The director of one of Colombia’s most powerful business associations, Bruce Mac Master of the ANDI, resigned amid tensions with President Abelardo de la Espriella.
In a letter to the ANDI, Mac Master said that “it is time for me to step down from my role as head of the National Association of Entrepreneurs of Colombia.”
According to the former ANDI boss, “unexpected and troubling circumstances” made working for the association “particularly complex” and ‘multiple pressures have affected its ability to act freely and carry out its functions autonomously.”
In recent weeks, unexpected and troubling circumstances have arisen that have made the Association’s operating environment particularly complex, with potential adverse effects on its members and staff. Multiple pressures have affected its ability to act freely and carry out its functions autonomously. In the face of these challenges, I have sought to act with firmness and prudence, always prioritizing institutional channels and placing the interests of the ANDI above any personal considerations, in an effort to resolve this situation.
Bruce Mac Master
Mac Master’s resignation followed news suggesting that De la Espriella instructed his cabinet of boycotting the ANDI chief.
According to political news magazine La Silla Vacia, the rift between the ANDI and the government was because De la Espriella’s law firm was never allowed to join the ANDI and the association’s donations in response to the august 10 earthquake bypassed the First Lady’s newly founded and very controversial foundation.
“The General Board of Directors, its Executive Committee, and I did everything in our power to facilitate a solution and create conditions that would allow the Association to fully fulfill its role, seeking to keep channels of dialogue open and to continue contributing,” but “all of those attempts were unsuccessful.”
I deeply regret this, because I have always believed in collective intelligence and in the need for the government, the private sector, and institutions to work together—even in the face of differences—with respect, independence, and a sense of national responsibility. We tried, but we were unsuccessful.
Bruce Mac Master
Mac Master said that he hoped that his resignation would restore “collaboration between the national government and the business community—as represented by the General Board of Directors, the members, and the various divisions of the Association.”
The former ANDI chief had been trying to represent the business interests of its approximately 1,600 members since 2013.
