Cuartas-Velez response of April 29, 1997

OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
MUNICIPALITY OF APARTADÓ
April, 29, 1997

Doctor
ALVARO URIBE VELEZ
Governor of Antioquia
Medellín

Dear Mr. Governor :

I received in your name the reply to my letter of last April 14, signed by the Secretary of Government.

I really expected a serious reply to my concerns, which are certainly valid in so far as the decisions and authorizations given to groups of citizens of this and other regions to form CONVIVIR groups certainly have not included prior consultation about the convenience or advisability of their functioning with the legitimate and democratically established authorities, as happened in our case.

If it is true that the letter expresses, in terms which are also insulting, the complicity or responsibility in disinformation of sectors devoted to defense of human rights and in generating chaos and anarchy in the actions undertaken by your administration to achieve peace, I wish to tell you, Mr. Governor, that this mentioned protagonism is a response essentially to the direct acquaintance which I have acquired in my duties, which have shown at this date my incapacity and frustration as local governor in the attempt to make myself understood and to achieve the interest of all the responsible actors in this matter and in the management of public order.

Events show this, since there are at this time 191 deaths (from January 1 to April 29), of whom 129 were men and 12 were women, without taking into account those who have been affected by the lack of guarantees (protection) in the exercise of their fundamental rights.

My desire has not been to engage in polemics with you on this topic which is so debatable and is debated according to the points of view of each person and the particular circumstances which surround him, according to the region and the community where they wish to be placed. But to authorize them without even considering the local authorities is nothing more than a simple imposition which violates the clearest principles of democracy, if by that term is understood respect for those of us who have the legitimate representation of those who elected us to tend to the defense of their lives, honor and interests. And if it be true that our conditions to do so may seem precarious, at least it would be advisable to let us know in advance of such authorizations properly by law,independently of the fear of receiving our objections or acceptance if consulted in advance.

Perhaps our idea of legitimacy and representative democracy for those who elected us has likely been superseded by certain actions or decisions of those who believe that authorizuing and inducing the civilian population to become involved take sides in the war, as has happened until now in our hamlets, small towns and urban areas, "acting as if with authority" with official approval. That is the way they have been doing, and above all the Secretary of Government, and he expressed this in the mentioned message to my way of thinking. Because according to him it is the administration, the Mayor, under the rule of law and justice represented in her investiture as a public official, who must consult, rather than being informed in a timely and clear way about such decisions for simple reasons of convenience. If I do not do so, because he does not feel any necessity nor respect toward a simple local authority given his authoritarianism " in his desire to save the municipality from the violent actions of the subversives", nor does he accept my immediate reactions and reasoned questioning which lived from here leave clear the factor of opportunity which has been created to increase the indiscriminate violence. And simply such reactions he classifies as favoring the subversives because they are opposed to his benevolent cause, because "he who is not with them is against him". It seems to me this is the reasoning of the said Secretary.

My protagonism concerning armed groups of civilians, whatever their legitimate or illegitimate origins may be, is the radical opposition to a war which they seek to validate, submitting the people in the middle of a cross fire which does not pardon cruelty to kill anyone they consider suspiciously as indirect actors, of the actions carried out by those groups upon their own lands. And when death is little to scare they expel them from their lands. You know it better than I and we share the same problem from another angle, an extremely high index of dead persons and more than 2,000 displaced persons. (See the annexed document: "Impact of the Armed Conflict and Social conflict upon Apartado")

As a result of my opposition is not to persons or decisions of this sort as he believes he understands it, but rather to those deeds that are generated afterward with such decisions, not communicated and not explained to our administartion, about the appearance and operation of the new groups of CONVIVIR . and from there my protagonism only seeks to point out the effects upon the population of Apartado which have been being presented in the face of so much confusion and so much reticence to explain what those groups are and the official reasons for their creation in certain zones. I respect such decisions but I do not agree with them with such procedures, and the results achieved by the declaration of a zone of public order following with the idea of ignoring us, confirm this is the case. At least we would be able to share said failure if in some manner there would have existed a timely, certain communication. It is worth asking ourselves what protection of life and property has been obtained up to now in the zone with this measure, not only for the producung agents and businessmen in the zone, but also for common people ? Or is it that we only have to overlook the right to life of these latter for their political, social or economic conditions to declare them irremediable excluded?

On the other hand, I do not see any reason to ask General Rito Alejo del Rio for information on these matters, as the Secretary suggests in the same letter, especially when those who authorize them,provide rules for them and in some manner are acquainted with their activities are you yourselves. Besides, my subordination is to you as Governor and for that reason I turned to you with the best of intentions to ask information and clarification with my letter. Not answers in your name with deprecation and signals which have no place. The authoritarianism with which (he) wishes to treat us and manage us from the point of view of public order are generating greater confusion and altering the conditions of governability of all those of us who have to work to understand and administer the problem adequately. And as far as possible to do so as a work team, even if the differences of criteria are clear.At least this is the raison d'etre of democracy and it is the first obligation which we have to practice without exception.

Mr. Governor, it is never too late to at least improve our institutional relations. So that opening up our senses we understand where this cruel and dirty war may lead. It is only leaving radicalization, polarization, useless and sterile discussions between the rigid academic posture which points out those responsible historically, but which above all experienced fron within the conflict as has been my lot, with the human effects which fallupon the persons, of which I do not know their past nor much less that which I have tried to do to provide that the law help them, to for all without exception an opportunity of life as I have insistently proposed. and if the above were little, now a new group has made its appearance in the midst of the complexity of the situation, and no one knows "who is who", nor what they seek in the midst of the limited information which we receive.

Mr. Governor, you know that finally the topic of the CONVIVIR is circumstantial; what is of fundamental importance in the discussion is that we articulate institutionally as I have repeatedly requested and as is well documented in the minutes of the metings on security which I have had the opportunity to attend. The people and their lives have to unite us so justice prospers and conditions which strengthen the democratic processes in the region can be created.

Lastly I am sorry this note is so long, but I wish to take advantage of this opportunity to ask you that we be an integral part in these problems and also in their solutions. Therefore I deliver to you with this letter "El andariego", an informative supplement about our region for our people, as an additional effort to improve the conditions of our daily life.

Cordially,

GLORIA ISABEL CUARTAS MONTOYA
Municipal Mayor