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the history of The expropriations have been marred by continuous claims, deceptions or arrangements. Either because they were not paid on time, because they were paid at lower, undue prices, or because, simply, the resources were stolen and ended up being diverted. To witness the opposite is to witness a feast worthy of celebration.
The tragedy is that the offended parties are almost always ejidatarios or simple people, with few resources and little education. Either because they did not know how to properly value their lands, because their lack of legal knowledge was taken advantage of, they were betrayed or they fell into the hands of scoundrels. The common case derives from the request that their protests be heard, which are ignored. Perhaps because they were, frequently, quite a long time after the improper sale, seizure or outright dispossession had taken place.
In these wet days we are witnessing a case that may well be paradigmatic, especially for its serious consequences. A group of ejidatarios –decades after the expropriation of their lands– take The highways are being closed for days. They are demanding compensation for their 41 hectares, allegedly underpaid, which were used to build one of the country’s crucial highways: the one that runs between Mexico City and the capital of Puebla. The appraised value at that time was 176 million pesos. A settlement that was biased, they say, to a good part of the owners. Compared to the damage caused by the total closure, complemented by the closure of the northern arc, such an amount seems ridiculous. The amount requested as a supplement must also be ridiculous. The official version of the violent event has been, moreover, late, clumsy and confusing. Three or four days of detention of a huge caravan of vehicles of all kinds is something unusual. The wait of the affected third parties has been more than unfair, undue and costly.
To this day, it is still not clear who was in charge of the negotiation to compensate for the undervalued amount. The claim has been going on for several decades without reaching an agreement and calming the uneasy spirits. The state government of Puebla is involved here, perhaps some municipal government, but especially the federal government. This is a highway between two of the most populated states, administered by a federal agency. There are thousands of vehicles in traffic and there have been many more affected, countless. We do not even know how many and in what way or circumstances they were affected. The resource of citing the policy of non-repression has a very secondary place in this dramatic case. Yes, it is a legitimate, respectable policy, but sustained against all odds leads to paying avoidable, undue costs. In this precise case, it cannot be used as an excuse or justification. At least for the length of the dispute.
Tolerance towards groups of all kinds, composition, number or justice in their claims has reached extremes that should not continue. The damage caused to property – public and private – human rights of third parties and, consequently, to the economy and peaceful resistance in the country is considerable.
Nowadays, anyone, for whatever offence, dares to block a street, a main artery, a highway, a toll booth, a viaduct, a railway line or a motorway. There seems to be no way to enforce the law promptly and fairly. The Constitution, in this matter, comes out flawed, even superfluous. When the authorities intervene, in particular, it is only, in countless cases, to intimidate the offenders. No punishment is ever heard of, much less of penalties inflicted to compensate those affected and who had nothing to do with the conflict.
In the event in question, the absence of the public force was not even present to prevent possible confrontations or destruction of the communication route, as occurred. The search for behind-the-scenes interference does not soften the lack of energy shown at all levels of government. There were undoubtedly tense circumstances between the actors, whether in their properties, their interests, their moods, patience or even their health. The details of what occurred in those days fall short of any attempt to quantify them. The calculations of 10 billion pesos, advanced by the associations of transporters and merchants, may be exaggerated but, perhaps, they are not far from reality. Much of the criticism has circulated with aplomb, but it could well be more virulent, of a worse disposition or depth. Especially when dealing with the final times of a government that makes it appear distant from the annoying daily problems. The rejection of reactionary attitudes that, as always, call for a heavy hand and repression, does not alleviate the frustrations, setbacks and pain of those who suffered due to the ineffectiveness of the authorities.
