Cerrar Menú Blogs
Las opiniones de los blogueros son de su estricta responsabilidad y no representan la opinión de este portal.
Profile image

Ingresa o regístrate acá para seguir este blog.

Seguir este blog

@wwaycorrigan
On the face of it, it seems like a no-brainer. On the 2nd of October, Colombians are going to be asked to vote either ‘yes’ or ‘no’ for peace. That is to say, to give their backing to a deal finally reached between the government and the leftist-styled Farc rebels to end a bloody internal conflict that has troubled the country for over 50 years. Apart from the sadistic amongst us, who wouldn’t vote in the affirmative?

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos

Peace President: Juan Manuel Santos, the man to bring an end to the conflict with Farc ..? (Photo from Facebook.)

Of course, it’s just not that simple, even if, perhaps, it should be. You see, there is a belief that what has been brokered by the negotiators in Cuba in many ways doesn’t reflect the reality on the ground in Colombia. A political agreement that looks fine and dandy on paper and allows the ‘warring’ leaders come together in brotherly love (it has pretty much been male-dominated), but a deal practically not worth the paper it’s written on in ‘normal Colombia’, the very place it’s meant to bring about real, positive change. That’s a view you won’t have to search hard to find among the masses.

We’ve written plenty here before about the problems inherent in this process, one of those being the idea that the Farc leaders who negotiated this deal do not speak for the majority under their control (if ‘control’ is the right word to use here at all). Indeed, with political positions in the offing for the few Farc dealmakers of Havana, their lives might just be about to become a whole lot easier. The same cannot be said for the ‘foot soldiers’.

This is one source of scepticism towards the whole process for Colombians; it’s to be found particularly so amongst the lower classes and away from the big cities (as we mentioned in a previous post). The idea is that those who may fly under the Farc banner today will just continue on in criminality post this peace deal being ratified, if that should happen. Plus, you have those who were never Farc members, be they fellow ‘leftists’ or from the right, who have made a tidy living from both controlling and living in what you could call a separate state from the elected one headed by Juan Manuel Santos. Colombia’s black market can be quite profitable.

What’s more, there are those, headed vociferously by former president, the hawkish Álvaro Uribe, who view this as Santos’ peace, not one that truly represents Colombia at large (el pueblo Colombiano). With Santos’ approval rating low, a protest ‘no’ vote is a distinct possibility to add to the other genuine causes for concern that Colombians have about the process.

Most people know that true peace is not going to come with the simple signing of an agreement and a ceasefire. There are a host of deeper obstacles to arriving at a situation where peace and stability can thrive in Colombia. At the heart of those is the vast inequality that exists in the country, something that, it appears, no government has been willing or able to pay proper attention to.

That aside, that some of Colombia’s men of violence have decided to give peace a chance has to be seen as a positive development, better than the status quo. Yes, officialdom was duped before, but Neville Chamberlain returning from Nazi Germany in 1938 with a ‘peace for our time’ type agreement this is not. This particular deal has some substance to it.

For sure, it’s far from perfect, but it is a step in the right direction. The hope must be that it is a modicum of peace to achieve more peace.
______________________________________
Facebook: Wrong Way Corrigan – The Blog & IQuiz “The Bogotá Pub Quiz”.

(Visited 613 times, 1 visits today)
PERFIL
Profile image

La vida en Colombia desde la perspectiva de un periodista y locutor irlandés, quien ha vivido en el país desde 2011. El blog explora temas sociales y culturales, interacción con los nativos, viajes, actualidades y mucho más. Escucha su podcast acá: https://anchor.fm/brendan-corrigan.

Más posts de este Blog

  • Opinión

    A pet hate

    @wwaycorrigan [For an audio/vlog version of this story, click here.] A farmer's work is never done. Be it tillage(...)

  • Colombia

    San Juan de Rioseco: Only its river runs (almost!) dry

    @wwaycorrigan [For an audio/vlog version of this story, click here.] When travelling in Colombia, one is best not to(...)

  • Opinión

    Boosting dental health

    @wwaycorrigan [For an audio/vlog version of this story, click here.] A nuclear war. A devastating earthquake. Severe floods. England(...)

  • Opinión

    Merging a life vacation with a vocation

    @wwaycorrigan [For an audio/vlog version of this story, click here.] 'When men choose not to believe in God, they(...)

Ver más

Lo más leído en Blogs

1

¿Casa-logía?    Uno es lo que es. A los 15 años(...)

2

Dios nos habla por medio de nuestros sueños. Esta es una(...)

3

Llegué un viernes a las 10:30 de la noche a mi(...)

0 Comentarios
Ingresa aquí para que puedas comentar este post
Reglamento de comentarios

ETCE no se responsabiliza por el uso y tratamiento que los usuarios le den a la información publicada en este espacio de recomendaciones, pero aclara que busca ser la sombrilla de un espacio donde el equilibrio y la tolerancia sean el eje. En ese camino, disponemos de total libertad para eliminar los contenidos que:

  1. Promuevan mensajes tipo spam.
  2. El odio ante una persona o comunidad por su condición social, racial, sexual, religiosa o de situación de discapacidad.
  3. Muestren o impulsen comportamientos o lenguajes sexualmente explícitos, violentos o dañinos.
  4. Vulneren o atenten contra los derechos de los menores de edad.

Además, tenga en cuenta que:

  • - El usuario registrado solo podrá hacer un voto y veto por comentario.
Aceptar
¿Encontraste un error?

Para EL TIEMPO las observaciones sobre su contenido son importantes. Permítenos conocerlas para, si es el caso, tomar los correctivos necesarios, o darle trámite ante las instancias pertinentes dentro de EL TIEMPO Casa Editorial.


Debes escribir el comentario
¡Gracias! Tu comentario ha sido guardado
Tu calificación ha sido registrada
Tu participación ya fue registrada
Haz tu reporte
Cerrar
Debes escribir tu reporte
Tu reporte ha sido enviado con éxito
Debes ser usuario registrado para poder reportar este comentario. Cerrar