My stupid recipe, Doctor Restrepo, achieved the highest employment rate, the lowest rates of hunger and poverty of the 21st century, and some of the highest levels of per capita income in the last quarter of my government in the entire history of Colombia. You and Abelardo today, just as you did in Duque's government during the first month of his administration, shot up unemployment almost to the double-digit figures that you handed over to my government. That's called a step back! It's unfortunate that a part of the Colombian electorate believes that Colombia's destiny is to go backward. Again the IMF, again over-indebtedness that you promoted, Dr. Restrepo, by giving subsidies to the rich and imposing a gasoline subsidy paid with the budget. These days, that is called economic ignorance and anachronism. I propose my support from the opposition to make a great agreement for the equitable progress of Colombia. What allowed us to have the best social economic figures of the century was: 1. Leaving hydrocarbon extraction and moving to real production in industry, commerce, and tourism. Prioritizing production, that is, the transformation of materials to make other materials for a good life for people, automatically raises employment levels and overall productivity. 2. Raising the minimum wage every year to the level of the vital basket for a family. This was demanded by the social doctrine of the Catholic Church in the encyclical "Rerum Novarum" by Leo XIII, and you, as a fervent Catholic, should apply it. In that encyclical and in that of Francis I about the "common home," and in that of Leo XIV about "a dignified Humanity," you would find a comprehensive agreement with the progressivism I lead. 3. A leading role of the state in the economy in strategic matters such as tariffs for industrialization, abundant and cheap credit for small and medium-sized industries, cheap credit for industry, food production, exports, and zero-interest credit for any national industry that produces an increase in Colombia’s computational capacity, energy, and railroads. 4. Leading the decarbonization of the economy through a 100% clean electricity generation matrix, replacing the prohibitively expensive gas with extremely cheap and abundant solar energy in Colombia. Remember that in my government I managed to increase growth in the four years by 500% in the naval industry and 200% in the electric automotive industry. 5. Redistributing another million hectares among farmers and doubling food production in the country to lower the prices of the family basket and increase real wages. You and we can lower the interest rate set by the Board of the Bank of the Republic by configuring another majority in the board that is friendly to production and work. 5. And if you don’t want, Mr. Restrepo, to reach agreements given the mind-numbing sectarianism that predominates, then just remember my advice: work and nature are the sources of wealth, and in Colombia, the real wage as an expression of the value of work allows the expansion of the internal market, both formal and informal, and increases the number of companies and workforce. When the country decides to return to legitimate institutions, it might be too late for you, but these will be the economic bases already experienced with positive data for a national agreement. (translated)
