The March of Madness

Morena's political reforms continue on their way, while President Claudia Sheinbaum wins public applause. Many know the damage that the reforms will cause the country and, despite everything, they continue clapping their hands. Faced with the spectacle, we must ask ourselves: are we marching towards madness in Mexico?

In 1984, the American historian Barbara W. Tuchman published a book entitled “The March of Folly: The Unreason from Troy to Vietnam.” The author addressed the constant problem of “governments pursuing policies contrary to their own interests.” For the author, there are three characteristics that must be met for a “march of folly” to actually exist: decision makers were warned about the bad consequences; there were viable alternatives at the time; and it was groups of people who pursued the policies, not a single individual. In Mexico, much indicates that we are facing precisely that phenomenon.

There have been plenty of warnings about the consequences of the bad political decisions of recent years; certainly, there were and are practical alternatives; and there have been two political leaders - López Obrador and Claudia Sheinbaum - who have continued down the same path. In health, budget cuts were pointed out. In security, warnings were issued about the policy of “hugs, not bullets.” In the fight against corruption, it was observed that moral lessons would not serve. In infrastructure, the errors of not making executive projects for large works were highlighted. In energy, the need for private investment was discussed. In social programs, the convenience of making them fiscally sustainable was highlighted. In matters of State, the problem of firing countless technical staff was stressed. And, in democracy, the demolition of the judicial power was underlined.

President Sheinbaum has followed the same course: only in terms of security, there is a change of direction. The consequences of López Obrador’s policies are alarming, and even more alarming is that they are planned to continue: 30 million Mexicans without access to health services; a considerable increase in the number of crimes related to loss of life (intentional homicides, disappearances, femicides and “other crimes that threaten life and physical integrity,” as journalist Loret de Mola has pointed out); the worst levels of corruption in the last thirty years, according to Transparency International; the AIFA, Dos Bocas and Tren Maya had exorbitant costs and will be useless; we have the lowest levels of oil production in the last 50 years, and we import more than 70% of gas from the United States; the country’s credit rating looks weak in the face of fiscal commitments and the lack of public resources; 130 million Mexicans are governed by a paltry 8% of technical personnel in the federal public administration; and the elections of judges predict the end of legal certainty and of our constitutional democracy.

“Folly, a source of self-deception, is a factor that plays a remarkably important role in government. It consists of evaluating a situation based on fixed preconceived notions, ignoring or rejecting any contrary signals. It is acting according to desires without being diverted by the facts,” says the author. There is no sign of a change of direction. In Mexico, we are indeed marching towards madness.