Mexico Trucker Online

A few questions concerning moments in Mexico’s political and social life have been haunting my thoughts. I often find myself wondering how Mexico’s people will see these events 70 or 80 years from now.

Will the current political situation be a mere transfer of power, or will this reshape the social landscape of the country?

Today, corruption continues to be widespread in Mexico, a byproduct of social stagnation of a very hierarchical culture — the track record is not good enough yet to fully endorse institutions in that country.

The rhetoric and the calls for civil disobedience from leftist presidential candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador have stopped being just about the presidency. The efforts of López Obrador and his supporters are more than a well-planned attempt to seek the nullification of the presidential election and a subsequent attempt to undermine a Felipe Calderón presidency. The current events may be the beginning of a social movement that seeks to exert pressure on the government and president and achieve some structural changes to some of Mexico’s institutions.

López Obrador’s intuition is well-known in Mexico’s political circles, but now he has truly found a niche among the people and in the streets of Mexico City and the south. But he has consistently demonstrated difficulty adhering to rules, which would stifle him as president. He appears much more effective as a social leader than as a presidential hopeful.

 The opportunity to turn this into a social movement that would reshape Mexican society is slowly presenting itself, but we shall see if he is up to that challenge. López Obrador is a leader, maybe an imperfect one, but a leader nevertheless. He needs to recognize this historical moment and make the most of it. Civil society in Mexico needs leaders who want to achieve more than short-term political goals. A deep social reform is needed.

Meanwhile, the economy has started to suffer from the acts of civil disobedience. And more troubling, signs of violence have appeared for the first time since the start of demonstrations demanding a full vote recount. Demonstrators practicing civil disobedience — AMLO style — clashed with the federal police, or PFP, outside the Legislative Palace of San Lázaro. The PFP — in full riot gear — forcefully removed demonstrators, and some of them were injured, including congressmen from López Obrador’s party.

López Obrador had already called for a few high-profile demonstrations during some special occasions in Mexico, such as the last state of the nation speech from Vicente Fox and Independence Day celebrations.

In 1810, an armed movement started in Mexico against Spanish rule. Then in 1910, came another armed movement to achieve a more egalitarian society. Could a third large social movement — but this time a peaceful one — force some much-needed reforms to achieve a certain degree of social justice in Mexico?

Only time will tell.