A Colombian politician is in hot water after comments he made regarding potential investment in the western department of Choco.
Rodrigo Mesa, deputy of the department of Antioquia, said “the money you will invest in Choco is like adding perfume to a turd,” in reference to a strategic plan signed by the neighboring departments in February.
“When you go to a party at someone’s home, the first thing is to clean the house so when guests arrive they find an organized home. But if they find some shitty, dirty diapers everywhere they are going to criticize,” the Liberal Party member added, referring to Colombia’s poorest department.
In response to calls for a public apology from the governor of Choco, Mesa defended his comments by saying they were not meant to offend the people of Choco but rather the plan, called Antioquia Without Borders, to invest in other departments.
The President of the Liberal Party, Simon Gaviria has not ruled out taking disciplinary action against Mesa although he hopes the congressman will ultimately retract his statement.
Antioquia Governor Sergio Fajardo took to his Twitter account to address the comments.
“As governor of Antioquia, I and the people feel embarassed by the comment about Choco made by Deputy Mesa in the Assembly of the department.”
While rich in natural resources, Choco maintains the highest poverty rate in the country.