The manner Vicente Fox, former president of Mexico, expressed his disapproval of Donald Trump’s wall exposes the irate, compulsive, and demeaning ways Mexican leaders have ruled over the Mexican people for centuries – but barely no one in the world noticed.
Even though Fox is one of the few (very few) Mexican presidents actually elected by the people, a dictatorial way of doing government has endured to our days. If not ask the Texans, who noticed this issue and did not wait to separate from Mexico — or unsuccesfully Yucatan, the Rio Grande Republic, Guatemala, and Chiapas. Many have pointed out that Mexican presidents rule with insults, racism, bullets, and dangerous improvisation.
Only words.
Many would say Fox leveled in tone with Trump. But bare in mind that Trump is a candidate in his own party. Fox has already been the ruler of a 100 million Mexicans plus the 10 million illegals in the US he wanted during his campaign to vote for him so he could bring them back. His words have always been that, words. He made wild promises of change, democracy, and creating jobs so that people wouldn’t have a need to migrate to the United States. The result was an utter sham.
Not only he didn’t bring illegals back to Mexico, but his only economic goal of 7% growth was a flop. So Mexicans fled, not only to the US but elsewhere.
With Mexican economy stalled Mexican Congress became overrun by opposition, so that Fox became a sitting duck – our Mexican version of Obama if you will (except a right-winged Obama). Fox started a dirty media campaign against a promising left-winged Mexico City mayor, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. Insult after insult, a one-sided war of words against a man who was the de facto candidate for all leftist parties. He even orchestrated his political demise through shadowy maneuvers, which made Obrador even more popular. Sounds familiar?
The dawn of war.
Fox’s legacy are not just words and his flamboyant insults, but his ineptitude to rule a nation. The job is simple, but his obsession to destroy Obrador and his “populist” menace blinded him to urgent matters in Mexico. After all, the country is vast in territory – danger brewed in its northeastern corner.
In 2003 new drug cartels appeared in Tamaulipas. Yes, there were drug cartels in Mexico, but this new breed stormed in with freighting military tactics and such hatred against the population as a whole. Previous cartels have only operated against Mexico military. Many of the old cartels faded under the blood-thirsty new ones, who executed people in the streets and performed terror attacks at public places. Other cartels adapted at such wrath, such as El Chapo. But Fox did nothing, for words and insults could not make this away.
As his non-democratic predecessors of the 20th century, he controlled the media, so “nothing happens” was the motto. We don’t have to be historians to know how this developed, and how it has prompted Trump to build the wall at the border.
Lack of policy
I’ve come to the conclusion that Mexican presidents become dictatorial because they have no policies or ideals. Mexican presidents (and emperors) with clear policy making ideals die or are killed. After all, we Mexicans have lived under dictators under 500 years. Invaded by the Hispanics, for us government is one person laying down our destinies for his personal gain.
There is a (not so unreal) joke about Mexican presidents here in Mexico: “What time is it” asks the president. A lackey answers, “Whatever you want it to be.”
This notion that Mexican presidents can get away with murder (literally) is engraved in all Mexicans. This makes them crazy with power. Not one (except for a few cases, again) have they used their kingly power to do good.
Everything has to do for personal glory or business. There is no government policy ever made that the president in turn doesn’t have an economic or business advantage. Thus, a systematic machine of corruption, racism, and gestapo-like police is in place. American criminals always flee to Mexico because there is a sense of lawlessness when it actually has harsh non-sequitur laws… unless you are out of sight of the government (Federal, state or municipal).
One thing is the leadership
Just as Americans as uncomfortable on how things are run in Washington, so the majority of people in Mexico thinks of the Mexican government and special interest groups. Did you know that after the Arab Spring young Mexicans rose against the government in social media? And did you know that the internet was almost, almost in peril of being shut down in all of Mexico? Did you know there are political prisoners right now? I’m not talking about Cuba but Mexico. Did you know the upscale children of Mexican politicians are right now vacationing on yachts in Europe or doing safari in Africa?
Please, dear Americans or foreigner — whether you’re left or right-winged, liberal or conservative – one thing is the corrupt and racist Mexican government, politicians and criminals. Then there’s the rest of us. Whatever Mexican leaders say or do is in their interests, not in our name. And remember they have Mexican and Spanish-speaking media under their sleeve for that same reason.
Miguel Omaña 