Despite the fact that just a week ago he signed a promise not to expropriate in a notary’s office if he reached the House of Nariño, the candidate for the Historic Pact Gustavo Petro was criticized once more for allegedly talking regarding expropriation during a campaign event.
“He has just promised in a notary that he will not expropriate, but he continues to raise it directly,” said Senator María Fernanda Cabal, who tweeted with the video in which the Historical Pact candidate speaks on a platform in Boyacá.
However, Petro clarified that he was not talking regarding expropriation, but regarding the peasants being “co-owners of the industrialization” of their products.
“It sounds strange to Uribism and its candidate that the direct food producer is co-owner of the industrialization of their products. They don’t understand capitalism, only slavery,” Petro said.
In the video posted by Cabal, Petro does not mention the word expropriation at any point in his speech.
“The time has come to go back to the boyacense potato and potato associate owners of the potato and corn industry, and of the egg, wheat and milk. Why a milkman or a milkmaid has to content herself with taking the fruit of the cow’s udder to a canteen to sell it to a speculator, when that farmer and that farmer might be the owners of the pasteurizer”, Petro says.
To a large extent, this Petro proposal has already been implemented in some areas of the country with the so-called peasant association cooperatives.
Furthermore, one of the objectives of land restitution in Colombia is not only for the dispossessed to return to their territories, but precisely to promote associative projects among producers.
notary
A week ago, in the center of Bogotá, at the facilities of Notary 17, the presidential candidate for the Historical Pact Gustavo Petro, together with his vice-presidential ticket, Francia Márquez, signed a document in which they commit to “not expropriate” .
It should be noted that the candidate has repeatedly denied this possibility, pointing out that when he was mayor of Bogotá he did not expropriate anyone.
That event was attended by several members of Petro’s political campaign, who highlighted the signing of the commitment to “not expropriate.” Gustavo Bolívar has been one of those who has made reference to this event, pointing out that the initiative aims to put an end to fear among citizens.
“If I fail to comply with what it says, I can be prosecuted for falsifying a public document, my signature is on a public document, failing to comply would mean a crime,” Petro said.
“I declare that I have no legal impediment to do so and I do so under my full responsibility; I make the statement under oath so that it serves as a testimony for Colombian men and women of what my presidency will be like,” he assured.
He also made it clear: “Colombia’s campaign for true and profound change is constantly being attacked with lies, rumors and misinformation. There are those who constantly try to sow doubts regarding my proposals and my intentions towards the Colombian people and they invent the shadow of a supposed expropriation to scare the unwary”.
