At the close of 2025, Colombian columnists highlight distrust, governmental ineffectiveness, and an economic crisis worsened by debts and taxes as the main threats to the country. While criticizing official lies and poor fiscal management, they call for building trust, social commitment, and education for a hopeful future.
In columns published in late December 2025, experts like Jaime Alberto Leal Afanador, rector of UNAD, and Senator Paloma Valencia reflect on the ending year, emphasizing the need to overcome polarization and distrust in Colombian society. Leal Afanador stresses that 'the main threat to a society is, undoubtedly, distrust and, of course, the ineffectiveness produced by the low social commitment', proposing to strengthen trust, commitment, and social effectiveness for 2026, with emphasis on education integrating AI and respectful dialogue.
Valencia, in a critical tone toward the government, details the public debt rise to $1.180 trillion in October 2025, the Economic Emergency decree, and new taxes such as the wealth tax for companies over $2 billion, the increase of the 4x1000 to 5x1000 on financial transactions, and hikes on liquors (30%), cigarettes, and vapes. She denounces 'official lies', like the supposed dismantling of narcotrafficking despite coca production jumping from 1,400 tons in 2021 to 2,664 in 2023, with 253,000 hectares cultivated and armed groups growing to 24,000 members in 2024. In health, tutelas rose 70% from 2022 to 2024, reaching 126,000 by May 2025, with system debts at $33 trillion.
Hugo E. Gamboa Cabrera agrees on the economic chaos from poor budget management, parallel payroll with thousands of electoral hires, and three tax reforms without visible results. Despite the criticisms, the authors see hope in reducing bureaucracy, fighting illegality, and prioritizing investment and education for a prosperous country.
These opinions, published on occidente.co, reflect a consensus on the urgency of concrete actions beyond speeches, toward effective governance.
