Humberto Moreira's ingenuous response to the debt scandal of his tenure as governor was essentially to play the victim and try to change the topic, along the lines of: "let's rather talk about the debt we have to the dead in the war against crime."
Now his brother Rubén Moreira, soon-to-be governor of Coahuila himself, offered and equally inane response: The criticism is unwarranted because it is only "partial" (not comparing to other states), and, mind you, the scandal-ridden Estela de Luz bicentennial monument of the federal government also cost a lot - actually, 10 percent of the Coahuila debt, he informs. So there you have it!
Thankfully, today El Universal does indeed avoid "partial" criticism by duly comparing the debt of other states: Coahuila's debt is four times the national average. That's right, 4 times:
11,633 pesos vs. national average of 2819 pesos per inhabitant. No state is even close to Coahuila's figures.
Still "partial criticism"?
(Here is a great graphic of the most indebted states, according to Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (INEGI))
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
More scandal in Coahuila: Did Moreira hold back funds for security?
More trouble still: Ex-Governor Humberto Moreira Valdés of Coahuila was now also denounced by the Secretariado Ejecutivo del Sistema Nacional de Seguridad Pública (SESNSP), an organ of the Interior Ministry, to the Superior Auditor for allegedly having held back federal funds for security destined for several Coahuila mayors.
The mayors of Torreón, Acuña and Monclova denied yesterday that they had ever complained of this, though according to SESNSP they had earlier complained of just that.
Esthela Damián, PRD federal deputy and head of the chamber's Comisión de Vigilancia de la Auditoría Superior de la Federación is demanding an extraordinary audit. The head of PRI's parliamentary group Francisco Rojas said the Moreira's opponents were "putting together a barrage of attacks with half-truths," not exactly a forceful response.
Even the influential Joaquín López-Dóriga, ever close to power and usually well in the know, asks in today's column, entitled "Falsifying Documents," "How will everyone come out of this?"
The mayors of Torreón, Acuña and Monclova denied yesterday that they had ever complained of this, though according to SESNSP they had earlier complained of just that.
Esthela Damián, PRD federal deputy and head of the chamber's Comisión de Vigilancia de la Auditoría Superior de la Federación is demanding an extraordinary audit. The head of PRI's parliamentary group Francisco Rojas said the Moreira's opponents were "putting together a barrage of attacks with half-truths," not exactly a forceful response.
Even the influential Joaquín López-Dóriga, ever close to power and usually well in the know, asks in today's column, entitled "Falsifying Documents," "How will everyone come out of this?"
26 mayors murdered in three years
Twenty-six mayors were murdered in the past three years in Mexico.
Here's a graphic from El Universal that details who they were, and where it happened.
Here's a graphic from El Universal that details who they were, and where it happened.
Quintana Roo: PRI governor left with a 600 percent increase in debt
The PRI's Roberto Borge Angulo won the 2010 gubernatorial elections in Quintana Roo, and given the explosion of the state's debt under the previous government, it should hardly be a surprise: Félix González Canto, the former governor, left the state with a debt 600 percent higher than when he came to power in 2005.
(González Canto, to recall, is the one with a just extraordinary luck in state lotteries)
According to PAN, who is conducting an investigation in the local legislature, most of the debt stems from a massive expansion of the state bureaucracy. The known debt so far went from 1.2 to 8 billion pesos.
(González Canto, to recall, is the one with a just extraordinary luck in state lotteries)
According to PAN, who is conducting an investigation in the local legislature, most of the debt stems from a massive expansion of the state bureaucracy. The known debt so far went from 1.2 to 8 billion pesos.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
A most pathetic defense from Humberto Moreira
Humberto Moreira Valdés, president of Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI), is in stormy weather not only due to the explosion of debt during his term as governor of Coahuila, but also for his government seemingly falsifying documents to creditors and as well the federal government. Gustavo Madero, head of Partido Acción Nacional (PAN), has in particular been on the offensive here, demanding that Moreira explain these irregularities.
Yet what has been Moreira's response? He attacked the "perverse campaign" against him, and launched a challenge to PAN: If you want to talk about the debt, then let's also talk about the debt to the dead in the fight against organized crime."
What on earth is the connection here? If this illogical, non-nonsensical rubbish is all what Moreira can come up with, he might be in serious trouble.
Also: Enrique Peña Nieto jumped to Moreira's offense, of sorts, claiming that the debt issue had been "politicized." Well of course it has! If a governor leaves office with an incredible amount of debt accumulated, some possibly even illegally, and then heads the country's biggest party, how can it not be "politicized"?
Yet what has been Moreira's response? He attacked the "perverse campaign" against him, and launched a challenge to PAN: If you want to talk about the debt, then let's also talk about the debt to the dead in the fight against organized crime."
What on earth is the connection here? If this illogical, non-nonsensical rubbish is all what Moreira can come up with, he might be in serious trouble.
Also: Enrique Peña Nieto jumped to Moreira's offense, of sorts, claiming that the debt issue had been "politicized." Well of course it has! If a governor leaves office with an incredible amount of debt accumulated, some possibly even illegally, and then heads the country's biggest party, how can it not be "politicized"?
A great read: Malcolm Beith's The Last Narco
For those who haven't yet - and I've meant to for a long time, but my must-read stack is skyrocketing and I am also writing my own book - I highly Malcolm Beith's The Last Narco, centered on "El Chapo" Guzmán, but touching upon the most relevant aspects and recent developments of the so-called "drug war" in Mexico. I will, in fact, assign it for my students, who I am sure will enjoy it as much as I did.
Calderón, lame duck by the figures: No law approved since last November
An interesting article in Milenio well worth a read, as it not only details how Calderón by the figures has become pretty much a lame duck, but also how much more successful Fox was in at least the number of proposals passed in congress:
* Last time the Mexican Congress voted over an initiative from Calderón was November 2010
* 30 proposals are stalled, including major initiatives such as the Unified Command of the police; the National Security Law; the Reform of the State initiative; the anti-money laundering bill; and many more.
Calderón is a lame duck and knows it: Only five proposals have been submitted in 2011.
* Last time the Mexican Congress voted over an initiative from Calderón was November 2010
* 30 proposals are stalled, including major initiatives such as the Unified Command of the police; the National Security Law; the Reform of the State initiative; the anti-money laundering bill; and many more.
Calderón is a lame duck and knows it: Only five proposals have been submitted in 2011.
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