In today’s blog post, I will be uncovering the functioning of government in Mexico. Freedom House defines “functioning of government” by grouping it into three distinct categories. My interpretation of these categories are if the freely-elected government officials have control in governing the people and creating laws, if the government has corruption, and whether or not the elected government stays true to their political platform and remains honest. Using these determining factors, Freedom House judges how well a country’s government functions.
In my opinion, functioning of a government is essential to a free country because if the officials elected into office by the people do not have control over policies or laws, the country’s people will not have a say in their government, restricting their freedom of speech. In Mexico’s case, drug cartels and elite members of society have almost all of the governmental control. They are extremely aggressive and will go as far as murder in order to restrict the voices of the general population. Additionally, if the government does not maintain a sense of honesty and consistency in their platform, the people will not be able to have trust in their government. They will also be less compelled to vote and speak their opinion because they realize it is not taken into consideration.
My first article I will be analyzing is called, “Mexican Authorities Disarm Acapulco Police Amid Corruption Inquiry” written by Elisabeth Malkin for the New York Times. This article explains how the Guerrero Coordination Group, a combination of military and police forces, took over the security of Acapulco due to corruption (Malkin). Originally, the Mexican government sent soldiers into the city to monitor cartel activity, but they ended up with too much control and power over the government. According to the article, Mexico is not any closer to achieving a government without corruption and influence from the drug cartels. This shows how drug cartels have a major influence in the Mexican government and the military forces are not always in the favor of the people. A government can never be fully free or functioning if it is corrupt.
My second article I will be analyzing is titled, “Criminal Groups Seek to Decide Outcome in Many Mexican Races” written by Paulina Villegas and Kirk Semple. This article explains how it is extremely dangerous to be a political candidate in Mexico if you are not backed by the elite or the drug cartels. Many candidates get daily threats and even have to travel in bulletproof cars and vests (Villegas, Semple). This represents how the functioning of government is not free in Mexico because although anyone can run for office, the vast majority will be threatened or harassed if they run. This restricts the freedom of the people to express their political opinions and vote for parties that will make reform.
Resources
Malkin, Elisabeth. “Mexican Authorities Disarm Acapulco Police Amid Corruption Inquiry.” The New York Times. September 26, 2018. Accessed October 20, 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/26/world/americas/mexico-acapulco-police.html.
“Mexico.” Mexico | Freedom House. February 12, 2018. Accessed October 20, 2018. https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2018/mexico.
Villegas, Paulina, and Kirk Semple. “Criminal Groups Seek to Decide Outcome in Many Mexican Races.” The New York Times. July 01, 2018. Accessed October 20, 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/01/world/americas/mexico-election-assassinations.html.