For the poet and activist Javier Sicilia, Mexico experienced an “undignified democratic transition” with the coming to power of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and the so-called “Fourth Transformation” (4T).
And it is that this Saturday, during a conservatory of the Book Festival and the Rose 2023 of the UNAM, the issue of Militarization and Freedom of the Press was addressed, where the participants, among them the also columnist of the magazine Proceso, agreed that With the increasing participation of the Armed Forces in public life, journalists and citizens have less access to information due to the historical “opacity” of the Mexican Army.
In this regard, Sicilia Zardain affirmed that if today the Army is in the streets, it is because “there is a war” with organized crime and because AMLO has a kind of “nostalgia for the controls of the past”, giving dictatorships as an example. that were experienced in Argentina and Chile in the 20th century.
And it is that he explained that currently the population is not only intimidated by drug cartels, but also many times by the military with forced disappearances.
“The only civilian who is faithful in the balance (with the militia) is the head of the Armed Forces: the president”
In addition, he said that for many years in Mexico there has been a relationship between the military, organized crime and the State, as in the Ayotzinapa case.
In this context, he warned that in 2024 the public will end up asking themselves, which cartel are we going to vote for?
“The question we asked is, if they don’t transform their ranks (Armed Forces), if they don’t clean them up, if they don’t return to republicanism: citizens will have to ask ourselves: in 2024 which cartel are we going to vote for?”
On the other hand, although he acknowledged that he has not experienced direct censorship by the president, he pointed out that there are many ways to attack freedom of the press, such as a budget cut.
He explained that a clear example is Proceso, where the 4T government withdrew government advertising and now faces a serious crisis, while La Jornada has received record amounts since López Obrador arrived.
More information in development…
