President Uribe

Peter (Moderator) says on Feb 25, 2003, 21:00:

RE: President Uribe i guess anything is possible, and if there's one thing politicians are good at, it's disappointing the people they represent.


let's hope he doesn't follow the lead of most if not all past colombian presidents.




the thing about power is taht it corrupts. so it's probably hard not to be somewhat corrupt when you're the leader of a country. that's why the U.S. system is so great, b/c of our checks and balances in gov., where no one branch is all powerful, like in colombia, which has a very strong executive.




anyway, i bet most colombians would even be willing to let this guy be corrupt, as long as he fixes the security problem teh country has had to live with for the last half of century.

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Peter (Moderator) says on Feb 25, 2003, 21:00:

RE: President Uribe (Written by Greg)
I hope i am wrong ,but i feel Uribe will be a big disappointment.Knowing his past i see only more violence and corruption

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Peter (Moderator) says on Feb 25, 2003, 21:00:

RE: President Uribe what's up with his past?




i know he started the "convivirs" which did get out of control and they resulted in some violence.




but what about corruption?

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Peter (Moderator) says on Feb 25, 2003, 21:00:

RE: President Uribe I think Uribe is the best choice to lead Colombia through such difficult times I m an English guy living in Bogota and from the opinions I ve heard nearly everyone believes Uribe is the man for the job.

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Peter (Moderator) says on Feb 25, 2003, 21:00:

RE: President Uribe I'm a bit confused about the second post. Correct if I'm wrong but when a new president is elected in Colombia I thought it was compulsory to include some oppostion politicians in ministerial roles? I thought this would help stamp out corruption, on the other hand it may be the reason that little progress is ever made due to factional infighting etc.

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Peter (Moderator) says on Feb 26, 2003, 21:00:

RE: President Uribe i don't think it's compulsory to appoint members of the opposition to key posts. in colombia the checks come from the congress (house plus senate, similar to what we have in the states).


but what i meant was that in colombia the executive is pretty strong, probably more so than here in the states.


also in colombia we lack a truly autonomous and strong judicial branch.




that's what i think is the case. i can be wrong, however.

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Peter (Moderator) says on Jan 11, 2004, 20:59:

colombia I think president Alvaro Uribe should be re-elected.
This is the president colombia needed

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Peter (Moderator) says on Jan 12, 2004, 08:35:

Uribe is the best president in a long time I think Uribe has demostrated how good of a man he is, and is the guy the country needed, you just have to ask, and most Colombians will give you a good opinion of him. He is doing a great job!!!
Colombia hasnt had many good presidents.

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TioCharlie says on Jan 14, 2004, 17:47:

Uribe is good.... I agree with the anonymous post tht Uribe is doing a good job. I feel that his stance with the FARC/Paramilitaries is the right one. This is a cancer that is draining the the ability of all Colombians from elevating thier country to a status that it truly deserves. I have alos read that Uribe's father was killed by the FARC. Does anyone know if this is true or not?

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SiV says on Jan 15, 2004, 15:36:

At what price? Mmm. . .although the paras taking part in the peace process and their decommisioning of arms is generally a very positive event, I feel I have to ask "at what price?" The Paras have committed some of the worst crimes against humanity in their massacres, torturings etc., they´ve amassed huge terrorities bought with narco-cash and by extortion, they´ve slaughtered thousands of civillians, politicians, journalists, HR rights workers, etc. and have been up to their necks in narco-traffick (reliable sources estimate that up to 80% of their revenue is generated through narco-related financing. Enlisted children in their ranks. Done more than their fair share in the corruption of officials, politicians, the justice system, etc. Amongst many other things (you get the point!).
Are the people responible for these actions (and I mean the higher ranking comandantes) just going to walk away with complete impunity, without being tried for their crimes, and with the vast economic resources and land they´ve gained? Is that socially just? Exactly what´s in it for them? Is that the necessary price of peace, or the consolidation of power by Colombia´s ultra rich? Will the guerilla get similar concessions if they join the process?

Stultórum númere infinitum est.

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SiV says on Jan 17, 2004, 07:48:

spoils of "war" Aha. There´s got to be some type of reparation for the victims here. I read in an interview in Semana with Salvatore Mancuso that the paras are proposing to distribute some of their land to the desplazados; though they didn´t specify how much. Unfortunately, I share your pessimism on the adequacy of it.
But there´s also got to be some reparation in terms of moral and social justice; at least something like the Commisions for Truth in South Africa after apartied: where the perpertrators confessed to the full extent of their crimes. Though really, I don´t know if the Colombian and international community could really stomach all that!
Additionally, in that same interview in Semana, Mancuso inferred that one of the key conditions would be the impunity and removal of the threat of extradition to the US.

Stultórum númere infinitum est.

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margaret says on Oct 6, 2004, 20:01:

Uribe's sordid past is probably his sordid present. Sorry I am late to find this dialogue on Uribe. The word on him in Bogota might be flattering, but everything I hear about him in the campo is critical.

And he has had a long history with the paramilitaries himself (at least since his stint as governor in Antioquia, '95-'97). His current negotiations with the paramilitaries are seen by many international observers as an attempt to get the paras amnestied so that they can enter the legitimate political process -- without any accountability for past crimes.

And here is something from the National Security Archive (U.S.) that came out in August 2004 on Uribe's ties to the paras when he was a senator in '91: http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB131/

Margaret

Margaret

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MJ says on Oct 7, 2004, 02:54:

I don't know if Uribe was,is a paramilitar,but look at the difference in colombia now you feel a bit safe. We have to let him to do his job is the first president that is doing something for Colombia.And this is no the word just in Bogota,If you read an article in el tiempo a while ago some of the people in the countryside say since uribe people are feeling safer and they are starting to travel a bit more and their bussines gone back up again.(the road Bogota-Medellin)was very dangerous and many people that have theirs bussines on that road, that used to be called (la ruta dorada) bankrupt.Uribe and the program "caravanas viajeras" people feel safer,and the bussiness in that road are getting back up again.Uribe may have a doggie past but all the other presidents in colombia have them too,the only difference is this one at least is doing something for our beautiful Colombia.I will like for him to be ree-elected.4 years is no much time.

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