Opinion: Bye, Bye Petro

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As Petro faces his final days in power, Bogotanos will have their say.

I have intentionally tried to stay clear of “Petro-gate” ever since it erupted with the embattled Bogotá mayor sanctioned for 15 years by the inspector general. Then the big news: Petro told to leave office.

Back in December – like so many others in this city – I was stunned by the news, but even more so, when he stepped on to the colonial balcony of the Lievano Palace to incite Bogotanos (as well as many outsiders who descended on the Plaza Bolívar) to generate a Tahrir Square-style protest (all in his defense),  and in direct defiance of the executive order of the Procuraduria, created with charter of the national Constitution, as a watchdog for all publicly-elected officials.

When Petro was sworn-in in 2012, I welcomed a change in direction for our city, believing that the socialist mayor would implement a socially-inclusive doctrine, without sacrificing the collective liberties and rights of so many. But my discontent with Petro became personally motivated. And the title of a column by writer Mauricio Pombo sums it up best: “It isn’t your ideology, it’s your ineptitude.”

And its an ineptitude  justified by class-struggle rhetoric. One that celebrated inefficiency over private initiative. I say this, because we lived it with our newspaper. Much to our surprise (although now in hind sight, it shouldn’t have been), the dismissive attitude of Petro-appointed officials towards our publication only reaffirmed that this much anticipated “inclusive” government, self-professed as “Bogotá Humana,” would be anything but. And where was all the district advertising funneled into? Well, the pro-Petro press of course: the rainbow-bright ‘Humanidad’ tabloid and the district television diatribe of Canal Capital, to name but a few of the coddled, select, hardly-independent media.

There’s been an arrogance in tone and an overriding sense of cynicism to the relevance/importance of English language media. Yet how ironic, for when it came time to slam Colombia’s democratic footing, after the Inspector General Ordoñez ratified his decision to suspend the mayor, Petro sought international validation with a stoic and punchy editorial in the New York Times.

The decision to oust Petro may have been heavy-handed, unpredictable and unfortunate. But it happened. And within the complex framework of a nation’s legal system. While many ranted in the Plaza Bolívar, and stated that the events surrounding his ouster constituted an assault on Colombian democracy – it was very much the opposite. An expression of possibly a little too much democracy and not enough self-criticism by the ardent, vitriolic Petristas who invaded the Plaza de Bolívar, thinking they were taking on a cause célèbre as those dignified fighters of Kiev’s Independence Square. Of course all the rhetoric and blame for Bogotá’s debacle has come down to those “oligarchs” of the “north.” Sounds all very Game of Thrones to me.

Independently of whether Petro clinches to his last legal resources or decides to leave his post so that Bogotanos can have their say; the city is in dire need of leadership. And even with this intransigent mayoralty, the capital tries to go about its business as usual.  This begs a question: “Who really runs this capital?”

Bogotá thrives on its own inertia. It seems the fortitude of peoples from across the nation, keep this metropolis on its feet. People who come here with a singular purpose: to work. To make a new life for themselves. More often than not escaping troubles in the countryside.

Petro’s predicament has shown the resilience of hard-working Bogotanos in bearing the brunt of political infighting and the abandonment of their “greater good” in order to appease a vociferous minority. Bogotanos April 9th may vote in candidates for Congress from emerging center-right parties. We may even see former president Alvaro Uribe back in the power seat, in Congress, challenging the Santos administration on a wide-range of issues from peace to security. And if the right wings it,  wins, it will also be sending a direct message to the embattled mayor. A message clear and simple: ‘It’s time to go.”

What is needed for Bogotá is planning minus proselytism. Take a look, on any given day, at the overcrowded and collapsing TransMilenio articulated bus system, where queues at rush hour wind their way over the metal suspension bridges. Then, the fleet of  empty blue SITP buses, burning fuel and driving as recklessly as the busetas they were meant to replace.

Bogotá’s troubles won’t be fixed by one out-going administration. And instead of examining failed governance we should view our politically-polarized habitat as one of at least rich cultural energy. In the upcoming months Bogotá hosts an agenda of events, including the much-anticipated 14th International Theatre Festival. These dazzling events have always showcased our city best.

And by the time the theatre troupes roll into the Plaza de Bolívar, our historic square should be clear of the graffiti and the trash left by the pro-Petro protests. Now, that is one step in the right direction. And as I sign off, I conclude this OpEd piece with two words from my native tongue: bye, bye, Petro.

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