The People of Colombia vote NO to peace with FARC

In a historic vote today in Colombia, the people voted NO to a peace agreement that (allegedly) would've seen FARC lay down their arms, re integrate into society, pay restitution to victims and even form their own political party.

Alas, the wound was too deep; they couldn't forgive.

Did they make a mistake? If they had voted yes, the world may have seen this ridiculously corrupt nation in a new light. There may have been more international investment, more growth, perhaps a little less poverty and a little more security..

Now.. they just have more of the same..

What says ATS?

eta: Here's a link...in Spanish www.elespectador.com...

Polls said that yes would win by 2 to 1, only 40% of the electors voted and the no won by .5% or 40k votes in 30 some millions electors, well done democracy 52 years of war is not enough, the people has spoken...

Sad day.

I bet this election will have no consequence and peace will be achieved, democracy is overrated anyways.

a reply to: Indigent

Well, I dont agree that peace will be achieved, but I do agree that "democracy" is severely overrated in Colombia where the govt and Multi national companies rape/kill the resources and people without resistance leaving the vast majority in poverty.

a reply to: Tucket

peace will be achieved because farc was almost destroyed by Uribe, Santos was a traitor and instead of crushing the farc he gave it air and all this peace trash, farc is done and santos was incorporating them to politics.

Companies and all that? you think like farc join them...

a reply to: Tucket


Lining to something about FARC...

Coha.org

I remember speaking with a Colombian person that had to flee because of the FARK.

He said that a guy came up to him one day. He started to tell him his name. His wifes name. his kids name. The names of his parents. her parents. His uncles. Brothers and cousins.

The guy then proceeded to tell him the route he took to go to work. The route his wife took to take his kids to school. Etc and so forth.

The man said that he had to pay $250 a month or they would start with his parents.

This is just one story of many of too many stories that involve these terrorists.

originally posted by: Indigent
a reply to: Tucket

Companies and all that? you think like farc join them...

Yes.. Companies and all "that".... Lets not pretend that it doesn't exist...

And about joining FARC...genius!!

I don’t know enough about Columbian politics to make an intelligent opinion but I just hope a just peace happens.

a reply to:

Did they make a mistake? If they had voted yes, the world may have seen this ridiculously corrupt nation in a new light.
Tucket

Tucket,

The opening post of the thread although refers to a current important event in the region unfortunately contains this statement that frankly reveals more ignorance that knowledge from your side with respect to Colombia.

It surprises me that the thread could prosper considering that the phrase is a clear insult directed against 50 million people, put yourself just a moment in the shoes of any person born there and reading your horrendous so arrogant sentence.

Now, just to try to illuminate your extremely deep ignorance about Colombia let me remark:

- That is the eldest Democracy in all Latin America, the only Hispanic nation ( including Spain) whose Congress was never closed along all their History, and considering that South America has a so large record of dictatorships and coups that is outstanding.

- It is the second most populated nation of South America, the second one from the countries that speak Spanish in this side of the world.

- Its strategic location is remarkable and explains why it has the second eldest commercial airline of the world ( Avianca) but also has been the target of international evil powers, like the Communism or the Narco Maffias or the Nazis in WWII: it is the only country that has coasts in the two oceans in South America, its waters are natural access path to the Panama Canal and the Gulf of Venezuela, it has also corridors to the two main streams of South America: The Amazon and the Orinoco, it is crossed by the Andes, as well as by the equator line and Guayana shield.

- It has produced about a dozen of the best writers in Spanish literature, poets and novelists many of them even known in other languages all around the world: Gabriel Garcia-Marquez, Alvaro Mutis, Jose Asuncion Silva, Jorge Isaacs, Porfirio Barba Jacob, Guillermo Valencia, Diego Fallon, Jose Eustasio Rivera, Tomas Carrasquilla, Jorge Zalamea, etc.

- Its Economy is still considered the second strongest one of South America, after Chile, and its currency the most stable in value, in a continent where hyperinflation and devaluation are the norm. Colombia never has interrupted their payments of external debt or asked for its debt forgiveness due to public finances bankruptcy as Mexico, Brazil or Argentina has done, and America is struggling every year to avoid.

