The Narco News Bulletin

"The name of our country is América"

-- Simón Bolívar


Roberto Hernández Elected?

By Isabel Arvide

from her nationally syndicated column Letras de Cambio, July 11, 2000

Now it ends up that society, those millions of Mexicans who shouted for change, voted for Roberto Hernández.

That is to say, for the banker's peace of mind. For his fortune of many millions of pesos, for his economic interests and even for the impunity of his actions and his connections "of another type."

Because the first beneficiary of the new era, that of change - one that Fox stated with great originality (for foreign consumpion, clearly) as "the mother of all battles" against corruption - shall be this illustrious banker.

Everything had to change so that everything could stay the same.

If Roberto Hernández made his fortune with protection from the Federal Government, the doors of the next Federal Government have already been opened to him. Who cares if there's a new party in power? Soon the PAN members won't care, much less the PRD members who so threatened the club of complicity between power and business that we have lived for so many presidencies but who with their "useful vote" elected a new Commander-in-Chief.

Much less the "Amigos of Fox" who want their slice from it all.

The banker Hernández was a friend of Carlos Salinas de Gortari, who contributed greatly to his immense enrichment. The same occured during these years of the consistutional mandate of Ernesto Zedillo, with whom he was accustomed to go scuba-diving. Already they've rubbed it in our faces by at least saying who hosted Vicente Fox at his personal island to rest-up from the campaign.

What should not surprise us is that in this paradise of Quintana Roo there are a lot of spiders to crush with those boots.

And the drug shipments? Does any Mexican remember that series of reports by Por Esto! That spoke about how in this ecological reserve tons of cocaine were landed? Or would it be better to ask ourselves whether this matters to anyone?

It's even more difficult to remember if there had been an investigation, if the Señor banker was exonerated, or whether the simple presence of the nation's leaders permitted him to live above suspicion. First the cover-up by the PRI and now by the PAN.

Politics continues being conducted in the background. Don't worry yourself that the president-elect has selected the property of Mr. Hernández to "rest" this weekend, with all the public attention upon him.

And worry even less about the coincidence that President Ernesto Zedillo has issued a call, so delicate as his relation with the PRI has always been, for the opposition - in a direct reference to his own party - to behave themselves. As if it would be missed that the same Dr. Zedillo, already disqualified as the "first member of the PRI," asked them to support Vicente Fox.

And obviously, we already see, for the packet of "aid" that goes to his friend Roberto Hernández.

This is what millions of Mexicans voted for?

Sure seems that way.

Carlos Fazio, who can't be described as partial to the PRI, says: "With Fox, the policies that the current state of things made possible will only deepen. The situation will be worse. There will be less for the unions and our dependency upon the United States will advance more. In the short term or long term, Fox will end up selling the state electric companies and Mexican Petroleum. The auction of México will be complete.... The PAN has been the PRI's partner and accomplice and they applied economic policies with a high social cost. Both have rescued the banks and businessmen who brought the country to bankruptcy with the adventures of the Salinas presidency."

And now we already know, also, that the vote of refusal agaisnt the PRI served so that Roberto Hernández can continue enjoying his personal island - with or without snow of all flavors and types - so that his fortune is saved from any possible contingency, so that he will never be investigated by any authority, so that the worst of our political reality will be maintained.

We voted in favor of the drug traffickers' choice?

In reality, the election was set in favor of the intimate friends of the last president, as if something out of a Mario Vargas Llosa novel. They continue being the owners of the destiny of millions of Mexicans, now with the endorsement of the "transition to democracy," now on board the railroad car of the revolution that they have already painted heavenly blue.

copyright 2000 Isabel Arvide

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