President Gustavo Petro sparked a new controversy this week when he directly attacked the current coat of arms of the Republic, calling it “ghostly.” He even publicly requested that a bill be presented to change it.
The Colombian head of state then added: “Those two names are on a shield that no longer exists, because we do not have the condor, nor do we have the wealth, nor the pomegranate, nor do we have the Panama Canal, which is part of the national shield,” he added.
One of the first to speak out regarding these statements was Enrique Gómez, who spoke this Friday with and assured that the supposed change of the national emblem is a new strategy that the president is using to distract public opinion.
The former presidential candidate also took advantage of the conversation with this media outlet to point out that there is a pattern of manipulation, in which several influencers hired by the national government are part of.
“There is a pattern of manipulation from the Casa de Nariño. You carefully analyze the days when the president raises an absurdity, launches an attack or takes out these types of balloons, because that is a method to maintain a propaganda effort,” Gomez said.
Finally, Gomez concluded: “The response that is generated immediately is from influencers hired by the Government and the reactions of the bench.There is a very skillful and successful pattern of media manipulation here.”
Petro and Chavez
The Colombian head of state suggested adding two ribbons below the condor with the words “freedom” and “just order” in order to emphasize that the only valid order in a society is one based on justice. Senator Efraín Cepeda Sarabia also said that the island of San Andrés should be there.
“We seek to recognize the archipelago of San Andrés and Providencia, including it in the national coat of arms; this fact exalts the islanders, who demand more attention from the Government,” the legislator explained.
Faced with this proposal, President Petro was reminded on various social networks that the same idea was had by the late Venezuelan president, Hugo Chávez, who managed to push through the initiative in 2006 that was approved by the assembly of the neighboring country.
“The coat of arms of my General Falcón. The white horse, untamed and free, flying to the left, like the one from Angostura, like the one of Bolívar. Look at it, that is a horse, it does not provoke riding it because it is untamed, no one can ride it, it is the free people. I propose to the Nation that we rescue Bolívar’s horse, the horse of the Federation and put it on the national coat of arms of the Fifth Republic, the Bolivarian Republic,” said Chávez at that time.
