This August 7th marks 205 years since the Battle of Boyacá and 214 years since the National Army. Within the framework of this celebration, President Gustavo Petro addressed the Colombians in a speech in which he highlighted themes such as freedom and the republic.
(Read more: In the last two years, Finagro has disbursed loans for more than $56.6 billion)
The president began by emphasizing that this was not going to be a political speech.The Army must be an army of the Nation and that is why we are not going to get involved in politics”he indicated.
Throughout his speech, the head of State made a historical account in which he stressed that Colombia is a country that is not built on a single official story, but on multiple ones. He also specified that There is still a long way to go so that the people may be sovereign.
“Do we have a republic today where the people are sovereign? Is there no slavery today? Is there no servitude or anything like it today? I think that the road is still to be traveled. And I am not saying this for this government, but as a country. There is still work to be done, because there is no justice yet. In Colombia there is no official history. It is a Colombia of diverse histories,” mentioned.
Along the same lines, President Petro referred to the work of the Public Force, highlighting that this is “of the people, for the people and by the people.” In this regard, he indicated that one of the focuses on which this administration has focused is that of dignify the soldier.
“One of our decisions when we became president was not to look at the big strategies, but rather to look at the human being. If we have human security, that is, one that has as its axis the growth of life and not death, then we must dignify the soldier.”he added.
(Read more: Two years into the Petro administration: what challenges does the president still face?)
President Gustavo Petro at the anniversary celebration of the Battle of Boyacá
Cesar Melgarejo / THE TIME
(See: Petro government rejects Isabel Zuleta’s reform to revive presidential reelection)
The president also highlighted some of the achievements that have been made in this area, including the increase in the number of women in the Armed Forces. “We have a female Public Force and that is a mental and cultural revolution. The defense of the nation and the care of the citizens is increasingly in the hands of women and these women will, over time, increasingly become captains, majors, colonels, generals, commanders in chief of the Military Forces in Colombia.”said.
This list also includes an improvement in the budget for essential services such as lto food in the barracks and an increase in soldiers’ income.
“We increased the food in the barracks, which was doubled in its budget, and the income for the soldiers. How much did a soldier receive when we arrived? We want him to receive a minimum wage when we leave. More than three times what he earned,” President Petro assured.
The president also mentioned in his speech that there are still two years left to continue building and advancing the development of a “an armed instrument of security that is at the service of the people and at the service of freedom, and at the same time an instrument in which the human being is dignified.”
(See: This would be the assets of the current Minister of Finance, Ricardo Bonilla)
BRIEFCASE
