'Benedetti's arrival could strengthen relations with the Senate': Heráclito Landinez

Representative Heráclito Landinez, one of the authoritative voices of the Historic Pact, spoke with EL TIEMPO about the possible arrival of Armando Benedetti in the Ministry of the Interior. Although he warned that there are annoyances, at the same time he pointed out that it could bring advantages to advance the Government's agenda.

In practice, we have not received a communication from the bench, nor have we had a conversation where they tell us if he is the Minister of the Interior. Therefore, until the decree exists, nothing is certain. We assume that he could be the Minister of the Interior, but we have no confirmation of that. That is only within the discretion and competence of President Gustavo Petro.

Yes, sir. These are the versions. In informal conversations within the caucus and with other political parties.

Yes, the Historic Pact is a coalition of parties with different social origins, complementary political positions of the center-left. Indeed, there are voices that do not agree with this appointment. They would prefer another person of Pact origin to be in this position. However, we must remember for everyone that Armando Benedetti is not a newcomer. He comes from being in the government, he comes from being ambassador in Venezuela, in the FAO, and he was in the campaign for Gustavo Petro to be the president of the Colombian State today. He is not a newcomer. He has been an ally since before he was elected president. So I believe that the president, in accordance with the Constitution and the law, decides to choose him from among his allies as Minister of the Interior. It is a matter of his presidential jurisdiction and we will respect and abide by it.

Last week, the government of the Casa de Nariño called for meetings with the Pacto Histórico and with other parties. In the case of the Pacto Histórico, it invited the members of the House of Representatives. The meeting was made by the director of DAPRE, Angie Rodríguez, and it was a conversation where Armando Benedetti was also present. It was a calm conversation about Congressional issues, the relationship between Congress and the Government. Each of the representatives in the Pacto Histórico, in a frank and direct manner, raised the issue of what the relationship between the government and their governing party in Congress should be from now on, so that it would be more fluid, more constant, more conversational so that the governing party and the national government could act together on the major issues on the legislative agenda that is currently in the House of Representatives.

We have not spoken with María José Pizarro about this. I have not seen any official statements from her on this matter. She is a progressive woman, she is a woman who is an important player at the level of the Pact and at the level of Colombian politics. I have not heard, I have not spoken with her about this matter.

In the House we have agreements with most of the parties and we have a majority that helps us to advance the reforms. It is a cordial relationship, a relationship of political complementarity with the liberals, with the large conservative sector, with the large sector of the greens, seats of Paz, Comunes and with the U, and we have made progress in the discussions and great projects have been passed here: the pension, labor, and health reforms. Remember that in the previous legislature we approved the health reform after a very arduous discussion in the House of Representatives. But we approved it and it was debated in the Seventh Commission of the Senate. However, in that Seventh Commission it was archived without debate, with a proposal to archive that was supported by the majority. So I believe that the arrival of Armando Benedetti can strengthen the relations with the other parties in the Senate of the Republic so that the reforms can advance. Armando Benedetti was president of the Senate in 2010, he has a good relationship with the congressmen of the Senate. I think that will help, it will help a lot to have a better relationship between the government and Congress in the Senate and to help the reforms move forward.

Motoa is an opposition congressman and he will never agree with any decision of the Government, with any appointment. The opposition only likes ministers when they leave. Even with Ocampo himself, when he was a minister the opposition strongly questioned him, but when he left they said he was the best minister, the former Minister of Finance. Coming from the opposition, they will not like the appointment of any minister and later they will attack him and his initiatives in the government, in Congress. And I think that is natural, that is their legitimate political position. But I think that in the end this must be an important test for this government in the short term: whether the reforms advance or not in the hypothetical case that Benedetti arrives. It has not yet been confirmed, but there are rumors that he will be the Minister of the Interior. So, the test will be in Congress. There are other responsibilities of his as minister, such as social dialogue, relations with indigenous peoples, Afro-Colombians, Roma, and Raizals, but the main task is political relations. And political relations are concentrated in the Congress of the Republic with the other parties and with the initiatives that he must promote in each of the chambers.

That is true, but the political cost is assumed by the President of the Republic and will undoubtedly impact the Historic Pact. But the constitutional and legal decision is in the hands of the President. As I said, I would not have liked someone from the Historic Pact, but that competence is unique and discretionary to the jurisdiction of the President of the Republic. Therefore, any manifestation against us, well, remains a comment, because the decision is only of the President of the Republic and his appointment and possession depend on him.

I think that at these moments the two vice presidents of the House are acting outside the behavior of any congressman in the world. They are acting even at the limits of the law. When they do not sign the agenda, because there is a bill that they do not agree with, they are violating the Political Constitution of Colombia, in the sense that the board of directors must guarantee the debate and must guarantee the participation of all political actors in the respective House. The health reform project has not been scheduled because these two vice presidents, a female vice president and a male vice president, do not sign the agenda to include it, and therefore it is not scheduled. That is a vice in their behavior that borders on their legal and constitutional powers. If we begin in any scenario, in committee or in plenary, to insist that some type of project is not debated, we have in some way a recusal that can progress because they have interests in a certain project not being approved. Any member of Congress in this country who holds this position must guarantee that debate takes place, that discussions are open. Under the democratic principle, discussion and debate must be allowed. If we are avoiding debate, we are against the Constitution and that is what is happening.

We have from now until June to make progress on reforms. If we do not make progress on reforms, Congress will fail the country. It will fail the country. The country voted for President Gustavo Petro because it wants changes. Changes in health, in the structure of the provision of education services as a fundamental right for Colombians, in the system of public utilities. Changes so that farmers have more land and that the State also resolves the agrarian conflicts that in this country generated the armed conflict that we have in Colombia. The people want those changes. The people want solidarity pensions for all Colombians. The people want that. But if Congress stands in the way because it does not want changes, I think that social and political conflicts in Colombia will become more pronounced. We are failing democracy in this country if we do not go to the democratic discussions that we have to have.

He has good relations with the Senate of the Republic, which is where we need the projects to move forward. He was president of the Senate, he was a senator for a long time, he was a senator with President Gustavo Petro, so I think he has a way to move forward. But the most important thing is that Benedetti has the confidence of the president and the president assumes the political cost. We don't like it, many people don't like it, but the decision of the President of the Republic to bring one of his allies in the campaign and in the government.

Juan Sebastian Lombo Delgado