President Ivan Duque at the promotion ceremony to second lieutenants.
At the Military School of Cadets José María Córdova, where he led the ceremony of promotion of 196 second lieutenants, President Ivan Duque stated that “it is very important that we go out to vote this weekend, with joy, with enthusiasm, without hatred, without pressure, without fears; to always have the certainty that the verdict of the polls will be always respected by the whole nation.”
In that sense, he expressed that “the message that Colombia has to continue giving to the world is that we make orderly, constitutional, peaceful transitions of presidential command”.
In the ceremony, President Duque said that “It has been the greatest honor to be the Supreme Commander of these military Forces to accompany them in difficult times, not as often happens in the world of politics where people like to be filled with the glory every time that there is an achievement, but when there is a storm, they leave and come to hide under any shadow, highlighting the responsibility of men and women in uniform, so that it does not touch them.”
President Iván Duque gave on Thursday a message of tranquility to Colombians to exercise their right to vote in freedom, free of pressure or fears, and with full respect for them, thanks to the Democracy Plan launched by the Military Forces and the National Police throughout the national territory.
“In some regions there are some armed groups that have tried to intimidate; in others there are some that have tried to constrain the voter, but here the Democracy Plan has worked, it is underway, we have all our Army, all our Police in the country to work for freedom,” said the Head of State in dialogue with journalists at the José María Córdova Cadet Military School, at the end of the promotion ceremony to 196 second lieutenants.
The president said that “it is very important that we go out to vote this weekend, with joy, with enthusiasm, without hatred, without pressure, without fears; to always have the certainty that the verdict of the polls will be always respected by the whole nation, by the President of the Republic, Military Forces, and all the institutions.”
He reiterated that the country must continue to demonstrate that it is one of the most solid democracies on the American continent and he expressed the firm conviction that it is at the polls where the Colombian people decide their future.
“The message that Colombia has to continue giving to the world is that we make orderly, constitutional, peaceful transitions in the presidential leadership. Let's wait for the results on Sunday (June 19) and whatever the Colombian people decide, we will all support it,” President Duque added.
Tribute to the promotion “Captain Orlando Natalio Mazo Gamboa”
At the Parades field of the National Army training center, the President paid tribute to Captain Orlando Natalio Mazo Gamboa, one of the 27 soldiers who lost their lives in the terrorist attack against Las Delicias Military Base, in Putumayo, on August 30, 1996; the name of this promotion of officers honors his memory.
“Captain Mazo Gamboa was one of those heroes who died in the Las Delicias military base, in a terrorist, vile, bloody attack; they never bowed in front of the enemy and they battled until the last of their ammunition, showing their commitment to our country, to its constitutional order, its institutions, and that is why never, never, in Colombia will be comparable those who defend the Constitution to those who have wanted to tramping it,” said Duque.
He in the same way recalled that Captain Mazo Gamboa in the same way embodies the members of the Military Forces who have been victims of terrorism and who were represented in a truth report so that justice is done against those crimes.
“In our country there are not multiple truths, there is only one, and that is that throughout our history and during the past few decades there have been many who have wanted to subvert the order, but they have faced the Military Forces of Colombia, who never fade, who are always loyal and faithful to our constitution,” he said.
Results
President Duque highlighted as an honor of his Government to have issued the Veteran's Law and to have instituted every October 10 as a day to pay tribute to those who have worn the uniform of the Military Forces with honor.
The Act, he highlighted, in the same way establishes benefits in education, housing, health and provides opportunities for Military Forces veterans to train in skills that led them to access a job.
He in the same way referred to the blows of the Military Forces dealt to 185 heads of criminal organizations killed or arrested, a result that he described as “unprecedented in a government in the recent history of Colombia.”
In this regard, the President said that “the symbols of evil that have fallen are a victory of legality, it is the possibility of continuing to show that security is not at the manipulation of anyone. These results in the same way confirm that these military forces are everywhere and also that the enemy has no hiding place or lair.”
As for the National Army, he celebrated its participation, leadership and support in providing care to the inhabitants to face the emergency due to the covid-19 pandemic, transporting and collaborating in the distribution of food and vaccines in the most remote places in Colombia, as well as the key operation, together with the Colombian Navy, the Colombian Air Force and the National Police, in the reconstruction of the island of Providencia, after Hurricanes Iota and Eta.
He in the same way highlighted the operation of the Army which in his Government has carried out more than 50 percent of all humanitarian demining that has been carried out in the national territory.
“It has been the greatest honor to be the Supreme Commander of these military Forces to accompany them in difficult times, not as often happens in the world of politics where people like to be filled with the glory every time that there is an achievement, but when there is a storm, they leave and come to hide under any shadow, highlighting the responsibility of men and women in uniform, so that it does not touch them.” said the President Duque.
And he concluded: “I have accompanied our military Forces and I will always accompany them, and when on August 7, at 3:00 in the afternoon, I return to my status as a simple citizen, they will in the same way continue to count on my loyalty and my commitment.”
Source: Government Information System
