Muy desgraciadamente comienzo la semana hablando de mi binen amado Mr. L. Pero esta vez quisiera compartir con ustedes una entrevista que mi querido maridito le hizo al autor de "El Mesias Mexicano" una biografía sobre el peje. El profesor George Grayson del College William & Mary en Williambsburg, Virginia y ha pasado muchos anios estudiando nuestro bello país y a este tan odiado personaje.
Pero como estoy prácticamente segura de que casi nadie le entenderá, aquí tienen una probadita en gabacho. Ojalá que la disfruten.
Entrevista a George Grayson
por A. Wolfmeyer politikerscreen.de (english version)
politikerscreen.de: The Federal Electoral Judicial Tribunal (TEPJF) is expected to officially name Felipe Calderón the winner of the presidential elections. Is the game over for his opponent Andrés Manuel López Obrador who says he doesn’t accept the decision?
George Grayson: It is clear that Calderón has won but López Obrador has every right to express his views on national issues. I fear, however, that he hopes to provoke violence in order to create a martyr for his cause.
politikerscreen.de: One of his views is that he is the legitimate president of Mexico and that the election was a fraud.
George Grayson: López Obrador lives in the past; he is a product of the 1970s and the 1980s--a time when the Mexican regime was extraordinarily corrupt. In the last ten years there have been major changes so that national elections in Mexico are more transparent and reliable than in the United States. The kinds of "irregularities" that he cited were minor: such as voters who deposited their ballots for president in the ballot box for deputy; others marked an “X” on the candidate's name rather than on the party’s symbol (which is proper); some make checkmarks rather than an “Xs”. We are talking about human errors, not fraud. The highly-respected judges relied upon the votes that were cast and made a serious and fair determination of the winner.
politikerscreen.de: How strong is the protest two months after the election?
George Grayson: I walked up and down Paseo de la Reforma a few days ago: Many of the tents that had been set up were empty. It appeared like Potemkin villages where you have the appearance that there is a mass demonstration but there are relatively few people participating—except in the Zócalo central square. López Obrador has some “walk through fire” supporters and a key day will be September 1 when President Vicente Fox gives his State of the Nation Address. It is quite likely that allies of López Obrador will attempt to either seize the platform or, if they are unsuccessful, make so much noise that the chief executive will be unable to deliver his speech. That would prove counter-productive for the foes of Fox and Calderon because it will make clear to the Mexican people that López Obrador is irresponsible, intolerant, and prone to radical behaviour. The polls are showing that he would lose to Calderón by 20 percentage points if the presidential election were held today.
politikerscreen.de: Nevertheless he and his followers seem ready to continue their protest. They want to disturb the military parade in Mexico City on September 15.
George Grayson: There will be an arrangement so that the so-called “desfile”, the military parade, will take place as scheduled. There are negotiations going on behind the scenes to ensure that the traditional ceremony takes place. You have to remember also that López Obrador’s party did extremely well in the July 2 elections. A member of the PRD will be the new mayor of Mexico City. The party will have 125 seats in the Congress, several dozen senators, and 13 of the 16 the local government chiefs in Mexico City. These are politically ambitious men and women, who want to put aside protest to try to undertake the obligations of their office.
politikerscreen.de: So the PRD will distance itself from its charismatic leading figure?
George Grayson: The PRD is not a coherent political organization; it is more like a group of tribes. It appeared to be cohesive because leaders of the various “currents” believed that there was a good chance to win the presidency--and the party almost did. But now that Calderón is the virtual president-elect, these intramural groups have returned to fighting each other. López Obrador dominates only one or two of these half-dozen factions within the PRD.
politikerscreen.de: You are the author of a biography of López Obrador. What drives this man to lead such a relentless fight?
George Grayson: López Obrador has a messianic complex. He believes he’s "called" to uplift the downtrodden. He lives in his own world and he is extremely secretive, dogmatic, intolerant and undemocratic. But to his credit, he is the only politician in recent memory to emphasize the gross inequalities between the rich and the poor, as well as the blatant poverty that afflicts almost 50 percent of Mexico's 107.5 million people.
politikerscreen.de: What would he do to improve the situation in Mexico?
George Grayson: He has diagnosed the problem correctly in terms of the horrendous inequality and the widespread poverty. Regrettably, his solutions are to turn back the clock 30 years to stress protectionism, an intrusive government, more subsidies, acute nationalism, and a large welfare state. He fails to recognize that the world has changed, and that Mexico operates in the global environment. Moving to an enlarged, protected economy would put the country at a serious disadvantage with respect to its major competitors. For example, China is already eating Mexico’s lunch by cutting into its markets abroad. If López Obrador’s agenda were enacted China would also devour Mexico’s breakfast and dinner. While, Lopez Obrador description of his nation's problems is correct, his prescription for improving the lives of the poorest Mexicans is not only out of date but counter-productive.
