Author :Liliana Lucero castelblanco Bolaños
Demonstrations are felt in Colombia. While President Iván Duque and his government team are against the people's right to protest, what is going on in Colombia?
One might think that for the inhabitants of Colombia, their only latent concern, and even more so when they are going through such a critical moment due to the third wave of COVID, would be to survive a pandemic, which has already put the country's economy in check, and due to which the number of deaths is growing day by day, as well as the unemployment and poverty figures.
However, in spite of all that this has caused for Colombia, and while curfews are being requested and imposed for control, the current government, headed by its president Iván Duque, surprised with a tax reform project that affects even more the pockets of Colombians; this is a 110-page document that the government called the “Sustainable Security Law,” and in which the government was asked to withdraw this project, which is actually a tax reform, and in the face of its refusal, the Colombian people decided to take to the streets to exercise their right to protest, in several days of demonstrations and strikes, starting on Wednesday, April 28, not only to request the withdrawal of this disastrous reform, but also of other points, among them the health reform and the pension reform, reforms that it is very important that they are not developed.
The call for the strikes were extended throughout the country, including all the unions, student movements, truck drivers union, indigenous people and common people, who joined from Wednesday, April 28, to protest against the tax reform and many of the abuses that the current government has had against Colombia. Arguing the difficult situation of the country due to the increase of contagions, and the possibility of the collapse of the ICU "Intensive Care Units," in addition to the lack of oxygen, the national government and several entities requested the postponement of the demonstrations, and even tried through a last minute ruling to prohibit the concentrations. But in the face of the difficult situation, the people took to the streets to give their voice of protest.
Demonstrations took place in all the municipalities of Colombia, and in cities such as Cali, Bogota and Medellin, massive marches could be seen, different banners, creative slogans and artistic demonstrations were part of the precedent of protest against a government that plunges its people into misery. Although they had been called to express themselves in a peaceful and respectful manner, at the end of the day there were confrontations and disturbances in some parts of the cities, due to the harassment by the Esmad "Escuadrones Móviles Antidisturbios ESMAD - Policía Nacional" (ESMAD - National Police).
But what is the tax reform that the government was planning?
It turns out that, with this reform, many more people would be obliged to pay rent, even if their income is barely sustainable. The tax rate is increased, that is to say, they will be charged more, for every extra money that the person earns. Some tax benefits are reduced. In addition, taxes are increased for some products, such as gasoline, which is the reason why truck drivers are on strike on the main roads, in addition to other demands, such as the restructuring of the labor, health and pension reforms.
In Colombia, there are plenty of reasons to go out to protest, therefore, the strike is still on, despite the fact that President Duque mentioned that they would sit down to modify the tax reform project. Among the latent concerns for Colombia, is the proposal to reform the health system, the 010 project that radically turns health into a business model, where people pay for additional policies in addition to paying for insurance, eliminating the limited services that the health system has today, of course, directly affecting the lower social strata.
In this way, the citizens, in the midst of a pandemic, unite, stand up and go out to march, but also unite, from their homes, with flags, banners from the balconies, with pots and pans, with a continuous call to continue raising the voice of protest, for the reforms that are to be approved, for the different decisions that the government has taken, giving priority to the war, and leaving Colombia in the mire of state abandonment.
In the midst of the protest, unfortunately, violence within the Colombian armed forces such as ESMAD and the participants in the march, claim the lives of people who go out to exercise their right to protest, and who resist being dominated by a state that prioritizes war and the elements of war over the lives of its citizens.
During the night of May 3, by order of the President of the Republic, on the advice of former President Álvaro Uribe Vélez, the military forces were ordered to be free to take action with weapons against the marchers, which triggered a bloody night, in which it is evident that cold-blooded shots were fired against the demonstrators.
The situation is complex, but the population continues marching and protesting against the narco-paramilitary state that governs us, the struggle is against injustice, the lack of opportunities for citizens, social inequality, CORRUPTION which is the most dangerous virus that Colombia has, the fight is against a government that is dedicated to continue filling the coffers of the richest and take away the little from the neediest.