Antonio Navalón
Since the beginning, since the Light and the Word were made, love and hate have been the elements that have most conditioned interpersonal relationships in the history of humanity. Many times, when one asks what the end result of the marvelous story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin consists of, one discovers that all species, at all times, have needed someone to play the sacred melody for them. A melody that serves as a guide and shows them the path to follow, even if it is towards the cliff.
Today, politics in Mexico is based on three principles, which are not open to discussion. The first is to take for granted everything that comes out of the throat, the brain – and I suppose the heart – of the country’s top leader. The second is not to seek the effectiveness of the actions undertaken for the benefit of the people. And finally, the third principle is based on the premise that hatred, resentment, and the thought that sustains the destruction of any institution or thing, is valid only because it is an objective or a desire of the one who leads the nation. It took thousands of years to create a civilized history. It took a lot of time and effort to ensure that relationships and personal feelings were not the only elements that governed the actions and policies of countries. To achieve that, societies are governed, regulated, and based on laws, constitutions, and ordinances that require periods of confrontation, and even blood had to be shed to achieve it. And all so that, in the end, we arrived at a point similar to the starting point, without a fixed course or clear delineations of containment.
Right now, giving much thought to the situation is unnecessary. Those with cancer are only aware of it when the disease has already become present and – in the case of early detection – has shown its first symptoms. However, there are cases in which the cells in the body have wreaked such havoc and caused such disorderly growth that by the time the disease is detected, it is already too late. This phenomenon is rarely comprehensible to the sufferer, and even less so if the victim believes he is invincible or – politically speaking – if the person with the disease is the one in power.
It is advisable not to make mistakes and to be careful when faced with the real barometers of the situation. On the one hand, there is the logical wear and tear of the exercise of power. Although this power is exercised by certain principles and under previously established rules, it does not guarantee its management’s success. On the other hand, we have a reality that is becoming increasingly visible and latent in the life of our country. In Mexico, we are facing a revolution of beliefs. Beliefs wrote with fire and blood on the stones of national resentment. That is why it is so difficult to understand, in rational terms, what is happening. And the fact is that if none of the works of the current six-year term of office – except for the morning one – fulfill the function for which they were made, for what purpose or with what objective were they initially conceived? The answer is simple; these works were created because today, the regime begins and ends with one person. Besides, the Constitution, the priorities, and the national objectives are all part of the same thing. That is to say; we are facing a regime that does not need or require practical demonstrations of usefulness. It is enough for this administration to use the fuel of hatred to have established what moves it and gives it greater forcefulness and continuity. This regime has been unable to clarify its intentions nor sustain its promises. However, what this regime has been able to promise is that its citizens will be able to continue hating until the final destruction and to do so without any kind of limit. It promises that the fuel it is most willing to refine is that which comes from social hatred.
Today we can witness a change that is taking shape and in which the rulers and leaders are already part of the process of assessing our situation. The book “The King of Cash” does not say anything we did not know in advance. The fact that we were not witnesses, did not have domestic or professional experience, or the evidence was not evident does not mean that it was not there. Whoever wanted to learn about the elements contained in this book up to this point is because they wanted to. The facts have been there for a long time; the thing is that before the questions about the origins, the way of living or organizing of President López Obrador always led to the City Hall building and never left the Zócalo.
To be horrified, surprised, or to ask for proof in the face of what was already evident is absurd. First, the whole system is made and works so that there is no substantial or tangible proof of what has been exposed. But, secondly, because – let’s not fool ourselves – the arrival of the current Mexican President was, in part, a reaction to the past. A past led and governed by a kleptocracy based on corruption and impunity. Moreover, it can be said – in a sort of justification – of those who followed or voted for President López Obrador that the context in which we arrived at 2018 did not give much room for play or sufficiently promising options. That is not the problem. The problem is not what was already done in the past or the circumstances under which life sometimes forces us to act. The problem lies in the denial to which we Mexicans have had to resort and the same disclaimer that our leader has had to employ under the specious justification that his aim was good and that of others was not.
The book “El Rey del Cash” is not the problem either. It is curious since the same thing happens with this text as with polls. In theory, surveys should be based on various options and possibilities. However, given the situation we find ourselves in, there are no options or alternatives to choose from right now. Therefore, what is the point of demonstrating what one thinks about the regime if there is no instance to channel and follow up this demonstration?
From this point on, President López Obrador should tread carefully. Basically, because – as demonstrated in the leaks about military reports and contents – his political and physical integrity is at risk. But he should be careful, above all, because after having made such a brilliant career – politically speaking – as he has done, he should know that the people’s reaction is only perceptible when it is too late to act and reverse it. And at this moment, with everything that has happened, with the proof that he is lying, with the breeding ground that means being able to believe the content that nests in “The King of Cash”, forces the President to be very careful with what he does. With what he does, but, above all, how he does it, since the national leader cannot forget that the only thing that differentiates this regime from a “Party-State” made to govern in conditions of inequality vis-à-vis its political competition is his existence. Not because the President guarantees a level playing field but because it is impossible to find a more irrational leadership endeavor than the one developed by the figure of the most-voted President in the history of the country.
We must prepare ourselves for great upheavals. Above all, because in politics, it is always necessary to know and learn from past lessons. In our country, the lessons of the past show that a political party such as MORENA is only capable of ending and destroying itself from within, from its entrails. In that sense, the election of the President over the last two years and the result of having liquidated practically all of the country’s reserves force us to live in a time of significant turbulence. A time in which, undoubtedly, the organizations that seek to fight to replace the one that currently governs our country will have to organize themselves. And they will have to do it under a context and a panorama of significant conflicts and in which hatred is the real engine that moves those who will elect them or not.
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