A Way to Keep Colombia Whole

With Colombians divided between those who think their president should resign and those who think he should stay, Ernesto Samper should take into consideration the national good and step aside until his political fate is decided. Under Colombian law, a president may temporarily vacate the office without giving it up. A politically balanced congressional commission should investigate to determine whether Samper is innocent or guilty of knowingly receiving campaign money from drug lords.

Samper is right when he points out he has not been officially charged with any wrongdoing. There have been allegations, many times contradictory allegations, that he not only knew about a Cali drug cartel contribution to his presidential campaign fund but that he was the one who decided to accept it.

In office for 18 months, Samper otherwise has a positive record. The economy is growing at a reasonable 4.5% a year, exports are up and inflation is down. His social policies have been well-received among the neediest Colombians and have mitigated somewhat the negative effects of economic liberalization. Compared to the recent past, respect for human rights is better.

On the other hand, no country could long put up with the events that have marked the Samper administration--hunger strikes, arrests of congressional deputies, resignations of Cabinet ministers and ambassadors and almost daily drug-related scandals. Samper’s ability to govern diminishes by the minute, despite his eloquent and emotional speeches in Congress.

Given the political climate, the best way to prevent a fracturing of the government would be an informal arrange-ment among Colombia’s main political forces to try to negotiate a Solomonic agreement on succession once Samper has stepped aside to let a commission decide his fate. Such an agreement should be decided openly and accepted by a clear majority of the people.

That is the best way to build trust, a necessary condition for any accord.

Understandably, the president wants to remain in power. But if he stays, he in all probability will be presiding over an ungovernable nation that is split in irreconcilable parts.