Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos has implicitly compared former President Alvaro Uribe with tyrannical Roman emperor Caligula, causing the rage of Uribe supporters.
Santos did so in a statement published on the presidential website, defending against critics of the ongoing peace talks between his administration and rebel group FARC.
“Yes, there are some leaders, some heads of state in the past, in history – Caligula liked to make war just because, because he lived for war. But that’s not logical, it makes no sense. One has to look for peace. It’s a constitutional mandate, but we don’t need mandates to seek peace. It’s an obligation.
The implicit snide, the last of many between the two rival politicians, caused anger among Uribe-loyalists, who challenged Santos to say such things to Uribe’s face.
“It’s necessary he says clearly who he is referring to. Who does he mean? [Former President Andres] Pastrana? {Former President Cesar] Gaviria? He must be clean and specific, say names. Uribe, when he has critiques, will tell them to Santos’s face,” Uribe-loyal Senator Juan Carlos Velez told Caracol Radio.
Santos was elected in 2010 after having promised to continue his predecessor’s policy. However, after being elected he increasingly distanced himself from Uribe; Santos appointed some of Uribe’s political enemies to his cabinet and — to the dismay of Uribe — began peace talks with the FARC.