Colombia’s search for peace, two years on Colombia’s peace talks with the FARC guerrillas began exactly two years ago. Partial agreement has been reached on half the agenda. No previous attempt to end the 50 year war has come this far. But scepticism remains and opposition to the talks is hardening. Yes, President Santos won reelection this summer on a peace ticket, but despite the progress and the hype, in reality we are far from knowing whether he can deliver. Mr Santos last month made public for the first time the full text of the agreements reached in the 29 cycles of talks. He claims they are modest and deliverable. Opposition leader Alvaro Uribe labels them a capitulation to the FARC. Colombian politics are polarised with bluff hyperbole and mendacity on both sides. The truth is that neither Santos nor Uribe is right. It’s easy to see much in the agreements that is broadly sensible. It’s possible to go as far as to argue they could aid the long term prosperity of the nation. But the devil is always in the detail, and the key detail here is that these agreements are “partial”. The list of outstanding issues the FARC argue must be resolved is almost as long as the list of areas where agreement has been reached. The difficulty for Colombians is that they are being told one story by the government and one story by the opposition. Now that would be fine if the media – the fourth power that should be holding the politicians to account – did their job. They don’t. Or they do it extremely sporadically. Colombia Politics has written many times about the unhealthily close relationship between the media and the government. As Salud Hernandez a well known right wing critic of the talks said on Caracol Radio’s leading debate programme, Hora 20, “the media have all sided with the peace talks”. Critical analysis of the peace talks has been sorely lacking throughout the two years the government and the FARC have spent in Havana. So the politicians are not being asked the right questions. The government is able to push its message – as you would expect – and the only dissenting voice appears to be from the other extreme, Mr Uribe. If you are a moderate Colombian that doesn’t enjoy the right wing rhetoric of Uribe but equally doesn’t quite “comer el cuento” (believe unquestioningly) the government line, where do you turn? And that is why the scepticism to the talks is growing. Who do we trust? What really is happening in Havana? When will the talks conclude? In truth we know precious little. This lack of trust and transparency is a difficult place from which to build a lasting and meaningful peace.
Posted on: Sat, 25 Oct 2014 14:29:44 +0000