The Government of Change

A few years ago, Gustavo Petro was outraged by the possible expenditure of 14 trillion pesos on warplanes; today he has just purchased 17 aircraft for 16.5 trillion. On November 14, Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez announced the purchase of 15 Swedish Gripen E and 2 Gripen F aircraft, with the aim of replacing the fleet of Israeli Kfir fighters the country previously operated. However, although the president and the minister are trying to present this acquisition as part of a necessary military-modernization strategy, they cannot eclipse what Petro himself thought about such a purchase under the previous government, nor the various allegations of irregularities in the aircraft negotiation process. What exactly is the president’s contradiction? What irregularities are involved in the process?

This situation is only the latest in a long list of parallels between Petro’s government and that of his predecessor, but the reaction of his supporters has been diametrically different. When Duque pushed his tax reform, Petro and his followers fiercely opposed it and helped fuel the 2021 social uprising. However, when Petro proposed an even more burdensome reform with several regressive components, his supporters remained deafeningly silent. When the Duque administration bombed guerrillas and killed forcibly recruited children, resignations were demanded and violations of International Humanitarian Law were denounced. When the Petro government did exactly the same, efforts were made to justify it by saying the children were “illegal combatants.” Now it’s the turn of the planes. Duque was called irresponsible; Petro may well be hailed as a great military strategist. Who knows—maybe we’ll soon need the jets to defend our friend Nicolás Maduro?

The contradiction is too obvious to go unnoticed, but some of the president’s supporters still prefer to ignore it. During Iván Duque’s administration, when the intention to purchase military aircraft for 14 trillion pesos became known, Petro and his party reacted angrily. Senator Gustavo Bolívar said the expenditure would be outrageous for a poor country like Colombia and emphasized that children die of hunger and malnutrition while war is a business. Gustavo Petro labeled the purchase irresponsible and demanded that the money be spent on building universities and schools instead. It seems the “government of change” believes Colombia has overcome poverty, no longer needs more schools or universities, and that children in La Guajira no longer die of hunger. Perhaps, since they are not children from Gaza, the government does not take them into account. So now can we spend on frivolities? Can we finally use the budget for warplanes? What the president himself once called a meaningless and capricious act is now a justified expenditure.

Adding to the political turmoil over the discrepancy between the president’s words and actions are several accusations regarding the aircraft procurement process. The main figure implicated in these accusations is First Lady Verónica Alcocer (or former First Lady, given Petro’s own statement that they have been separated for years after being placed on the Clinton List). Alcocer has been accused of possible bribery and corruption related to the aircraft purchase. The luxurious lifestyle she maintains in Europe, without any apparent source of income, and her coincidental stay in Sweden during the negotiation of the contract with Saab raised red flags. Suspicion became so serious that former Transparency Secretary Camilo Enciso sent a formal request to the Swedish Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office to investigate the matter. Meanwhile, Professor Juan Carlos Portilla, an expert in transnational financial crime, filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice for the same issue. Petro could not let himself be outdone by Duque: not only did he buy the planes, but he did so for a higher amount and with a possible corruption scandal involving his former wife included.

The president’s flexibility and ability to change positions are truly remarkable. Would Senator Petro be protesting today against President Petro? But even more surprising is the selective blindness of his supporters. It must be quite difficult to support the president—doing mental gymnastics every week to justify his many mistakes must be exhausting. One thing is clear: the so-called “government of change” has only changed its opinion when convenient.