- The country is the most important producer of mineral Coal in the Americas, the most important of emeralds in the world, It produces the best coffee of the world, it is one of the most important producers of Gold in the world, since the times of El Dorado kingdom, it is the second most important exporter of flowers of the world after Netherlands.,

- It is the most important producer of Electric power in the Caribbean ( it provides an extremely important part of the power exported and consumed in Panama, Costa Rica, Venezuela as well), it is the second most important producer of packed and processed food in the world.

- its advances in medicine are also interesting, it is among first countries to perform surgeries of eyes, were the first synthetic vaccines were produced, where the first serious and considerable effective try on a Malaria one was carried out, also where an entire new branch in medical science was formally structured: Sophrology.

- it is the land where a new Chemical element was discovered ( Platinum) , it is one of the really important countries in manufacturing of fabrics of cotton and wool as well as in leather fashion and shoe industry, it is the country with the greatest biodiversity of the planet and it is well known that it has the second highest human diversity of the Americas with some of the most beautiful people of the world physically according with the statistics of the beauty contests.

- Colombian Music has been massively consumed in many markets since decades, even before Kike Santander, Charlie Saa, Shakira or Carlos Vives appeared.

- Colombian statesmen have been twice in the Presidency of the General Assembly of the United Nations, twice in the General Secretary of the ASO in Washington. As a matter of fact the American States Organization was founded there in 1948.

- Various Presidents of the United States have visited Colombia: Franklyn D. Roosevelt, John F Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, George H Bush, Barack Obama.

Why you say that Colombia is ridiculously corrupt? because they are fighting narcotraffic since many years ago? well that same happen in other 50 countries around the world, and guess where is almost all that illegal drug massively internally distributed and consumed, not only the one that comes from the jungles of Colombia?

or Because they have Marxist subversion along decades? well they never have had a complete collapsing revolution like Nicaragua, Venezuela, Cuba or Mexico or Military Fascist Tyrannies to repress it as Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, Peru or Bolivia.

May I continue illuminating your horrible ignorance about Colombia? have you understood that Colombia has been in the Light several times in History? or this is enough? Let me suggest if anybody here wants to read real information and take part in a serious thread about what is right now happening in Colombia please check the one below, instead to lose your time in this really funny one here.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Thanks,

The Angel of Lightness

a reply to: The angel of light

Wow.. quite a scathing review... ok.

I admit my thread creating abilities are not great...but I stand by whatever I said in OP.

Colombia is a ridiculously corrupt nation...Keep in mind that I live here. I see the sad state everyday...My girlfriend is Colombian...I had her read the thread before I posted it FFS.. please dont lecture me..

Yes there are many good things about Colombia as you mentioned.. Sadly, everything is overshadowed by a history of war, destabilization, drugs and severe oppression of the people...Are you aware of how many people live in poverty here?

Are you aware of how much wealth/resources there are in Colombia? Do you see the imbalance?

The people voted NO.... to PEACE... FFS...doesn't that tell you anything?

Have fun with your thread.. Ill be here..

a reply to: Tucket

Dear Tucket,

The difference in between the NO and the Yes was for about 0.4 % of the vote, that is not an overwhelming majority, it is technically a tied result.

This result is not determinant to establish viability of the Peace process considering that there was no registration available for this particular election, they worked with the one of the last election occurred more than two years ago.

The abstention in the election was huge, only one of every two Colombians in age to vote actually do it.

The Consequence of the lack of an updated electoral registration is that many people that wanted to vote couldn't do it, including millions of youngsters that were adolescents in 2014 but are now adults. They would be the first ones to go in to a battle field against FARC if this process is aborted.

It is unlikely that the Peace Process be destroyed by a highly doubtful result, after all the path already walked by the parts in its negotiation.

You are welcome to come to my thread on the possibilities of Colombia for a Nobel Peace award.

Thanks,

The Angel of Lightness

a reply to: The angel of light
The vote should have been unanimous. YES for peace. A no brainer right? This just goes to show you how brainwashed the people of Colombia are.

I could give you MANY more examples of how the people dont even realize that they are being soooo screwed over.

Most dont care.. most people here care about football, dancing, partying, and acquiring material things..

