Federico Reyes Heroles
Is it romanticism or naivety? The word progress is misleading.
Are we growing as human beings?
Societies are progressing in the material sense. The accounts of institutions such as the World Bank or the United Nations confirm it: from 1990 to 2014, more than one billion people left extreme poverty. Hardship is on the decline. Educational levels have also risen, and illiteracy is decreasing, not at the desired speed, but decreasing. Education is knowledge, undoubtedly, but above all, it is a forging of values that guide us in life. It could be assumed that these advances would correspond to an improvement in people’s ethical behavior. However, something is very wrong in the world, and… also in Mexico.
Almost a decade ago, Transparency International launched a strange contest: Unmask the Corrupt. Thus emerged the list of the 15 most scandalous cases: Zine el Abidine Ben Ali, former president of Tunisia, stole around 2,600 million dollars from his compatriots; FIFA, with 81 cases of money laundering; in Petrobras, only 2,000 million dollars were missing. The list goes on: Viktor Yanukovych, former president of Ukraine, an incalculable fortune; jade trafficking in Myanmar; Martinelli, from Panama, only 100 million dollars; the son of the president of Equatorial Guinea -75% of the population living in poverty- with an emporium; Hosni Mubarak, Egypt, one billion dollars of official funds. And here we are in 2024, with Trump indicted several times on all kinds of charges, already with a conviction but… with a high probability of winning. And then Biden with a son accused of tax evasion. Ethical soundness is not in fashion.
AMLO does not see wrong to phase the succession, it was the headline of a newspaper of national circulation. The news was real, but what country are we talking about? One that has made the obsessions of an individual a form of government. It is false that taking over the Judicial Power is new to him. Since the campaign, in front of the board members of a bank, he launched his intention to create a new chamber specialized in corruption. In April 2019, Senator Monreal launched the initiative third chamber, which would have made the Plenum with 16 justices. In April 2021, AMLO supported the proposal approved by the Senate to extend the term of the sitting president of the Supreme Court of Justice for two more years. Then, he proposed some highly questionable candidates for justices, so the intention was very clear from the beginning.
In the country of one man—because we do not know if he will allow Sheinbaum to become herself—knowing the presidential moods is more important than the principles that should govern the Judiciary, the three million ongoing cases, or the professional future of more than 5,000 judges. All without knowing the real problems.
How much has the example of this amorality, enhanced with the megaphone in six years, taken hold? One of the typical engines of the vote is punishment and reward. Veracruz and Yucatan are the antithesis. Alternation in the three orders of government was growing. What happened? Polarization – the good versus the bad – won. The ostentatious vote-buying worked. The carrying of votes did not shame. False identities, Afro-descendants, sexual diversity, or men who registered as biological women became fashionable.
The open political persecution of critics and journalists did not matter. The ostentatious waste of resources in pharaonic works did not enter the balance. The monumental corruption scandals did not weigh. Nepotism was accepted. Systematic lying as a form of government received approval. Contempt for women and their causes did not revolt. The controversial militarization and the dubious results of the National Guard under military command were not an issue. Insults to Mexico City (CDMX), to the middle classes, to the universities – UNAM in particular – and the unions did not cause outrage. That is AMLO ‘s ethical legacy, which many applaud.
One thing is clear: we are not better citizens, and the Republic languishes.
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