Colombian President Alvaro Uribe on Wednesday sharply criticized campaign proposals to raise tax, warning that this could “severely damage” what has been achieved, reports El Espectador.
Though the president did not refer to a candidate by name, Green Party candidate Antanas Mockus has promised to raise taxes if elected.
“The chains and burdens of taxes will only kill investment and employment opportunities… this scares investment and severely damages what has been achieved in the past,” Uribe said.
According to Uribe, the proposals signify a desire to “return to the economic order of the past,” which left Colombia with little investment.
The outgoing president warned that, “We have to be very careful, some of the proposals that one hears of removing investment stimuli scare me a lot.”
Uribe’s warning against tax hikes appear to be an veiled jab at Green Party candidate Antanas Mockus, who is fighting a close rase against Partido de la U’s Juan Manuel Santos, whom many consider to be Uribe’s unofficial protege,
Mockus has promised throughout his campaign to raise taxes.
Regarding security, Uribe said that he is “worried over the proposals that he hears about wanting to return to dialogue” with the “narcoterrorists.”
The president warned that the country cannot return to the time of “consenting to the kidnappers.”
While Mockus has insisted that he will not negotiate with the FARC under current conditions, Uribe has nonetheless criticized him in the past for his stance on security.
On Tuesday, Uribe also stressed the importance of maintaining a strong security policy, arguing that “the fight cannot be suspended. Colombians must remember what has happened and what could still happen.”
On Monday, Uribe warned against change on his Twitter page, urging Colombians to not “change the hen that cares for the three eggs of security, confidence in investment, and social policy, because the change might damage them.”
Uribe, who under Colombian law is not allowed to interfere in the elections, said three weeks ago that, “I am keeping quiet, but not calm,” in regards to the presidential elections on May 30.
In April, independent electoral observers sent a letter to the president, warning him not to attempt to influence the nation’s choice of the next president.