Two names of the ministerial cabinet of the government of President Gustavo Petro cause intrigue and they have aroused controversy for their radical positions or comments from the past.
(Petro appointed his ministers in ICT, Transport and Foreign Trade).
These are the Ministers of Mines and Energy, Irene Velezand that of Work, Gloria Ramirez, and the Telecommunications Mery Janeth Gutierrez, who were designated hours before possession.
Vélez, who is an activist researcher and full professor at the Universidad del Valle, dedicated to the critical and participatory study of environmental and agrarian conflicts, has created a lot of noise among investors and experts due to her profile.
The new minister is an expert in mercury contamination in artisanal gold mining, in the effects of toxins in agribusiness and coca crops, and has extensively investigated issues related to land dispossession and forced displacement, the effects of the armed conflict on food sovereignty, and the processes of building the State and peace in post-agreement Colombia.
According to industry experts, his profile and position regarding the main issues in the portfolio seem to go against the grain, especially considering that in a recent interview, the Minister of Finance, José Antonio Ocampo, stated that Colombia will need continue producing oil for at least another ten yearsrecognizing that even a decade may not be enough, since diversifying 40% of exports is not a short-term task.
(Interior and Sports already have their new ministers in the Petro government).
For investors, the country will have to remain an oil exporter for a while longer, while the export structure of the economy is diversified, which is a central objective of the new administration.
The other designation, and perhaps the most controversial, is that of the Labor Minister, Gloria Ramírez, who belonged to the Communist Party and Fecode, and who was investigated and later acquitted in the well-known case of the FARC politics.
In addition, in the past, the minister showed her affinity with presidents of the region such as Hugo Chavez, Nicolas Maduro, Evo Morales and Rafael Correawhich has earned him a series of criticisms for his political position.
A new case that is added is that of the ICT Minister, Mery Janeth Gutiérrez Cabezas, who is a shareholder and until recently the legal representative of the company Programar Televisión, a programmer that has sued the Nation, more specifically the former National Television Authority and from which he seeks compensation close to 45,000 million pesos.
According to the lawsuit, the programmer (Channel 1 television slot concessionaire) sued since 2013. As part of the Unión Temporal Radio Televisión Interamericana SA, it filed a claim for nullity control and restoration of the right against the National Television Authority ANTV.
And, according to the defense of the Nation, in which the State Legal Defense Agency has intervened, Programar’s claims are unfounded because RTI Televisión declared itself not interested in the contracts and it is a matter of solidarity.
(This is the economic cabinet formed by Gustavo Petro).
Regardless of how long the ruling takes and in what direction it comes out, industry experts assure that the new Petro minister must stop the hiring that her company is carrying out with companies in the sector. In fact, They assure that before taking possession he had to resign from the company and record possible impediments.
On its Internet page, it lists as clients Coldeportes, the Congress of the Republic, the ICBF, the National Television Commission and Radio Television of Colombia RTVC itself.
BRIEFCASE
