The Mexican Perspective: Understanding Their Culture
The Question of Corruption
Patrick Osio, Jr
(From Patrick Osio, Jr.’s The Mexican Perspective)
An American businessman said to me, “1 can appreciate and even sympathize with Mexico on the error of some of the negative perceptions that I have long held, but can the corruption be excused, or is this also a figment of our misconception in the U.S.? “
Sadly, no, it’s not a figment. Mexico has a long history of political and personal corruption. The word mordida meaning “bite” in use for generations denotes a public official taking a bite out of your pocketbook.
Aztec legend relates that the wandering Aztecs were to build their city where they found an eagle eating a snake. After many years of wandering and searching, they came across an eagle standing on a cactus biting into a snake. This is now the site of Mexico City and the National Emblem is the eagle on the cactus biting the snake. Mexicans jokingly say this was also the first recorded incident of a mordida.
The Mexican people have been long aware that they have a serious problem with political corruption. The corruption wasn’t just the taking of money or granting special privileges and favors to the elite. It was also the political control of the nation. It was the “fixing” of elections to maintain power.
Mexicans can point out, however, that their country does not have a monopoly on corruption, on dishing out favors or even on fixing elections. They ask, is the U.S., Japan, Germany, England or any other country free of any of these?
Americans can of course, acknowledge the U.S. is not free of corruption, but in Mexico the corruption is considered ingrained as part of the culture. Mexicans say it is not so. Corruption is not a part of the Mexican culture; it has been, however, a way of life during the period of one party rule. The old saying - absolute power breeds absolute corruption, has been in force in Mexico.
Mexicans have enjoyed a great deal of freedom in Mexico. What they have not had is democracy as is practiced in the U.S. It has been more an institutional dictatorship with democratic trappings. This has not been to the liking of most Mexicans. Those that learned to use and benefited from the one party rule, were happy with the status quo. However, the vast majority, as it is becoming apparent in various state and local elections, and then showed in the 2000 presidential elections, are now demanding and expecting clean elections, which in turn are being won in greater numbers by opposition candidates. As the democracy continues to flourish, elected officials and bureaucratic employees will have to answer to citizens for their actions.
Along with this, is a new found freedom of the press, previously controlled by the government that is now reporting the best and worst of elected officials. The PRI and the government’s control over the press were not always openly. It simply was the biggest advertising spender in the country, the newsprint paper industry was government owned, as was the ink supply, and the labor unions in the newspapers were under PRI control. So, print an unsavory article about the PRI or government – no advertising, shortage of newsprint paper, shortage of ink, and labor troubles. One or all would fall on the offending news media. Reporters who were ‘lucky’ enough to be correspondents to high government offices, would, as long their articles were favorable, receive a ‘weekly stipend’ from the office they wrote about, this in addition to their newspaper’s salary, which was usually very low. Such reporters quickly became dependent on the ‘extra’ compensation – and felt it when it was held back for not writing favorably.
During the last decade, there has been a very noticeable change in the attitude of diverse Mexican officials at all levels. Most Americans (and Mexicans) have been pleasantly surprised at the straightforward and honest manner in which they are being treated. Finding that former President, Carlos Salinas, and his brother Raul were involved in such crimes of corruption, seemed to have broken the camel’s back. The betrayal the Mexican people felt, because they believed so much in Carlos Salinas, was the last straw
This trend will continue as long as Americans cooperate and participate in keeping things honest. Simply refuse to pay any bribe if approached for one. Beware of those that tell you, you must “grease the hand” to get things done. Many if not most of the time, these advisors are either living in the past, or are seeking the money for themselves, knowing they do not have to “pass” it on to officials.
And of course, corruption is still in existence, but there is no law requiring Americans to participate. In fact, there are plenty of laws prohibiting such participation in Mexico, as well as in the U.S.
The other “image” in this picture shows not all Mexicans are, or have ever been willing or active participants, and are now fighting to expose and extinguish corruption. Unfortunately, our news media pays scant attention to the numerous citizens groups that have organized to fight corruption at the local, state and federal levels, but the Mexican news media does pay a great deal of attention to their efforts. It will take dedication and there will be times that will make one wonder if the war against corruption is being won or lost.
What Mexicans need from Americans is support, cooperation, and help in stopping these crimes, not to be constantly shown the ‘ugly side of the picture.’ They too can show us an ugly side of our picture – as a former PRI official once said to me during a conversation about corruption – “Where Mexico to modernize it’s corruption to the levels as has been done in the U.S., we can legalize it, but it would still be the same.” The remark begged the question – “Huh?”
“Right now elected officials help themselves to money from the state coffers, and are given ‘gifts’ by private citizens and businesses. Were we to change the rules and only accept ‘campaign’ donations in return for favors, we could collect as much as now, and it would be legal, as it is in the U.S.” Tough to argue with the premise of the statement, though I am not convinced the system of openly taking is as bad as the ‘political contribution’ system that needs to be disclosed and is open to scrutiny by the press and election watchdog officials. So to me, such an answer is more a ‘justification’ for their corruption, though it does expose the potential hypocrisy of some of our own elected officials.
(Read the entire chapter in the: The Mexican Perspective available for electronic download purchase – read more about the book at: http://www.hispanicvista.com/sales/book_sale.htm)
- Table of Contents
- Excerpts from the manual
- (The E-book costs $9.95. PayPal is an E-Bay company able to accept any credit or debit card - payments are very secure. Once purchased, PayPal notifies Mr. Osio's agent who in turn sends the E-book by E-mail as an attachment. Usually the book is E-mailed within 24 hours or less.)
- About the Author
- Patrick Osio, Jr.
Editor of HispanicVista.com
- Contact information:
- E-mail: Posiojr@HispanicVista.com,
|
- HispanicVista.com – http://www.hispanicvista.com
- If you wish to read some of his articles visit HispanicVista.com or key-word Patrick Osio, Jr on any search engine. Contact at: PosioJr@hispanic.sdcoxmail.com
- HispanicVista.com – http://www.hispanicvista.com