In the framework of a public hearing, Jorge Bedoya, president of the Society of Farmers of Colombia (SAC), expressed serious concerns about the rural agrarian jurisdiction bill presented by the National Government.
Bedoya He questioned both the content and the preparation process of the project, emphasizing that there has been no consultation with the interested sectors, despite the commitments made by the Minister of the Interior.
According to Bedoya, agrarian jurisdiction should be a tool that allows resolving conflicts over property rights, possession, occupation and use of rural land, as stipulated in Decree Law 902 of 2017, derived from the Final Peace Agreement.
However, he noted that the current bill presents articles that contradict this mandate. “The seventh, eighth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth articles, just to mention a few, Unfortunately they go against the peace agreement,” he said.
Particularly, he criticized the first and second paragraphs of the twelfth article, which, according to his analysis, remove jurisdiction from the judges of the Republic. “Why create an agrarian jurisdiction if they are going to take away powers from the judges of our country?”he questioned, highlighting that repealing Decree Law 902 of 2017 could distort the progress made in access to rural justice.
The president of the SAC called on Congress to guarantee that the bill reflects a balance between the parties and adjusts to the principles of permanence and speed. “Agrarian jurisdiction must be stable and balanced,” he said, adding that any discussion on this topic must take place in a technical and calm manner.
Likewise, he recalled that on November 15, the Cassation Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice presented recommendations so that the bill conforms to the substantial norms and procedures in force and respect the commitments of the Final Peace Agreement.
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In his final words, Bedoya warned against the urgent message issued by the National Government, arguing that it could harm the quality of the debate. “We call on the Congress of the Republic so that, as the popular adage says, ‘from desire nothing remains but fatigue‘. “This is an issue that must be treated with the seriousness and time it deserves,” he concluded.
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