Colombian Candidate Horacio Serpa in Miami Speech

Carl A. Cira
Director, SOAC

The likely Liberal Party candidate for president in Colombia's 2002 elections addressed an audience of several hundred, mainly fellow Colombians, at a Colombian-American Chamber of Commerce luncheon in Miami recently. Serpa covered a wide range of current issues, including Plan Colombia, the peace process, and his views on how he would handle the country's serious problems as president. Although he asserted that he would not act in a political opposition role while outside of Colombia, his remarks included some barbs directed at the present government and at Noemi Sanin, another likely candidate.

Serpa stated his support for Plan Colombia, although he pointed out that it was never consulted with the National Congress or the political class. The main component of the plan is military, he noted, and called for a stronger social focus. The only current contributor is the US; the Europeans have still not contributed, and the US$4 billion that Colombia itself is to put up has not been made available. Serpa attributed the lack of government contribution to Colombia's terrible recession, for which he seemed to lay the blame on the present government's economic management.

In his discussion of the peace process, Serpa surprised many by saying that had he been president, he also would have granted the FARC guerrillas a demilitarized zone for the peace discussions. However, he said he would have placed stronger conditions on the FARC than those enacted by the Pastrana government, forbidding them to use the zone for recruiting new members, holding kidnap victims or intimidating local authorities. He also claimed he would have maintained a far stronger non-military presence by the national authorities.

Serpa asserted that the option of all-out war to resolve the conflict "depresses" him, arguing that "one does not put out a fire with gasoline." According to him, the paramilitaries are "a monster" that will grow to attack those who created it. He condemned human rights violations by paramilitary and guerrilla forces alike, saying, "we must win the war, but always within the rule of law."

Serpa claimed that while he is a believer in the peace process, as president he would be the real commander in chief of the army and provide real and direct leadership and support for its task. He praised Colombia's armed forces, asserting that the guerrillas have been "contained" by a series of recent army successes that have forced the FARC to fall back on guerrilla tactics and retreat from attempts at set-piece battles.

Serpa went on to say that he would seek a humanitarian agreement with the FARC and press for the revival of the economy while continuing the negotiations. Certain principles, he firmly stated, are not open for negotiation, including democracy and the territorial integrity of Colombia. Globalization has made capitalism the only viable economic system and there will be no central management of the economy, he said, but he cautioned that the free market must be subject to a "social sense."

The candidate closed his 90-minute talk by stating plainly and humbly that he is ambitious and his ambition is to be president of Colombia. Since losing the presidency to Pastrana, Serpa pointed out, he has remained in the country, providing loyal opposition, and "did not need to go to the United States to learn how to be president of Colombia." The crowd-pleasing dig was aimed at Noemi Sanin, who has been studying at Harvard since her impressive 1998 independent campaign and will likely return to Colombia soon to explore her 2002 possibilities.

The Miami appearance showed clearly that Horacio Serpa's presidential campaign is off and running. It also demonstrated the growing importance and influence of the Colombian diaspora community in South Florida. In response to questions, Serpa said that he favored legislation to allow overseas Colombians to vote in national elections. He also promised that if he is elected he will meet with President Bush to press for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for undocumented Colombians in the US. This contrasts with the position of the Pastrana government, which has sought to downplay the growing flight of Colombians seeking economic and political asylum in the US and elsewhere.