WHY MEXICO, CHAPTER 7 (PART II)

Can Mexican politicians become part of the solution instead of origin of the problems?

FUTURE OF THE POLITICIANS SUBCULTURE.

   Mexican politicians are not disastrous on purpose, they are disastrous because of their ignorance and insensibility.

   In fact, many politicians think that they are useful and in some way needed, many among them jump into politics to become parasites; this last is not a vocational characteristic of politicians, but comes from the Conquerors' and Defeated’s syndromes, which give them authorization to benefit from the work of others, and to accept with pitiful submission any order from their superiors without questioning its morality or legality.

   Politicians of all tendencies integrate the political class. They group around a leader who has a high position in government or has a high possibility of being nominated to a governmental position.

   Membership in a political group can be acquired through friendship, family ties or audacity. Each member wants to get a job, keep the job he already has, or secure a new job when his current leader happens to go to a new position or decides to retire.

   These groups, like carnivals, gather clowns and kings in the same show.

   Politicians get a job and know that it will last, if they are lucky, until their boss stays in office. Convinced that they will eventually be unemployed, they concentrate on increasing their income by any means and have no commitment to their work.

   In any organization, including the government, the high turnover of personnel has as a consequence, the lack of continuity in projects and the waste of experience.

   That is why from long ago, governments have implemented regulations to separate politicians from government performance. In modern times it was in 1929, in the Netherlands, where they designed a Civil Service Career System that for the first time clearly aimed at that purpose.

   By 2003, México was the only member of OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development), that had not yet implemented a Civil Service Career.

   Mexican politicians moved by their ambivalence of conquerors and defeated were quick and superficial. They produced in 2003 a law for the Civil Service Career applicable only to the Federal Government that covers from the Area Directors down.

   The law is not respected and at all levels (federal, state, city, or county) the new appointees take all job positions under their control, as a bounty to distribute among friends, family and followers.

   New employees so recruited, in order to keep in place, follow the unwritten rules of closing the eyes, let go, and keep quiet.

   At this point it seems ridiculous to expect politicians to evolve towards something better, but I have the feeling that such a miracle is possible.

   Most politicians come from decent Mexican families, and many are the first in their genealogy to join politics, therefore, they have better moral bases that what they show.

   Having so many newcomers is the reason for the stability of more than eighty years of the political system that, thanks to its remarkable permeability, allows to all those who wish to start a political career to do so.

   In fact, becoming a politician is easier than joining the mafia. The main difference is that the political system demands more patience and the mafia is always dangerous.

   Retaking the idea that Mexican politicians can become a plus instead of a problem, I have sensed that they share with the rest of the population the hope for a better México, yet, unfortunately they are influenced by a political system, that for a long time, has turned liars and traitors into examples of success.

   On the other hand, Mexican society, like all societies, has increased its capacity for criticism and communication, faster than ever, thanks to social electronic networks.

   Now politicians are exposed in ways never imagined.

   Politicians can prevent a newspaper or magazine from being printed or distributed, yet cannot stop a tweet. They can hide from their own conscious, yet cannot hide from all those who have an electronic communication device.

   When government officials appear on social media as dishonest, corrupt, arbitrary, irresponsible, or ignorant of the issues for which they are responsible, they must consider whether their behavior will keep them in office or take them to jail.

   Politicians are being re-educated for the overwhelming force of public indignation driven by the technology of communications.

   An unexpected factor in the solution of Mexico’s problems is the new President of the Republic.

   Andrés Manuel López Obrador has been showing a profound knowledge of Mexico’s problems and is implementing real, sound and positive changes to make México a prosperous country where corruption shall no longer exist.

   So far he has induce an existential shock in politicians. Both his followers and opponents, can’t understand Lopez’s different way of doing things.

   Lopez Obrador’s inauguration was four months ago and the population is now giving him more support than when he was elected, and it is very possible that the political class will follow his lead.

   He has the opposition of rival political parties, that is normal and even desirable, yet, the biggest threat to his project is the Politicians Sub-culture that includes his followers and opponents.

   México needs a cultural revolution, and only a non-violent approach is likely to succeed. Violence will only benefit the continuity of the state of affairs.

   The only way to move forward is the institutional way, and Lopez Obrador seems to be well aware of that. I wish him the best of successes.

   End government inefficiency and eradicate corruption, may well reduce insecurity, unemployment and migration, in the short term.

   To assure viability to Mexico’s economy in the mid and long terms, needs much more than a cultural revolution. We will look into this matter in the next chapter.

   I am compelled to conclude that politicians are the only ones who can save the country. This is a strange statement, because it suggests that politicians may be willing to solve the problems that benefit them.

   It seems pointless to think that politicians will reeducate themselves for good only because they have been exposed on social networks or because a charismatic leader talks them in.

   It may not happen, but other ways to induce change, such as drastic actions or violent confrontations, are out of question, because when such things begin they tend to stay for ever.

   So, if it is impossible for politicians to be re-educated by the pressure of the people or the teachings of a leader, and the option of a mass purge is not advisable, the only reasonable statement to define the future of the Political Subculture is:

   The future of the Mexican Political Class, places its members as the worst possible pandemic in history or as the saviors of the Nation. Everything will depend on the common objective chosen, which may be the current one, of using power to benefit oneself, or the implementation of a solid project to save México.