During the Congress of the National Federation of Merchants that took place this week in Barranquilla, unions, regional authorities and academics in general launched various criticisms of the National Government, for the lack of actions, both in terms of economic reactivation and care. of the emergencies that have been recorded in the departments, due to the severe drought.
One of the examples of this happened with the governor of Tolima, Adriana Magali Matiz, who attended this event and in addition to mentioning the progress they have made in terms of security, told how they experienced the crisis due to forest fires in several municipalities in their territories. , without the support of national authorities.
Read here: After two years of ups and downs in Colombia, the number of microbusinesses fell again
Matiz was very concerned about the limited response of the National Government to these emergencies and reminded them that there were 30 municipalities that were impacted by this event, which although most of them no longer have conflagrations, They do require special attention for the families whose crops were hit.
“What we governors are waiting for today is for the National Government to shake itself up and start with the executions, because dialogue is really very difficult,” said Matiz, referring to the low budget execution and development of state initiatives that have set the tone. in the administration of Gustavo Petro.
forest fire
Cundinamarca Fire Department
At the event, where she was accompanied by the governors of Valle del Cauca and Santander, Matiz expressed that the dialogue with the National Government has been insufficient, affecting the ability to respond to critical situations such as security and natural disasters in his region.
Likewise, he exposed the devastating effects of the fires that occurred since last September 9, with four municipalities especially hit by the large-scale conflagrations, and commented that during the emergency two ministers visited the department without a forceful response.
More information: The reason why the pension age should rise in a few years
“Farmers lost up to 50 hectares of mango, panela sugarcane crops and sugar mills. And when we asked the government what was going to be done to help these people who lost everything, the answer was that we waited for the Tax Reform to be approved because there are no resources,” denounced Matiz.
The governor pointed out that, in response to the crisis, the only position of the National Government has been to wait for the approval of the Tax Reform to have resources and that in the meantime, the affected communities continue waiting for help to recover from the fires that devastated their lands. and means of subsistence, with no immediate answers in sight, which for her is leading to a social crisis.
Governor of Tolima – Adriana Magali Matiz
Courtesy – API
Regarding security, Matiz highlighted that, given the Government’s inaction, The department has implemented special groups such as Cobra, Centurión and anti-extortion, initiatives led by its administration to combat crime. He stressed that security should not depend solely on public forces, but also on social investment, something that continues to be insufficient at the national level.
The criticism extended to the fact that the governors have had to take the lead in the management of their territories, given the lack of effective actions by the National Government. Matiz urged that campaign promises be translated into concrete measures that address the urgent needs of the regions.
Finally, the governor of Tolima called on the Petro Government to move from meetings to executions, emphasizing that the regional leaders are the ones who face the daily challenges in their communities. “The mayors and governors are responsible for the day to day, and In the face of this emergency, we continue waiting for the promised support,” Matiz concluded.
