Julio Hernández López: Shipyard

M

orena and its allies gather the votes in the Chamber of Deputies without any problem to approve the presidential initiative for the explicit militarization of the National Guard. A simple majority is required, not qualified as it happens when it is intended to modify the Constitution.

The problem is not in the Legislative Power, but probably in the federal Judiciary: the presidential initiative proposes to circumvent the constitutional letter that establishes that the aforementioned National Guard must be civil character, in accordance with article 21, to which all laws related to the subject must comply. If this were not the case, any simple majority of deputies or senators could happily change laws, even if the Constitution was ignored or violated, which, in any case, would have to be elucidated by the ministers of the Court.

The President of the Republic carries the ink in the hypothesis that his personal texture can stop or impede the trend towards military criminality, by acting in areas of public security, which at other times have been experienced in the nation. But no legal modification can rest on the voluntarism or personal pledges of anyone: when the door is opened, even more so, to police action controlled by the National Defense, a step is taken that whoever occupies presidential power, be it from the party that be.

Yesterday, in his fourth work report, the Tabasco politician gave examples of the way in which military empowerment is giving good results in terms of customs collection and the prevention of corrupt acts. In addition, based on what was stated in his initiative sent to San Lázaro, he reiterated that he does not seek militarization or authoritarianism.

Let no one be confused, or pretend they don’t knowhe pointed out in that same report before guests at the National Palace, because in his administration there is no Garcia Lunas, massacres, torture, cover-up or complicity and impunity is combated. However, it must be said that the national, federal, state and municipal government apparatus, as well as the judiciary and prosecutor’s offices, continue to be dominated by structures from the past that maintain corruption and injustice.

The military commanders, moreover, maintain the esprit de corps and condition their support to civilians in exchange for opacity and impunity in their military affairs. Recent examples, what happened with General Salvador Cienfuegos and his salvation from US courts and the reluctance of the current leaders to allow true access to truth and justice (not only in lower echelons of command) regarding the events in Iguala, with the 43 normalists.

In this context, the author of these lines has opportunely and repeatedly expressed his opposition to this new phase of the militarization of the country. Added to the excess of concessions and businesses that throughout this federal administration have been assigned to the military forces is the attempt to formalize the task of public security.

Such an objective goes against the Constitution, the campaign declarations of the now President of the nation, the historical flags of the left, the Latin American historical experience and human rights and legality constantly violated by the military, leaving their barracks for police work, after its first gimmicky results (which in this case have not even been produced yet).

On a related topic: at the beginning of what is called the national month and with an eye on what the President of the Republic will say in the independence parade on the 16th, it is illustrative to listen to the head of the Secretary of Security and Protection Citizen, Rosa Icela Rodríguez, at a meeting of police chiefs at the United Nations: Do we make the weapons ourselves? No. Do we consume synthetic drugs? No. Do we put the dead? Unfortunately yes. Days ago, Foreign Minister Ebrard had made a similar critical statement to the US ambassador Ken Salazar. Until next monday!

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