Smokescreens, scapegoats and Mexican politics
By Barnard R. Thompson
With the recent announcement by Mexican consort Marta
Sahagún de Fox, that she will not seek her husband’s job in 2006, many of the uninitiated see the issue as mercifully
ended. After years of rumored expectations that Marta would go for the National
Action Party (PAN) nomination in order to run for the Mexican presidency — that more recently brought on a hue and cry
for which President Vicente Fox Quesada also paid a political price, the news reports have slowed and columnists seem finally
to be easing off.
But there is far more to an iceberg than that which
breaks the surface.
In fact, there are reasons to question if the snowballing
actions and effects of late were entirely related to presidential aspirations, or might all of this have been smoke and mirrors
to divert attention from dubious political, financial and benevolent practices?
Internationally the story broke earlier this year,
when the Financial Times of London ran several articles that probed the Mexican First Lady’s political intent
and socioeconomic use of the charitable “Fundación Vamos México,” or Let’s Go Mexico Foundation that she
founded and presides over. And ever since more aggressive national pit bulls,
along with the Financial Times, have had Marta and her husband, as well as Vamos Mexico and several government institutions,
on the defensive.
Vamos Mexico and its president have been informally
charged with a number of irregularities, and while the accusations are most certainly political in nature — and yet
to be proven — they are being investigated by the office of the federal auditor.
Opposition party members in Congress and the Federal District (Mexico City) Legislative Assembly basically claim that
government funds have been unlawfully funneled to and through Vamos Mexico, money that in part at least ended up with favored
private sector and religious organizations, or was used to further the political ambitions of the First Lady.
Marta, her husband and others associated with Vamos
Mexico have denied the allegations of wrongdoing or unprincipled political practices.
However the First Lady not running for the Mexican
presidency in 2006 has not been the only human toll so far. One day after Marta
announced she would not be a candidate, on July 13 the embattled head of Mexico’s National Lottery, Laura Valdés Ruiz,
was forced to resign — maybe justifiably or perchance as a sacrificial lamb?
Valdés, reportedly a close Fox family friend, among
other things is under scrutiny for the supposed wrongful creation of a National Lottery-connected public trust named “Transform
Mexico.” Allegedly National Lottery funds were improperly funneled through
Transform Mexico to Vamos Mexico (where a sister of Valdés holds an executive position) and other non-governmental organizations.
A number of opposition party members in Congress
are calling for criminal charges to be brought against Valdés. The claims are
that Transform Mexico was not only created illegally but too that Valdés unlawfully hired and overpaid at least one foreign
consultant who was a personal friend. Legislators are also accusing her of misuse
of public lottery funds, “laundering resources” that through collusion with Vamos Mexico went to that Foundation,
and the diverting of some US$18 million to private sector entrepreneurial groups via Vamos Mexico for “electoral goals”
connected with Marta Sahagún.
The office of the federal auditor is expected to
investigate Valdés for not only the aforementioned violations, but as well for possibly contravening the Federal Public Servants’
Administrative Responsibility Law. It should also be noted that, according to
news reports, a never substantiated complaint related to the irregularities was first filed against Valdés in August of 2002.
Valdés denies all charges and accusations.
A recent non-government casualty connected with Vamos
Mexico is the National Pro-Life Committee (Provida). Provida operates women’s
health clinics, as well as family development, anti-abortion and HIV awareness programs that have been funded, among others,
by Mexico’s health ministry, the National Action Party, Transform Mexico and, as mentioned before, Vamos Mexico.
However the Secretariat of Health cutoff funding
to Provida for 2004 last May, due to alleged irregular billing, spending and accounting practices. Based on receipts filed with the health ministry, it appears that Provida was spending more than twice
the going price for some medical equipment. Furthermore, and according to news
reports, charges may be filed against Provida personnel for falsifying after purchase receipts and statements for Mont Blanc
pen sets, undergarments and other items bought at luxury stores in Mexico City.
A spokesman for Provida says that the Committee is
innocent of all charges.
