Antonio Navalón
A few years after the end of the Cristero War in Mexico, an English writer named Graham Greene documented how we Mexicans did justice among ourselves. His book “The Power and the Glory” alludes to the atmosphere in our country in the 1920s when members of the Mexican clergy were assassinated, turning into a real persecution that is cataloged as a civil war. The famous Calles Law imposed and sought to control and limit the practice of the Catholic religion in Mexico because, for decades, the country had a Catholic majority, causing complete chaos and approximately two hundred and fifty thousand deaths.
Despite being a contemporary of John Reed, Greene did not coincide either in his stay in Mexico or in the topics of his works since Reed also wrote about our country. Still, he focused on compiling his experiences and testimonies of the Mexican Revolution, including his accompaniment of Pancho Villa and having met Venustiano Carranza. In contrast, “El poder y la gloria” largely explains how we Mexicans leave our fate and destiny to the gods.
No one ever said that Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s chosen one should wear men’s clothes. What neither did the Mexican president do was confess that he wanted the mañaneras to be made exactly like his own. He only limited himself to saying that, of all the options, she was the right person to succeed him. That Claudia Sheinbaum would be, as she has been labeled, the Defender of the Fourth Transformation. Who would have the responsibility and the baton of command to consolidate the national regeneration movement initiated by López Obrador?
Since Oliver Cromwell, I have always been struck by the ups and downs of history. At the end of the day, Cromwell – who in a certain sense bears some resemblance to Sheinbaum – was nothing more than a practicing Anglican, defender of the rights of small landowners and a frontal enemy of tyrannies, even though the tyrant was the King. I believe that the English monarchy still exists, and we can have a Charles III – whatever he may be – thanks to Oliver Cromwell in the time, way, and manner of cutting the throat of Charles I. But what about the titles invented by Cromwell: “Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland”? I must admit that so much prosopopeia and transcendence cause that every time I hear that Claudia Sheinbaum earned the right to be the defender and guarantor of the consolidation of the 4T, I inevitably come to mind the bombastic title that Cromwell awarded himself.
At this point, it has not yet become clear which neck is the one that will have to be cut for this whole movement to end up consolidating. In the end, as in power, as in the budget, or as in love, it all comes down to continually longing for what one does not have and practicing it when one discovers it before it is over. It is a fact of magically passing from adoration without limit to criticism without quarter. If the defender and guarantor of the 4T is given a baton, it is only logical that she uses it. And therefore, her government will begin with beatings.
Deluded and poor are whoever thought that Dr. Sheinbaum would wait until June 2nd of next year – if we reach the tempting date when the elections will be held and if it is still necessary to vote – to start acting as elected successor. Although, of course, we have to wait and see what happens between now and that date since – despite Xóchitl Gálvez’s emergence – it is still unclear whether the opposition will really have a chance to stand up to Morena. In the meantime, if you are part of Morena and have ambitions or are looking to obtain a public position, you should know that the distribution of powers has already begun and that the new leader allows herself to say yes or no to suggestions requested even by the president.
Does citizen Sheinbaum have the right to make her team? Without a doubt. Does that team have to be revalidated by López Obrador? Not necessarily. Perhaps Sheinbaum’s victory in Morena’s internal elections marked her independence at the moment of acting and the moment since she began to exercise power. The problem for others, for those who do not know who to smile at, where to look, or what to do, it is necessary to pay the utmost attention to what should be a test of what could happen if, indeed, Sheinbaum ends up succeeding López Obrador. Although, one must also be very careful as there is always room for surprises.
What is happening in Mexico is entirely tragic. First, I recommend having patience, humility, and temperance. These virtues are indispensable for the moment we are going through in history. Let no one rush because everything happening can lead us – let’s hope so – to a path of hope and development or, otherwise, it can culminate in an absolute disaster. In case she is elected, Sheinbaum will end up being either a pleasant surprise or more of what we Mexicans are getting used to, which is to have leaders who are not up to the demands and circumstances. However, I insist that we must wait to see what the road map to follow will be and if the miracle of the opposition ends up culminating.
Those who at this moment have a complicated panorama are those who, after years of playing and deciphering what the circumlocutions of the owner of the ranch “La Chingada” really mean, now have to do it also with the one who was the favorite from the beginning. And all this knowing that they are probably already part of the past. In any case, there is no other way since that is what is happening, and the only possible reflection is if, with the designs and the way Sheinbaum is acting, once she has received the baton of command, it will be enough to consolidate unity. Throughout my life, I have learned something at a high cost, and that is that although you can ask for everything, from credit to understanding from your own, the only thing you can never ask someone is to love you, to trust you, and to be loyal to you.
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