Spanish – In the National Palace, Andrés Manuel López Obrador presented a “triumphalist” report of his first two years of government, without any self-criticism, to only 70 guests due to the pandemic.
This time it was not from a crowded Zócalo in the capital, as it was last year.
Once again, he repeated everything he had said in his morning addresses. It was predictable, nothing new, nothing different. According to him, the foundations for Mexico’s transformation are already in place, and he has fulfilled 97 of the 100 commitments he made two years ago.
“Only three are pending or in the process: to decentralize the federal government, to promote the development of renewable energy sources through the rehabilitation of hydroelectric plants, and to learn the truth about the disappearance of the young people of Ayotzinapa. That’s what we’re doing,” he said.
Has he really fulfilled almost all of his commitments? His “adversaries-” as he refers to those who think differently from him- assert that there is no foundation, much less a change for the benefit of the country.
It was a short 42-minute speech in which he presented practically a summary of his 504 morning addresses that he has given since he came to power on December 1, 2018.
AMLO: we have not been overtaken by the pandemic
On the issue of health, commitment number 13, López Obrador believes that there are only good accounts. He insisted that his government has confronted the COVID-19 pandemic with “unconventional strategies” but with success.
However, just yesterday, the World Health Organization (WHO), through its director, Tedros Adhanom, recommended that Mexico take the issue of the pandemic “very seriously” because doubling the number of deaths and infections is very dangerous.
López Obrador also stressed that he inherited a health system in ruins and “undermined by corruption,” but, despite this, 130 hospitals were constructed and have now been used to care for people with COVID-19 and to prevent these spaces from being overwhelmed.
About the pilgrimage of hundreds of sick people and their families to find care in hospitals, he said nothing.
The miracle of the Compatriots
On the economic issue, López Obrador stated that Mexico is starting to grow. The dollar has not depreciated, and the minimum wage has increased by 30%. He even called it a “social miracle” that amid the crisis, remittances to the country have increased by 10%. This time, he recognized that it is a “heroic act of our fellow countrymen” and not an achievement of his government, as he has made people believe on other occasions.
According to his figures, 555,600 jobs have already been recovered from the more than 1,270,000 lost during the pandemic, and he announced that by March, all of them will have been recovered.
He reported that more than a billion pesos had been saved in purchases and contracts. But he did not mention anything about the 70% of the contracts that his government grants directly, without bidding, according to Transparencia Mexicana.
Nor did he refer to the forecast in the fall of the GDP that is calculated between 7.4% and 10.5% for 2020, and that there would be 12 million more poor people this year.
He presumed that around insecurity, most crimes had gone down. Although in intentional homicides, femicides, and extortion, the numbers have grown. Those who investigate and analyze the issue of violence in Mexico predict that 2020 will close with record numbers of homicides. More than 70,000.
According to the different surveys, AMLO reached the first third of his mandate with approval between 58% and 65 % and disapproval between 42 and 35 %. But he always has other data.
The president has other data
“The majority of Mexicans are supporting our government in the last poll because I have another data: 71% of Mexicans want us to continue governing, and that’ s what we have. That is the fundamental thing: the support of the majority of the people.”
Last March, the approval of the Mexican president was 78%.
Although AMLO’s popularity is high, there is no relation to the reality of Mexico. If we evaluate the performance of the workers’ government item by item, the numbers change.
Mainly in the areas that most concern society, such as the economy, security, health, and corruption. There, the surveys fail.
The armed forces, the army, and the navy took the recognition of the report. Three times, the applause for them caused the speech to be interrupted: “I recognize and thank the unconditional support of the soldiers and marines of Mexico who have supported us in public security tasks because now the constitution allows it.”
Unlike other messages or speeches, this time, there were no attacks on the adversaries, the sissies, conservatives, or the bad people.
Surprisingly, he now accepted that not everything is perfect and that he does not aspire to a consensus, that there is a legitimate and normal opposition in an authentic democracy. But he has the support of the people.