Alejandra Galván López
CAU-Cúcuta.

 

-         What do you think about the Colombian peace process?

First of all, I think the term “peace” is a difficult word to define, Peace is more than the lack of war as many of us used to consider. It is challenging to achieve the absence of all types of violence because living in peace it is not only feeling love and kindness. But it is important to know that the whole population and all sectors of society and regions are integrated in the process. Peace has to do with everyone, it not only concerns with the state and the politicians of our country. We should all give our contribution from within of our homes, peace depends on all of us.

 Colombian peace process has been an effort to finish few years of violence in Colombia. They are many decades fighting with terrible situations, murders, kidnappings, civil wars and we are all already sick and tired of this. What happens at the negotiation table of the Havana make us mad (At least, many of Colombian people) because it feels like they are negotiating our future but it is true that the only thing that counts is what it is agreed and written. That is why this peace process has gained a lot of agreements and disagreements in the last few months. Talks and peace negotiations between the Colombian Government and the FARC go through one of the most difficult moments thanks to the insolence and arrogance of the guerrilla and its desire of getting what they want and on the other hand, some decisions our President wants to take only to please those corrupt men. Opposition has increased against the progress of the talks for the reason that people are discontent because of there are not concrete results.

 

Without public support the government options are reduced. FARC has to be forced to show its real face and intentions, because they think they are omnipotent and still believe they have the reason on everything, and it is not like that. Also without community support no matter how good some initiatives are, there won’t be any improvement because while the FARC leaders talk about peace in Cuba, the army groups show the contrary with daily actions all over the country, committing several attacks in which “they won’t be responsible”. At this point, the government knows that at any moment the negotiation can be canceled, either for reaching as agreement or that the FARC decides to finish it.  “If the FARC wants a negotiated peace there must be a demand, the cessation of any criminal action and the abandonment of drug trafficking. That should be the premise and it has to be urgent and unmovable”. (Zuluaga, 2013).

 

To conclude, our President does well in trying to achieve peace, a precious goal we have as Colombians. Our children need to grow up in a different country, a safe country, a country in which they grow up without fear. Peace would close a conflict that has lasted too much, with enormous human and material cost. There can be no peace without justice, and this obliges that each one accepts their responsibilities, something that is rejected by the FARC.

 

 

References 

  

Zuluaga, O. I. (3 de Diciembre de 2013). El  Espectador. Obtenido de El Espectador:  http://www.elespectador.com/noticias/politica/oscar-ivan-zuluaga-suspenderia-proceso-de-paz-poner-con-articulo-461901    3���(i