Federico Reyes Heroles
In front of his mother’s coffin—which Borges looked at without seeing her—a deceased friend approached the great writer and whispered, “Too bad. A few months and Leonor would have turned 100.” With his characteristic irony, he replied, “But what an obsession with the decimal metric system.”
It is not necessary to wait for the new government’s 100 days. The outlines are already clear. After six years of unhealthy polarization, I expected the new President to slowly distance herself from that evil strategy. It is not too difficult; it is enough not to resort to the discourse of the enemies, the adversaries of the project, of the people, etc., which injects a poison that will circulate for years. It has not been like that.
I wanted her to actively exercise her ability to listen to the many to whom the doors have been closed. Listening is an essential part of democracy. Her visits to Acapulco were encouraging. But that optimism was short-lived. The pressures on the media and the disappearance of certain pens and faces ratified that the line is the same—a grave mistake. Plurality is the source of the best decisions. Crushing those who differ leads to foolishness. We are already living it. Another one. Keeping silent is often a great opportunity. What a need to ratify -by entering- an indefensible position: the forgiveness of Spain. What does Mexico gain? Because she will be out of power and Spain and Mexico will remain united, not only in their origins, but in the common projects that are an essential source of income.
I also thought, my mistake, that a “scientist” would understand the inexistence of scientific arguments to accredit damage to health derived from genetically modified corn. Our counterparts have been very tolerant of the management of the panel’s time, but everything has come to an end. Mexico accepted that criterion. Today we are governed by an outdated ideology. To take the issue to the Constitution is to deny that the CUSMA/USMCA/T-MEC is much more than a trade agreement, it is a political and cultural agreement to which Mexico joined by will. Science included. The CUSMA/USMCA/T-MEC is the main engine of our economy. They are playing with fire.
My initial optimism assumed there would be a more careful handling of the official numbers. On the same day that the President, with viciousness, spoke of the “huge amount of money” that the justices who will leave the Court would take with them in their retirement benefits -because it is their right- it was announced that Pemex is carrying a debt of 100 billion dollars. Suppose this debt is splendidly negotiated at 5%; it will be $5 billion in interest in 2025 alone. Let us suppose, because it is humanly desirable, that those retiring justices would live 100 years -without falling into the obsession of Borges’ mother’s friend- because, even so, that “money” does not look good. I also thought she would be aware of the rapacious advance of Morena’s nepotism, but given the nominations to the Judiciary and the appointment of the prosecutor of the CDMX and others, it is clear to me that she does not care either. Recycling rogues is another form of compadrazgo.
What should we say about the continuation of the spending formula? Instead of taking advantage of its enormous power to move towards a fundamental fiscal reform that would allow for greater but sustained spending, the pension and scholarship scheme is ratified to the detriment of the only spending that -in the long run- causes stable prosperity: health and education. And the robbery of Infonavit? Pulling resources from wherever, even if it is not legal, to spend more. They act like drug addicts; they can no longer stop, even if, in the long run, they destroy us.
They do not read their fragility. Paradox: All the internal power -executive, legislative, and now judicial- is useless to them in accrediting seriousness before the world. The Republic is fractured, amputated -without a credible Judiciary, without counterweights- and they continue in their mad gallop. A strangled INE may stumble and exhibit caprice. What is the calculation?
Poor Mexico they are not serious, even in their own benefit.
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