Its sad...but not unlike many other Countries..

eta: Yes, it looks like there is still hope for a peace agreement. Hopefully they can get something done. And it could be very well deserving of a Nobel Peace Prize.

well seeing how FARC are a bunch of communist drug dealers waging war on just about anyone in that country, i can't blame them for voting no.

originally posted by: hounddoghowlie
well seeing how FARC are a bunch of communist drug dealers wagging war on just about anyone in that country, i can't blame them for voting no.

Fair enough. Imagine the vote went through. FARC would then have an official political party. Some people think that FARC is just an extension of the CIA. Would they end up taking over the government? Maybe that would be a good thing. Given that the politicians here make Hillary look like a beauty queen...Maybe more outside influence is what is needed..

a reply to: Tucket

seems to me that the CIA, DEA, FBI, and whatever alphabet agency in the U.S. had/have all the cooperation they needed/need from the corrupt governments there now and in the past. why would they need to start another group?

The U.S has pretty much had a free hand in Columbia for a very long time.

I have a feeling this will simply be ignored. Going back to war and all the dead that would result would be stupid. This would be at the end of the civil war the Union voting that the South has not been punished enough so the war should not stop.

a reply to: MrSpad

No one really want war, the no voters just want a new treaty less beneficial for the FARC, in this treaty FARC leaders wont face jail time and will go directly as a political party with 10 guaranteed congress seats by 2026. No voters want peace without impunity.

originally posted by: hounddoghowlie
a reply to: Tucket

seems to me that the CIA, DEA, FBI, and whatever alphabet agency in the U.S. had/have all the cooperation they needed/need from the corrupt governments there now and in the past. why would they need to start another group?

The U.S has pretty much had a free hand in Columbia for a very long time.

I suppose your right. So that begs the question. What was the primary objective of the peace talks?

A safer and more efficient means of the cultivation and distribution of drugs? It would be great if drug revenue came back to the people.

Unfortunately, like most valuable commodities here, politicians give them away to foreign interests for virtually nothing..

a reply to: The angel of light

Who says that must be unanimous?

There were countries in which peace process took place before, even with Nobel Laureates due to the effort that represented, and that condition was never required or reached, like North Ireland, Israel-Palestine, Timor, South African, Nicaragua or Guatemala.

Even with a supposed perfect deal, there will be always people opposing peace, in spite of all the efforts, people that prefer to vote NO than to accept a plausible agreements, because that is the essence of a conflict: people unable to forgive and move on, prisoners of the past.

Partying, Dancing and playing football ( soccer) are not necessarily bad ways to spent time, that depends of who is judging, what kind of thoughts are crossing through his o her mind.

Colombia has also very acceptable level of Soccer in international competitions, their performance in the last world cup was even awarded, with a special medal to the best ethical behavior in the sport by the way, what a way to contradict your claim of secular corruption. Only when a sport of massively practiced it can achieved such a level.

Please check:
colombiareports.com...

Why do you think Janis Pikieris became the first Gold medal granted to a Latin American in the international competition of Ballet in Moscow? because there is a lot of nice dance schools in the country, including Incolballet.

Please check:
www.youtube.com...

Colombia is not only the people that is not doing nothing with their lives, or just resented and blaming everybody for their situation, it is a lot of Academic, worker and professional proactive people moving a lot of companies in a country with relatively higher industrial development than the other Andean nations around.

With out the partying culture in Colombia probably stars like Shakira or Carlos Vives would never have appeared there.

Again I see here an extremely negative perspective to judge the situation since the very opening post in this thread. With all respect, It is not that the country is miserable it is that your analysis of it is extremely poor.

With all respect, your approach to the topic is sincerely depressing, I would prefer to continue talking about Colombia in my own thread.

Here is the link again:

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Thanks,

The Angel of Lightness

originally posted by: The angel of light
a reply to: The angel of light

With all respect, your approach to the topic is sincerely depressing, I would prefer to continue talking about Colombia in my own thread.

You're not wrong.

There are many great things about this country. The culture is truly amazing. Didn't mean to depress you. Truth is I find it quite difficult to live here and God knows if it weren't for my partner, I would be long gone..

Good luck with your thread; you seem to be well informed on the subject.