretary of Health and Rocío Pineda García, Secretary forf the Women. The original project was considering abortion services according to the new legislation in that matter of the Constitutional Court. The idea put the administration of Salazar in a high debate with the Catholic Church, one of the most influential institutions in the city. The Mayor wrote a letter to Alberto Giraldo, Archbishop of Medellín, promising that the Clinic will not practice abortion.