‘At the head of Fenalco I have dealt with the three Ps: strikes, pandemic and Petro’: Jaime Cabal

Jaime Alberto Cabal, president of the National Federation of Merchants of Colombia (Fenalco)in the middle of an interview with ‘Bocas’ magazine, once again harshly criticized the government of President Gustavo Petrowhom he blames for leading the country down a path of economic uncertainty, political confrontation and loss of business confidence.

Cabal was emphatic when stating that the current president “has wasted a historic opportunity to create a different government”, pointing out that, despite having arrived with a discourse of change and social justice, his administration “has become a sectarian, divided government that does not listen“For the union leader, Petro could have been a President capable of building bridges and building consensus, but he chose, as he says, to govern from confrontation..

(Further: Petro’s criticism of Banrep continues for not lowering rates: ‘It slows down growth’).

In his comment, Cabal maintains that Petro’s leadership style “has fractured the institutionality“and has deteriorated the relationship of the Executive with the productive sectors of the country.”Instead of generating trust, the Government has sown fear in businessmen, who today hesitate to invest or expand”, he assured.

The union leader also regretted that many of the current government’s policies have directly affected job creation, especially in sectors such as commerce and services. “This Government talks about social justice, but it is destroying the jobs that people need“, he warned, also mentioning that, for him, the labor reform It is a clear example of a measure with good intentions but with negative consequences: “The worst thing that has happened to the country is the labor reform; It does not generate employment, it destroys it”.

(Further: Court requests to investigate President Petro for violation of campaign limits).

Cabal also made reference to President Petro’s tone towards the unions and the opposition. In his opinion, “A ruler cannot be polarizing the country every day and blaming the past for all present problems.“. Instead, considered that the head of state should focus on building agreements and recovering economic stabilitywell “without trust, there is no investment; and without investment, there are no jobs”.

You can read the full interview by clicking this link.

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