Colombia’s Government Accused of Ordering Ministers to Shun Critics
Colombia · Politics
Key Facts
- The country — Colombia is South America’s third most populous country, with about 52 million people. Its business lobbies negotiate directly with the government over tax, health and budget rules.
- Who is involved — ANDI, the National Business Association of Colombia, is the largest business group in the country, with about 1,500 members. Bruce Mac Master has led it since 2013, and its board reconfirmed him on 8 September 2026.
- What changed — Colombia has a new government under President Abelardo de la Espriella. ANDI is questioning health funding in the 2027 budget now before Congress.
- What happened — Alejandro Gaviria, a former minister, said on X that the government orders ministers to shun independent business leaders, journalists and executives. Infobae reported his post on Tuesday 22 September 2026.
- Where the claim came from — Vicky Dávila, a former presidential candidate who manages publications at the magazine Semana, wrote on X that no minister may meet Mac Master. Senators Andrés Forero of the Democratic Centre and Ariel Ávila of the Green Alliance both objected.
- What it means for you — If you run or fund a business in Colombia, access to ministers may now depend on staying quiet. Nothing is confirmed, so read it as a signal rather than a rule.
- Still open — The Presidency has not confirmed that any such order exists, and no official response to Gaviria has been reported. Officials were said to be weighing extending the veto to ANDI board members.
A reported order to keep ministers away from the head of Colombia’s main business lobby has drawn fire from a former minister and senators on left and right.
Bruce Mac Master, head of Colombia’s biggest business association, is at the centre of a new political row. A reported order barring ministers from meeting him has drawn fire from former minister Alejandro Gaviria.
Without naming President Abelardo de la Espriella, Gaviria called the government “increasingly arrogant, isolated and ineffective”. He made the charge on X, in a post reported by Infobae on Tuesday 22 September 2026.
What the reported veto is
The veto is not about a board seat, a delegation or a commission. It concerns access to the government itself.
The claim came from Vicky Dávila, a former presidential candidate who manages publications at the news magazine Semana. She posted it on X on 21 September 2026.
“Government sources confirm that from now on, no minister can meet Bruce Mac Master, president of ANDI,” she wrote. She added that officials were weighing extending the veto to ANDI board members.
The political news site La Silla Vacía noted that Semana itself had not carried the report. It described Dávila as a kind of spokesperson for the new government.
The Presidency has not confirmed that any such order exists. No official response to Gaviria or to the senators who objected has been reported.
Mac Master has run the National Business Association of Colombia, known as ANDI, since 2013. It groups about 1,500 companies in industry, finance and commerce, according to the news site Las2orillas.
Gaviria’s words, and his stake
Gaviria served as health minister under Juan Manuel Santos and as education minister under Gustavo Petro. His post did not mention De la Espriella by name.
“The order is clear,” he wrote, in The Rio Times’ translation. “Do not talk to business associations, journalists or executives who show any independence.”
“The purpose is also evident: to end dissent, to build by force a kind of artificial consensus,” he continued.
He ended with the line quoted most widely. “The result is predictable: a government that is increasingly arrogant, isolated and ineffective.”
Gaviria has a personal interest in the dispute. His wife, the economist Carolina Soto, withdrew this month from the presidency of the Colombian Chamber of Infrastructure, a construction lobby.
“In view of the opposition my appointment generated, I have decided to decline,” Soto said, as quoted by the outlet Cambio. Infobae reported that she had faced pressure from the government.
A board that kept its president
The friction predates this week. Cambio reported on 8 September 2026 that the government had signalled, through various channels, that it preferred a new head at ANDI.
ANDI’s board confirmed Mac Master anyway at a meeting that day. Rodolfo Castillo became board chair and María del Rosario Gómez vice chair, according to Las2orillas.
Earlier, Dávila had written that Mac Master had “zero interactions” with the new president. La Silla Vacía reported that, officially, the two men have no quarrel.
Cambio also described a split over donations for reconstruction in Chocó, a Pacific coast department. Mac Master chose a trust and donors’ board rather than the fund run by first lady Ana Lucía Pineda.
Criticism from both sides of Congress
The reaction crossed party lines. Senator Andrés Forero of the Democratic Centre, the party of former president Álvaro Uribe, objected publicly.
“This is not right,” Forero said. “Business associations’ autonomy and independence is a democratic value that should not be lost.”
He urged the government to reconsider what he called an “inconvenient and alarming decision”.
Senator Ariel Ávila of the opposition Green Alliance went further. He said the president gives no press conferences or interviews and speaks only to “friendly” media.
Ávila also said officials call to demand the heads of journalists and business association managers. He likened the conduct to “any banana-republic authoritarian”.
The health budget in the background
The row lands as ANDI challenges the government on health spending. On 21 September 2026 the association warned about the per-patient payment that funds Colombia’s health insurers.
ANDI said this year’s adjustment of 12.94% would leave a gap of 3.7 trillion pesos (about US$1.16 billion). It had recommended an increase of 15.6%.
That conversion uses the official rate of 3,192.53 to the US dollar for 22 September 2026. The rate is published by Colombia’s Financial Superintendence.
Mac Master argued that the 2027 budget debate in Congress should rest on technical criteria. Infobae read that as criticism of Health Minister Ana María Vesga.
What comes next
For now the dispute rests on a reported directive the government has neither confirmed nor denied. No minister has said publicly whether they will meet the ANDI chief.
The first test will come as Congress debates the 2027 budget. ANDI has already asked for health spending to match the system’s real costs.
More: Colombia coverage, every day from The Rio Times.
Background: Auto Draft.
Who is Bruce Mac Master?
He is the executive president of ANDI, the National Business Association of Colombia, a post he has held since 2013. ANDI groups about 1,500 companies from industry, finance and commerce. He was a frequent critic of economic measures under former president Gustavo Petro. The ANDI board confirmed him again on 8 September 2026.
What exactly was vetoed?
Not a seat or appointment. On 21 September 2026 Vicky Dávila, a Semana executive, wrote on X that government sources said no minister may meet Mac Master. The government has not confirmed the directive, and no official response has been reported.
Who is Alejandro Gaviria?
He is a Colombian economist and former university rector. He was health minister under Juan Manuel Santos and education minister under Gustavo Petro. His wife, Carolina Soto, withdrew this month from the presidency of the Colombian Chamber of Infrastructure after what she called opposition to her appointment.
Has the government responded?
No response from the Presidency or any minister has been reported. The criticism has come from Gaviria and from senators Andrés Forero of the Democratic Centre and Ariel Ávila of the Green Alliance.
Sources: Infobae on Gaviria’s post and the reported veto, La Silla Vacía on Dávila’s post and the reaction, Cambio on the ANDI board vote, Las2orillas on the new ANDI board, La República on ANDI’s health funding warning, Colombian open data on the official exchange rate
Frequently Asked Questions
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief