Mexico

Hacking for Freedom in Mexico: The Anonymous Movement #OpCartel

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Here is a link to my latest article on AQBlog, titled “Hacking for freedom in Mexico: The Anonymous Movement” , published on Nov 4th, 2011. Please feel free to visit and comment.

Here is a verbatim copy of it in case you prefer to read it on my personal blog, though I recommend actually going to the site because of additional content, other blogger’s articles, etc.

PS. I posted an earlier version of this article on this blog yesterday. This is the up to date version given the fact that the story has evolved since I first wrote  it.

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On November 5, if the threats posted are real, Mexico could be witness to a new kind of civil resistance to the status quo and political system. Mexican and international members of the hacker group known as Anonymous, have published through different media (interviews to news papers, YouTube videos and twitter accounts) that although #OpCartel has been cancelled, a former member of the network and independent journalist will divulge information of ties between specific high-level government officials and the criminal organization Los Zetas, initially in the state of Veracruz but potentially in all of the country.

Anonymous officially backed down from unleashing #OpCartel allegedly due to the fact that their kidnapped member was released by the Zetas, but also due to threats from this group of a tenfold retaliation against the families of members in the hacker organization. Barrett Brown’s (@BarrettBrownLOL) decision to reveal information on the drug cartel on his own volition might just be a way to protect the Mexican Anonymous members while continuing to carry out the hacker’s intended agenda. If the campaign is successful, the actions initiated by Anonymous and supposedly continued solely by Brown, could lead to a nationwide political scandal at incisively interesting pre-election times for the country.

In recent articles published here, I’ve posited that regardless of the people in power, Mexico’s core problems are systemic. The political structure in place not only allows, but even invites corrupt practices to take place. Collusion between politicians and criminals is widely suspected. Mexicans know the story all too well and the constant element present in each of the challenges we face as a country is lack of accountability and immense impunity, which is now being challenged by the actions of a rogue hacker group who could open up Pandora’s box and shed some light on the subject.

It would be myopic and pessimistic to say that Mexico’s democracy has not progressed in the last 80 years but in some ways, the country has also taken steps back. Elections have become more free and fair and transparency is advancing to a certain point, but law enforcement has not been able to follow through accordingly. Civil liberties have been strengthened officially but given the state of violence and insecurity in many regions of the country, society would likely tell you that today they feel less free.

Freedom of speech and of the press might be the clearest example of this duality between progress and retreat. During the PRI (Partido de la Revolución Institucional) monopoly of power, press was controlled by limiting or allowing newspapers access to a basic raw material: paper. If the government didn’t like what you wrote, they would simply not sell you the paper to print it. While those days are over, there are now new tactics to attempt to constrict free press: violence against journalists.

According to a recent assessment by the UN and the OAS Mexico is the fifth most dangerous country in the world for journalists. Other organizations and institutions have ranked it as the most dangerous globally. In 2011, 13 journalists have been killed in the country and while investigations have not yet concluded, there is a clear link between these killings and drug cartels/organized crime. Today, newspapers are officially free to publish just about anything, but it is also evident that there are powerful forces at play which put forth new tactics to silence the media. For this reason, cyber activism and the use of new media to overcome violent censorship thru blogs and social networks have recently flourished in the country. Though not unscathed by criminal intent to silence them as well, these informal media allow culprits to enjoy protection through a certain level on anonymity.

Operation Cartel was reportedly born as a means to pressure a drug cartel in Veracruz to release a member of the Anonymous network who had been abducted. But it quickly evolved and grew into something much bigger than the fate of one of its members. On November 2, a message was broadcast across the network saying that they would cancel Operation Cartel as a way to protect the individual whose life was being threatened by the cartel.

But according to a Brown, a former spokesperson, “shortly thereafter, the assembled people held a vote and decided nonetheless to go ahead with the operation.” This is why, even after the release of the victim, Brown plans to move forward on the canceled operation. Both a flaw and virtue, the fact that Anonymous does not have a clear power structure allows for individuals and smaller cells in the network to act independently whilst maintaining that their efforts are coordinated.

In this regard, cyberactivism becomes a strange new force to be reckoned with and as both Egypt and Libya have shown. It is a catalyst for widespread outcry; however, it is a weak means to organize a movement that can actually follow through after reaching its objective. Thus, the fallout of Operation Cartel could potentially be immensely disruptive and lead to political crisis, but I am unsure that it could lead to a clear effort to fix the system. Members from Anonymous in Mexico have even stated that they are non-political, though they do say they want to create a social conscience. Does Anonymous have the moral and role legitimacy to do this? Are they the new voice of the global people? Does it matter if they are or not?

A bigger question to pose would be if Anonymous’ Operations will always strive for social justice (defined by whom?) and with the loose level of allegiance that a network can create as opposed to a formal organization, what would stop cyber activists from straying away of the group and chasing a different agenda?

For now, Mexico anxiously waits to see what Barret Brown will do. Many champion this effort as a new and creative means to tackle a problem that for too long has been a tragedy of the commons in Mexico. As the tagline from the movie that inspired Anonymous goes, we are about to see if Mexico will remember the 5th of November.

*Arjan Shahani is a contributing blogger to AmericasQuarterly.org. He lives in Monterrey, Mexico, and is an MBA graduate from Thunderbird University and Tecnológico de Monterrey and a member of the International Advisory Board of Global Majority—an international non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of non-violent conflict resolution.

History occurs faster than publishing… #OpCartel

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I was going to get a story on Anonymous’ #OpCartel published at AQBlog, most likely tomorrow, but I just learned that the hacker group’s operation has been cancelled due to the fact that the drug cartel released the kidnapped hacker. An independent journalist abroad has stated that he will carry out the operation but independently from Anonymous, as the group has been threatened by the cartel with dire repercussions and retaliation if they follow through on their threats to publish the names of government officials linked to organized crime…

Anyways, I will probably end up editing the story in order to update it before it goes online at the Americas Quarterly blog but I wanted to share with you the original story, as it was written and intended. I’ll let you know when the updated story also goes online.

I hope you like it:
Hacking for freedom in Mexico

 On November 5th, if the threats posted are real, Mexico could be witness to a new kind of civil resistance to the status quo and political system. Mexican and international members of the hacker group known as Anonymous, have published through different media (interviews to news papers, YouTube videos and twitter accounts) that on said date they will unleash “Operation Cartel” informing the world of ties between specific high-level government officials and the criminal organization Los Zetas, initially in the state of Veracruz but potentially in all of the country. If Anonymous is successful, their actions could lead to a nation-wide political scandal at incisively interesting pre-election times for the country.

 In recent articles published here, I’ve posited that regardless of the people in power, Mexico’s core problems are systemic. The political structure in place not only allows, but even invites corrupt practices to take place. Collusion between politicians and criminals is widely suspected. Mexicans know the story all too well and the constant element present in each of the challenges we face as a country is lack of accountability and immense impunity, which is now being challenged by a rogue hacker group who threatens to open up Pandora’s box and shed some light on the subject.

 It would be myopic and pessimistic to say that Mexico’s democracy has not progressed in the last 80 years but in some ways, the country has also taken steps back. Elections have become more free and fair and transparency is advancing to a certain point, but law enforcement has not been able to follow through accordingly. Civil liberties have been strengthened officially but given the state of violence and insecurity in many regions of the country, society would likely tell you that today they feel less free. 

 Freedom of speech and of the press might be the clearest example of this duality between progress and retreat. During the PRI (Partido de la Revolución Institucional) monopoly of power, press was controlled by limiting or allowing newspapers access to a basic raw material: paper. If the government didn’t like what you wrote, they would simply not sell you the paper to print it on. While those days are over, there are now new tactics to attempt to constrict free press: violence against journalists.

 According to a recent assessment by the UN and the OAS Mexico is the fifth most dangerous country in the world for journalists. Other organizations and institutions have ranked it as the most dangerous world-wide. In 2011, 13 journalists have been killed in the country and while investigations have not yet concluded, there is a clear link between these killings and drug cartels/organized crime. Today, newspapers are officially free to publish just about anything, but it is also evident that there are powerful forces at play which put forth new tactics to silence the media. For this reason, cyber activism and the use of new media to overcome violent censorship thru blogs and social networks have recently flourished in the country. Though not unscathed by criminal intent to silence them as well, these informal media allow culprits to enjoy protection through a certain level on anonymity.   

 Operation Cartel was reportedly born as a means to pressure a drug cartel in Veracruz to release a member of the Anonymous network which had been abducted, but quickly evolved and grew into something much bigger than the fate of one of its members. On November 2nd, a message was broadcast across the network saying that they would cancel Operation Cartel as a way to protect the individual whose life was being threatened by the cartel but according to a former spokesperson, “shortly thereafter, the assembled people held a vote and decided nonethless to go ahead with the operation.” Both a flaw and virtue, the fact that Anonymous does not have a clear power structure allows for individuals and smaller cells in the network to act independently whilst maintaining that their efforts are coordinated.

 In this regard, cyberactivism becomes a strange new force to be reckoned with and as both Egypt and Libya have shown, a catalyst for widespread outcry though a weak means to organize a movement which can follow through after reaching their objective. Thus, Operation Cartel could potentially be immensely disruptive and lead to political crisis but I am unsure that it could lead to a clear effort to fix the system.  Members from Anonymous in Mexico have even stated that they are non-political, though they do say they want to create a social conscience.  The question is, does Anonymous have the role legitimacy to do this? Are they the new voice of the global people? Does it matter if they are or not?

 A bigger question to pose would be if Anonymous’ Operations will always strive for social justice (defined by whom?) and with the loose level of allegiance that a network can create as opposed to a formal organization, what would stop cyber activists from straying away of the group and chasing a different agenda?

 For now, Mexico anxiously waits to see the development of Operation Cartel. Many champion this effort as a new and creative means to tackle a problem that for too long has been a tragedy of the commons in Mexico. As the tagline from the movie that inspired Anonymous goes, we are about to see if Mexico will remember, remember the 5th of November.

López Obrador Shifts Gears at Monterrey Speech

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Here is a link to my latest article on AQBlog, titled “López Obrador Shifts Gears at Monterrey Speech
” , published on Oct 12th, 2011. Please feel free to visit and comment. Here is a verbatim copy of it in case you prefer to read it on my personal blog, though I recommend actually going to the site because of additional content, other blogger’s articles, etc.

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In an unlikely stop in his pre-campaign trail, Andrés Manuel López Obrador made a quick visit to the industrial, private sector-intensive city of Monterrey last week. This is hostile territory for López, since the state of Nuevo León has not traditionally sympathized with the leftists parties with which he has associated (PRD, PT, Convergencia). His visit gathered around 1,200 middle- and upper-class listeners. Some were supporters, but most were just curious as I gathered from the low intensity of response to applause moments during the event.

His message was somewhat different from his usual populist rhetoric. The radio and TV spots, as well as his speech in Monterrey have all toned down. Wearing a slick suit and tie (as opposed to his usual more down to earth Guayaberas) and talking to the business community, López portrayed himself as a modern leftist, blaming the media for showcasing him as an “enemy of the wealthy.” One of his new soundbites states “I am not against businessmen. I am against wrongfully accumulated wealth.” López is not clear about what he means when he says that wealth is wrongfully accumulated, but he did mention a couple of specific targets as culprits: large media corporations Televisa, Telmex and TV Azteca and the PRI and PAN bureaucrats.

 López accused Televisa and TV Azteca of controlling the news, limiting his exposure and pushing PRI’s Enrique Peña Nieto as their candidate in order to maintain control of Mexico. In his words, Peña Nieto is “the candidate of the power monopoly.”

While López is definitely right in saying that mainstream media in Mexico is biased, this bias holds true for both media that love and loath him. In this sense, he is no more a victim of the media than any other politician. He’s just become less effective at wooing most of them. You don’t see him complaining about all the media coverage he used to get when he headed Mexico City’s executive and knew how to play the media’s game.

Moreover, he really can’t blame newspapers and TV for having a tarnished image. Because it wasn’t the media that blocked Mexico City’s Paseo de la Reforma or kidnapped Mexico City’s Zocalo (Main Square) to install the famous National Democratic Convention after López decided that a majority vote against him meant that someone had stolen the election. At the time he called this “peaceful civil resistance” and in all fairness, he did send out messages to his followers asking them not to fall into any type of provocation that would lead to violence… but creating chaos and blocking business? No problem!

López’ post-2006 election antics were undoubtedly a political mistake. In a poll by EL UNIVERSAL 71 percent of Mexicans disagreed with López and the PRD’s attempt at blocking Calderón from accepting the presidency in the Mexican Congress. Nobody likes a sore loser and everybody hates a sore loser who gets in their way and paralyzes a city. And yes, most people disagree with López creating a fantasy “legitimate government” and taking a monthly paycheck from obscure sources over six years in order to keep campaigning for 2012, making him an intricate part of that “putrid system” he so vocally opposes.

During the recent event in Monterrey, López cynically defended taking a city hostage as a means to control the rage of supporters after “Calderón stole the election.” His pitch is that millions of people were ready to take arms to defend his “legitimate government” so he had to do something. I guess walking away and accepting facts was not in the cards. When did organizing blockades of banks and other businesses—costing a city millions of pesos in damages and commercial transactions lost—and causing chaos in highways and main streets become an appeasement tactic? Fact: in 2006, López showed his rabble-rouser face and most of Mexico didn’t like it, so now he’s changing up his game and telling a different story.

In Monterrey he attacked Televisa, TV Azteca and Telmex of wrongfully accumulating wealth, but he went on to say that they should be allowed to accumulate more of it by letting Telmex enter the TV business and Televisa explore going into VoIP, because “that promotes open competition.” He also said that if he reaches the presidency, he “will not expropriate anything or anybody. What we will have, is more competition.” This is an unlikely sales pitch from somebody who within the first five minutes of his speech called neoliberalism “a policy of greed.”

It is obvious that López is once again trying to reach out to non-hard line supporters and undecided voters from the center-left, center and center-right ideologies, as he claims that the “MoReNa movement” he heads is inclusive and welcomes all schools of thought and creed. During his speech he also called for more efficiency and competitiveness in the energy sector. That’s a real hard sell coming from him. López cannot be the appeasement, open market and competitiveness candidate and at the same time attack economic liberalism and support the legally extinct but still combative SME (Sindicato Mexicano de Electricistas), one of the main sources of incompetence in the energy sector. Mr. López, you can’t have it both ways.

In his closing remarks, López’ proposals included putting young people to work, combating corruption, better coordination between military and police forces, better coordination between federal and state authorities, and alleviating poverty. All important issues, yes, but do enough people believe that López is the one who would actually solve them? Within the political left, Marcelo Ebrard seems a more likely candidate. And even in the unlikely event of him regaining the people’s trust, López is a little late in the game to shift gears. Plus, his clunker might have taken too big of a beating in 2006 to catch up.

*Arjan Shahani is a contributing blogger to AmericasQuarterly.org. He lives in Monterrey, Mexico, and is an MBA graduate from Thunderbird University and Tecnológico de Monterrey and a member of the International Advisory Board of Global Majority—an international non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of non-violent conflict resolution.

Mexico’s Macroeconomic Strength Improves its Competitiveness

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Here is a link to my latest article on AQBlog, titled “Mexico’s Macroeconomic Strength Improves its Competitiveness” , published on Sep 16th, 2011. Please feel free to visit and comment. Here is a verbatim copy of it in case you prefer to read it on my personal blog, though I recommend actually going to the site because of additional content, other blogger’s articles, etc.

_____________

 

Mexico received some excellent news recently when the World Economic Forum (WEF) published its Global Competitiveness Report, calling attention to the fac that the country has made significant progress in improving its relative position in the world competitiveness rankings.
From last year to the 2011-2012 ranking, Mexico moved from 66to 58 place, an eight-spot improvement. Only seven other countries had a larger jump in the list. As competitiveness expert Beñat Bilbao explains, “(this variation) is very relevant. Fluctuations from year to year tend to be very low.”

Besides drops suffered by other countries closely competing with Mexico, such as the Russian Federation, Jordan and the Slovak Republic, Mexico’s improvement in the ranking results from progress made in efforts to boost competition and facilitate entrepreneurship by reducing the number of procedures and the time it takes to start a business. The report also mentions Mexico’s large internal market size, sound macroeconomic policies, technological adoption, and a decent transport infrastructure as helping it to move up in the WEF Report.

This is no doubt a great triumph for President Calderón. He has continuously boasted over TV messages and radio spots that his administration has invested more resources than previous governments into improving federal bridges and highways in Mexico. Calderón has also been vocal about an open market economy and sound financial policies as key ways to face the global economic crisis. According to WEF, he’s on the right track.

However, WEF also reports that Mexico’s largest shortcomings continue to hinder its capacity to compete with the strongest service economies in the world in terms of efficiency.

The obvious elephant in the room is security and the concerns it raises with regard to the ability to conduct business. As the Casino Royale tragedy in Monterrey and a number of cases in Reynosa, Ciudad Juárez and Tijuana have shown, extortion and protection quotas paid to organized crime (and presumably colluded municipal law enforcement officials) have reached a point where they have become disincentives for business and job creation in many Mexican urban areas.

Failure to comply with criminals has resulted in a number of arson attacks that have in the best cases end up in total loss for the business owner and in the worst ones, in horrific scenes with multiple civilian causalities. One newspaper in Ciudad Juárez reports that as many as 90 percent of businesses in this city to have fallen victim to protection quota extortion. The business community and government need to urgently work together to find a practical solution to this matter.

The rest of the weaknesses include an urgent need of reforms to improve education and innovation systems. From 149 countries listed in the WEF Competitiveness Index report, Mexico ranks 107th in terms of quality of education. As I mentioned in “Mexico Lowers the Bar on Education” this has less to do with budget issues and more with the system in itself. Professionalization of teachers is urgent. Addressing how the teacher’s union led by Elba Esther Gordillo (Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Educación, or SNTE) has become an obstacle for the effectiveness of the education system is a tough issue to tackle, but clearly a must.

On innovation, if Mexico is to improve its competitive position and continue migrating to a service economy, private enterprise also needs to do its part. Companies and private universities need to risk more and invest in R&D in order to improve the country’s inventive capacity. Obviously, government can help by providing research and development incentives and funding academic investigation in the public university, but historical global experience has proven that the largest breakthroughs come from the hands of private institutions, even in cases when they were government contractors. The business community needs to spearhead innovation development.

Now, while macroeconomic indicators show progress another important issue for Mexico’s long-term competitive position is definitely wealth distribution. At a current 48/100 score in the GINI index, some advancement has been made in the past 20 years but inequality remains a real and relevant issue.

The open market economy has been insufficiently capable of trickling down the wealth to the lower socioeconomic levels of society. As a result, the informal sector and organized crime’s participation in it continue to grow, feeding into impunity in a vicious circle. Raising taxes to the very few captive taxpayers (some studies indicate that only 10 percent of Mexicans pay their taxes) is not the answer. Formalizing the informal sector, thus broadening the taxation base and hence having a larger amount of government resources to development of social assistance programs, unpopular as it may be, is a sounder policy.

One last reflection: if Mexico’s competitiveness is advancing in spite of its current challenges, imagine where the country would be if it was able to effectively address and overcome them.

*Arjan Shahani is a contributing blogger to AmericasQuarterly.org. He lives in Monterrey, Mexico, and is an MBA graduate from Thunderbird University and Tecnológico de Monterrey and a member of the International Advisory Board of Global Majority—an international non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of non-violent conflict resolution.

¡Viva una parte de México!

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Vivan los mexicanos honestos, trabajadores, entregados, comprometidos, amables, correctos, tolerantes, rectos, empeñados, alegres, justos, limpios, propositivos y con mente sana.

Hoy de verdad que decir “¡Viva México!” no puede ir sin aclaración y segmentación porque desgraciadamente incluiría a todos los lacras, rateros, corruptos, cuachas, sucios, mordelones, flojos y delincuentes. También a los que echan tierra y critican por ignorancia, a los que frenan el desarrollo, a los que se quejan sólo por quejarse y para ver si salen en la tele o les dan hits a sus videos quejumbrosos en YouTube, a los que le echan basura a las empresas de bien, etc. etc. etc…. y la neta, con ellos no quiero compartir el amor que le tengo a lo que realmente tiene valor de mi país y de mi gente. Mientras que no cambien, no se lo merecen.

Así que: ¡Viva una parte de México! ¡Vivan los mexicanos de bien! ¡Viva la gente de esta nación que sí la quiere y que sí trabaja a favor de ella! ¡Viva el México al que quiero y del cuál me enorgullece ser parte!

Ventana de 30 días

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Publicado en EL NORTE, 20:54 hrs. [comentarios personales entre corchetes]

Monterrey,  México (6 septiembre 2011).-  El Alcalde de Monterrey, Fernando Larrazabal, aceptó solicitar licencia a su cargo por un periodo de 30 días para que se investigue el caso de la entrega de dinero de representantes de centros de apuestas a su hermano Jonás Larrazabal.  [Es sólo un mes… ojalá se aproveche para esclarecer muchas dudas que tiene la ciudadanía. Si no se logra nada en este periodo, el Edil volverá diciendo “ya ven, no había nada” cuando todo apunta a lo contrario]

Luego de una reunión sostenida esta tarde con el líder nacional del PAN, Gustavo Madero, se tomó esta decisión que también incluye a Miguel Ángel García Domínguez, Secretario de Desarrollo Humano del Municipio de Monterrey. [La verdad es que debería de abarcar a su equipo directo. La decisión del PAN de sacar del reflector sólo a los que ya han pescado primera plana, demuestra que más que buscar la verdad se está trabajando en apaciguar al cuarto poder] 

De acuerdo a un comunicado del partido, la solicitud de licencia se hizo extensiva también al Gobernador de Nuevo León, Rodrigo Medina, de extracción priista para que al igual que lo hará Acción Nacional coadyuve de esta forma a darle mayor transparencia y combate a la impunidad en el caso del incendio del Casino Royale. [Por más se pudiera abogar que Medina ha sido ineficiente e inefectivo en la lucha al crímen organizado, a él no lo han pescado en videos recibiendo cajitas de NEXTEL con lana o saliendo de reuniones con los implicados… todavía (o si lo pescaron ha podido hacer que no se ventile en los medios. La solicitud de licencia por parte de AN a Medina es politiquilla y un intento de tratar de repartir la mierda con la que se siente manchado ahorita el PAN. El PRI y el PRD  han hecho lo mismo en otras instancias… iluso pensaba que Acción Nacional no se bajaría a ese nivel]

“Se le pide al Gobernador del Estado que también solicite licencia para que se aclaren las eventuales responsabilidades de sus subordinados, en acciones de posible corrupción e ineficiencia de los órganos de seguridad pública y protección de su Administración”, establece el comunicado.

La decisión de Larrazabal se da luego que el Comité Ejecutivo del blanquiazul votara de forma secreta para que Gustavo Madero, líder nacional de ese partido, pidiera al Alcalde regio la separación de su cargo y evitar un golpeteo político en contra de la institución. [Entonces no es tanto que Larrazabal esté pidiendo licencia, sino que su Partido se la dicta. Seamos claros al respecto]

De acuerdo a fuentes consultadas, que estuvieron en la reunión, se solicitó que Gustavo Madero tuviera un encuentro con Larrazabal en el que le planteara esta decisión que fue propuesta principalmente por el diputado Javier Corral, el senador Javier Camarillo y ex legislador Juan José Rodríguez Prats.

La decisión de Larrazabal y García Domínguez se da luego que esta mañana el Presidente Municipal dijera, después de una reunión de Cabildo, que se mantendría en su cargo pues las acusaciones son simplemente un chantaje del empresario Sergio Gil, propietario del Casino Red, ya que la autoridad municipal le ha aplicado la ley a su establecimiento por no cumplir con todos los requisitos. [¿En serio? ¿les han aplicado la ley? Estaría bien hacer inspecciones de dichos establecimientos para ver si es cierto… Estoy seguro que nos toparíamos con varias sorpresas como las del Casino Royale].

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La renuncia de funcionarios de gobierno NO es la solución. Tal vez sea un mal necesario para aplicar la justicia y procurar un espacio en que la legalidad vuelva a tener el lugar que debería en cualquier país que presume gozar de estado de derecho, pero si Larrazabal vuelve o no, si lograr sacar a Rodrigo Medina… no hará nada en torno a sanear los procesos y el sistema social que hoy está roto.  Por lo pronto, está a prueba durante 30 días… en ese inter, busquemos soluciones REALES a los problemas de verdad, a los que están mucho más enrraizados que un gobernante en turno.

Discurso de José Antonio Fernández C. en Premio EGS

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El día de ayer, el Presidente de Consejo y Director General de FEMSA, José Antonio Fernández, dio un emotivo mensaje durante la ceremonia 2011 del Premio Eugenio Garza Sada, que se otorga a individuos y organizaciones con alto compromiso y contribuciones al desarrollo y la sociedad.

En un país en que no existe accountability (tan es así que ni siquiera tenemos traducción real para dicho término) en los medios, no fue sorpresa ver la manera en que los distintos periódicos se tomaron frases específicas del discurso y armaron notas en base a su agenda particular. La cobertura que se dio en ninguno de los medios (o por lo menos los que yo consulté, que fueron varios), hace justicia a la intención integra del mensaje. Algunos decidieron presentar a Fernández como alguien que apunta dedos y culpa a otros… en un periódico de distribución local se le mostró en ataque frontal a las autoridades. Lo cierto es que el discurso fue mucho más que eso y el mensaje central hablaba de una corresponsabilidad en generar soluciones. Incluso quienes decidieron mostrar sólo partes con tal de decir que la IP se lavaba las manos, deberían ser más responsables e incluir los fragmentos en los que Fernández cuestionaba “¿Dónde estábamos los empresarios que no hemos conseguido, no sólo dar más trabajo, sino crear culturas de participación ciudadana entre nuestros colaboradores?”

En EL NORTE, recluido en notas secundarias de la sección de Negocios (cuando el día del evento se dio cobertura parcializada en primera plana), se incluyó el discurso íntegro. Me parece importante compartirlo con ustedes, a quienes agradezco visitan con regularidad este espacio.

Tuve la suerte y honor de trabajar en una de las unidades de negocio de FEMSA, grupo que José Antonio Fernández preside. Me enorgullece ver en la sociedad regiomontana líderes como él, dispuestos a ser portavoz de un mensaje como el que ahora les comparto:

Buenas tardes tengan todos ustedes y gracias por acompañarnos. Me da mucho gusto y me llena de orgullo estar una vez más en esta ceremonia de entrega del Premio Eugenio Garza Sada.

Me siento muy satisfecho de ver que asisten muchos jóvenes de distintas escuelas y del propio Tecnológico.

Creo que este premio se torna mucho más relevante, dadas la circunstancias que rodean a nuestra ciudad y a nuestro país.

Si hoy viviera Don Eugenio, estaría muy triste e indignado por la situación de violencia, criminalidad, corrupción e inseguridad que vive Monterrey.

Pero sin duda estaría activo, trabajando con determinación y firmeza para superar tan grave adversidad.

Estaría exigiendo a las autoridades eficacia y honestidad en la aplicación de la justicia. Convocando a las familias a inculcar a sus hijos valores positivos de vida, que eviten tomar el camino equivocado de la criminalidad.

Impulsando la participación de todos los ciudadanos y dando ejemplo de ello.

Emprendiendo iniciativas para que la educación de los niños y jóvenes les abra efectivas expectativas de superación y para tener empleos dignos, que evite su frustración por falta de oportunidades que luego los lleva tomar caminos equivocados.

Cuatro de los jóvenes que se atrevieron a rociar gasolina e incendiar un local con personas inocentes en su interior, nacieron aquí en Monterrey, en un hogar de esta comunidad, en una cuna regiomontana y aquí crecieron

Es momento de preguntarnos TODOS: ¿En dónde estamos fallando? ¿Qué hemos dejado de hacer o hemos hecho muy mal? ¿En dónde estaban los padres de estos jóvenes que toman la vía fácil y se involucran en actos delictivos tan terribles? ¿Qué pasó con sus maestros? ¿Qué sucedió con su escuela? ¿Qué hicieron o dejaron de hacer nuestros gobernantes para fomentar un ambiente de impunidad y corrupción; un sistema de procuración y administración de justicia tan tortuoso y corrupto? ¿Dónde estábamos los empresarios que no hemos conseguido, no sólo dar más trabajo, sino crear culturas de participación ciudadana entre nuestros colaboradores? ¿Qué promueven e informan los medios de comunicación que tienen tanta capacidad de influenciar a las masas? ¿Cuántos de nosotros participamos en organizaciones que impulsen el bienestar común?

Y hago todas estas preguntas no para señalar culpables, sino para reflexionar que TODOS los que formamos esta sociedad tenemos, desde nuestra trinchera, un papel importante que cumplir, pero además que no podemos encontrar e implementar soluciones solos, que el trabajo debe ser coordinado, debe ser orquestado, debe ser altamente participativo para que TODOS ganemos.

Reflexionar en lo que hemos hecho mal y reconocerlo, nos permitirá identificar qué es lo que cada uno tenemos que aportar. Ya tocamos fondo y debemos de reaccionar con decisión y de verdad.

No estamos dispuestos a vernos en el espejo de ese casino en llamas.

Por eso hoy, haciendo un alto en el camino y reflexionando sobre la vida Don Eugenio Garza Sada, me doy cuenta, la grandeza que nos dejó su ejemplo y lo medular que era su actuar para apoyar el desarrollo de la comunidad y el bienestar del país.

Don Eugenio Garza Sada, fue sin duda un buen empresario, preocupado por su empresa y sus utilidades, pues ese es el fin de las compañías, sin embargo, eligió ir más allá.

Eligió trabajar por el bienestar de los colaboradores y también de sus familias; eligió liderar proyectos y acciones pensando en el bienestar de su comunidad, de su ciudad y del futuro de los jóvenes.

Para él, como para muchos de nosotros ahora, pudo ser mucho más fácil concentrarse sólo en lo que le tocaba hacer y sin embargo, amplió su marco de acción y se dedicó a promover la generosidad, los valores humanos y la justicia social.

Y eso es lo que nos pide a gritos nuestro México actual, que sigamos su ejemplo, porque hoy más que nunca es necesario participar e involucrarnos en actividades que apoyen el desarrollo y bienestar de la comunidad.

Como dice una frase, las palabras convencen, pero el ejemplo arrastra. El ejemplo de Don Eugenio nos sigue enseñando, a través de sus obras, que lo mejor es actuar con valores, usando o creando los mecanismos de unión, de acción, que nos permitan sanarnos como sociedad.

Hoy tenemos la fortuna, de contar con una persona y una institución, que se han hecho acreedoras a este reconocimiento, porque al igual que Don Eugenio, han dedicado su vida y han enfocado su trabajo, a impulsar el progreso social y el desarrollo económico; a brindar a los más desprotegidos oportunidades que los hagan autosuficientes, y a vivir los valores de trabajo, justicia social y beneficio para la comunidad.

Ellos fueron seleccionados, de entre 141 candidatos propuestos para esta edición, por el jurado integrado por: Federico Terrazas Torres, Presidente del Consejo del Grupo Cementos de Chihuahua; Juan Carlos Garza Garza, Director General de Impulsora XI y Jorge Fernández Menéndez, Periodista y Directivo de Imagen.

Para la categoría de personas, tengo el gusto y el honor de presentarles a un distinguido caballero, Don Bernardo Quintana, quien recibe este reconocimiento por su entrega en mantener viva la vocación de los jóvenes y brindarles la oportunidad de continuar sus estudios a través de becas en México y el extranjero.

Don Bernardo Quintana dirige Empresas ICA, como Presidente del Consejo de Administración desde 1994, que es la principal empresa constructora de México y una de las más importantes de Latinoamérica.

A pesar de lo que implica este puesto y lo ocupado de su agenda, Don Bernardo ha tenido la habilidad para darse tiempo y actuar a favor de los jóvenes.

Instituyó la Fundación ICA y a través de ella ha apoyado a siete generaciones de personas con casi un centenar de becas de posgrado en México y en el extranjero, así como a estudiantes de licenciatura en ingeniería civil, ingeniería química e ingeniería industrial.

Adicionalmente, la Fundación ICA entrega cada año el Premio a la Docencia en Ingeniería Civil a un profesor seleccionado entre los candidatos propuestos por más de 100 instituciones y el reconocimiento Valor Mexicano de la Ingeniería, a un ingeniero destacado.

La obra de Don Bernardo es un ejemplo de la entrega de toda una vida al trabajo, que además pone todo su talento y su tiempo para apoyar al activo más valioso que tenemos en México, los jóvenes.

Muchas Gracias Don Bernardo por este ejemplo de dedicación que ha cambiado la vida de centenas de jóvenes y de sus familias, para incorporarlos a una vida productiva sustentada en valores.

En la categoría de Emprendimiento Social, el día de hoy tenemos como ganador a la asociación Alternativas y Procesos de Participación Social principalmente por sus logros en las comunidades aledañas a Tehuacán, en Puebla y con las comunidades indígenas de la región.

La institución ha rescatado a personas, familias y comunidades ubicadas en regiones pobres, cambiando su modo de vivir a uno autosustentable, de manera integrada, con una visión de crecimiento para las generaciones futuras.

Alternativas ha logrado concretar dos grandes proyectos: El primero es Agua para siempre, que busca dotar de agua a los pueblos involucrados en el proyecto, mientras conserva los suelos para uso agrícola, pecuario y forestal utilizando tecnologías apropiadas y sostenibles de regeneración ecológica de cuencas tributarias.

El segundo proyecto llamado Quali busca impulsar la formación de grupos de empresas sociales cooperativas agrícolas, de transformación agroindustrial, de comercialización y de consumo de productos nutritivos elaborados con base en el amaranto, para brindar una dieta balanceada a las familias y una fuente de ingresos permanentes a los socios de las empresas sociales, con una remuneración equitativa.

Con estos dos proyectos ha beneficiado, desde 1988, a más de 191 mil personas. Para lograrlo han construido 1,668 obras de regeneración de cuencas en 56 municipios, 22 del estado de Oaxaca y 34 de Puebla, en 189 pueblos.

Además han capacitado a más de 8,300 campesinos miembros de comités de obras y han recibido cerca de 9,000 visitantes al Museo del Agua.

Se encuentra con nosotros la Sra. Gisela Herrerías Guerra, Presidenta Fundadora de la Asociación y el Dr. Raúl Hernández Garciadiego, Director General, a quienes felicitamos por esta destacada labor que sin duda coincide en intención y valores con los vividos por el propio Don Eugenio durante su vida activa.

Estos dos ejemplos son una muestra viviente de que si se quiere se puede y de que todos podemos contribuir a rescatar a nuestra sociedad, nuestra región, nuestra escuela, nuestro barrio. Sólo necesitamos la buena voluntad para actuar, como lo hace don Bernardo Quintana y como lo hacen en la asociación Alternativas y Procesos de Participación Social con los indígenas y los pueblos de Oaxaca y Puebla

Creo que todos tenemos la obligación de tomar a Don Bernardo Quintana y Alternativas y Procesos de Participación Social, como inspiración para que con nuestras acciones aportemos al bienestar primero de nuestra familia, comunidad, ciudad y país.

Señoras y señores, los trágicos eventos de la semana pasada agravaron importantemente la delicada situación que de un tiempo para acá ya sufría Nuevo León.

Es imprescindible reaccionar positivamente a la indignación y miedo que la sociedad de nuestro estado ha estado viviendo.

Es intolerable aceptar una situación donde la realidad no es peor, sólo porque los delincuentes interpretan que no les conviene. No hay ningún control de la plaza.

Hay que decirlo con todas sus letras: las autoridades de los diferentes ámbitos de gobierno en Nuevo León han tenido un desempeño evidentemente insatisfactorio y decepcionante.

Nuevo León merece tener un gobierno, en todos los niveles, que sea efectivo, limpio y eficiente. Esto se vuelve imperativo en momentos de crisis.

Ahora más que nunca, es inaceptable que los políticos en el ejercicio de sus responsabilidades, solamente estén pensando en la conveniencia electoral de sus partidos, olvidándose del beneficio a la sociedad a la que están obligados a servir.

Nuevo León y México entero merecen también una ciudadanía dinámica, solidaria, apegada en todos sus actos a la legalidad y decidida a trabajar por una convivencia pacífica y justa y por una existencia trascendente y honorable.

Confío que estos retos que hoy se nos presentan, haga resurgir el orgullo de ser regiomontano, con la esencia original que nos enaltece, y que a pesar de lo que hoy pasa, sigue viva en el espíritu de la gente de esta vigorosa región de México.

Recobremos el orgullo de nuestro carácter trabajador, alegre, sincero y decidido con el que se ha edificado el progreso de esta tierra. Seamos fieles a nuestra esencia regiomontana y unidos superaremos la adversidad para vivir seguros, tranquilos y en paz.

Los actuales son momentos de prueba decisivos. Nuestra juventud y su destino es lo que está en juego.

Muchas gracias a todos por acompañarnos, muchas felicidades a los ganadores por ser ejemplo de participación.

—

MUCHAS GRACIAS A TI, JOSE ANTONIO.

Mexico mourns after Casino Royale massacre

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Dear readers,

Though originally the plan was to wait for AQBlog to publish this piece, I suspect they are dealing with Hurricane Irene in the NYC offices and might have already evacuated. For that reason and that reason alone, I am publishing this article on my personal blog (here) first. I’ll let you know when it goes online at AQBlog.

—-

“Mexico mourns after Casino Royale massacre”

Yesterday Mexico suffered the criminal attack with most civilian casualties in its recent history, as a group of 10-12 armed men entered the two-story ‘Casino Royale’ in the city of Monterrey, doused it with a flammable liquid and threw Molotov cocktails in the first floor. Details are still sketchy as I write these words and the death toll has not yet been established but unofficially the number is above 50, most of them women. The motive behind the attack will probably never be determined, but the local media’s investigative reports point towards non-compliance with a criminal gang that had demanded a cut of the business’ profits in exchange for ‘protection.’

Gruesome as the attack itself was, the reason for the elevated number of victims sadly has more to do with institutionalized corruption than with the criminal act itself. Survivors to this tragedy have testified that other than the main entrance to the establishment (which was blocked by the attackers), four non-labelled service doors were locked and the only supposed emergency exit to the place was fake and had a concrete wall behind it. The amount of suffering and emotions the victims must have felt when they thought they would be able to escape the fire and faced a wall in front of them, is horribly unimaginable.

Casino Royale received its license to operate as a restaurant and betting house in 2007, during the administration of Mayor Adalberto Madero, who in 2011 was officially kicked out of the PAN party for corruption charges and tainting the party’s image (he was later reinstated due to a technicality). Ironically enough, Rodrigo, José Francisco and Ramón Agustín Madero (Adalberto’s cousins) are members of the Administrative Board of the company that owns Casino Royale.

The matter becomes worse when we learn that during 2011 the establishment had already been subject to two other criminal attacks and during neither of the follow-up investigations was the fact that the venue was obviously not up to code, enough to shut it down permanently.

Today, a city and a whole country mourn. Frustration is at an all-time high and is manifesting itself in different ways. On Twitter users heightened their continued demands for Governor Rodrigo Medina to resign. Others called for the two local soccer teams to hold a friendly match in the name of peace and/or for people to wear white in the next match on Saturday. Peace rallies are the current talk of the town and surely at least one march will take place in the near future.

Well-intentioned as these efforts may be, the sad truth is that they will do little to solve the problem. And going after the criminals with guns is a must, but that is fighting the manifestations of the ailment and not the root causes. Calderon’s war on organized crime is palliative at best. The worst criminals behind massacres like Casino Royale do not carry an AK-47. They wear suits, sit behind desks at government buildings and are a part of institutionalized corruption. And we keep them there.

While I can certainly understand the plight for Medina to leave office, the person is only part of a larger system-level problem and changing a system does not occur with one single action, and it does not occur overnight.

The prescription for a real cure seems like a utopian list we’ve heard over and over again: better education, more viable job opportunities, strengthened law enforcement, rule of law, actively combating impunity and corruption, etc. But if we really want to act on our current frustration, I believe there are individual actions that each of us can take in order to start moving in the right direction. I for one, plan to do my part.

On January 5th, I wrote “A New Year’s Resolution for Mexico” for Americas Quarterly. Back then I called for our new year’s resolution as Mexicans to be not exercising any form of corruption. I proposed that we no longer bribe public officials to avoid a speeding ticket. No more tax evasion, no more purchasing pirate products which we now know are part of organized crime’s value chain. No more negligence in our duty to monitor and demand effectiveness from our elected officials and government bureaucrats and no more questionable practices in the companies we work for.

Little by little, with each permissible act of corruption, we have collectively allowed for this tragedy to happen. My new year’s resolution is even more relevant today than it was when it was originally published and I firmly believe it is a small but decisive step toward the system change we need to instil.

My heartfelt condolences for the victims of the Casino Royale tragedy and their families.

Quick note on ‘Casino Royale’

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Dear readers,

As most of you already know, today is a very sad day for the city of Monterrey and the whole of Mexico. Since yesterday, some of you have asked me whether or not I was going to write about the Casino Royale massacre for Americas Quarterly.

While at first it was hard to do so, given a state of numbness I believe I had to go through in order to process it, I have written a piece on this subject and sent it to AQBlog’s editing director (just a couple of minutes ago).

I will let you know via Facebook and Twitter when it goes online.

Thank you for your interest. Other www.arjanshahani.wordpress.com content will go on as planned.

Keep you head up.

Rogue Group Attacks Nanotechnology in Mexico

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Here is a link to my latest article on AQBlog, titled “Rogue Group Attacks Nanotechnology in Mexico” , published on Aug 10th, 2011. Please feel free to visit and comment. Here is a verbatim copy of it in case you prefer to read it on my personal blog, though I recommend actually going to the site because of additional content, other blogger’s articles, etc.

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The anarchist group known as ITS (Individualidades Tendiendo a lo Salvaje or “Individual actions bordering on being savage” as it would roughly translate in English) gained notoriety in Mexico on Monday (August 8th) when they claimed responsibility for a home-made explosive device that detonated in the hands of Tec de Monterrey Estado de México professor Armando Herrera Corral on the first day of school of this semester. A second device was found in another university (Instituto Politécnico Nacional) the next day; luckily authorities were able to remove and defuse it.

Through its blog “Liberación Total” ITS claims that it is an organization against all forms of domination. Radical language against the neoliberal model is of course included, with the usual blurb about the United States dominating the world, cultural and economic imperialism, etc. ITS states that nanotechnology will lead to the downfall of mankind and paints a fatalist picture of the future where artificial intelligence will take over and control mankind. Tempting as it may seem, we really shouldn’t blame Arnold Schwarzenegger and those Terminator movies for the existence of this group.

In the communiqué where they claim responsibility for the attack at Tec de Monterrey, ITS denounces universities in Mexico, claiming they “aim to prepare minds that don’t only want a piece of paper that credits their studies, but to graduate people who truly contribute to scientific knowledge and development of nanobiotechnology, in order to obtain what the system ultimately wants: total domination of everything which is potentially free.” They go on to say that scientists who claim to be investigating benefits for all of mankind are lying to us and that their true intentions are purely based on self-indulgence. The cherry on top is an isolated line in between paragraphs : “No matter what they say, Ted Kaczynski was right.”

I normally try to respect other ideologies, no matter how much they differ from my own. I believe that is the key to social understanding. However, as with other forms of fanaticism, you lose all respect when your methods for promoting that ideology involve harming other human beings, especially when it is so evident that you don’t have your facts straight. The data provided by the “Liberación Total” blog in different sections is biased and questionable at best. Here are some clear examples:

At one point they quote Nobel laureate Harold Kroto saying “if we turn back the clock to 1910 and avoided investigating in chemistry during the twentieth century, we would not have napalm or the atomic bomb.” This quote is taken out of context and cut in order to use Kroto’s title and present him as somebody against nanotechnology. When Kroto mentioned this he was actually making a case for nanotechnology investigation; his last statement is that without science we would “also not have computers, mobile phones or many other appliances.” In fact, according to Enriquez Cabot, Kroto’s work on nanotechnology will allow for the creation of “a molecular motor [with which] you can power machines that float (literally) on a speck of dust.”

ITS then pinpoints Tec de Monterrey University and Tec Professor Laura Palomares, “who in 2009 was recognized by the Academy of Mexican Science for using nanomaterials in developing an artificial virus which would cure certain sicknesses.” What’s wrong with this? According to ITS and their extensive scientific knowledge, “in any given moment it has been proven that this could create more sicknesses as a reaction to the substance.” Fact: today nanotechnology is being tested for (among many other medical applications) the effective drug delivery without harming healthy cells, with a very positive outlook. That is, nanotechnology could open the door to a definitive cure of cancer among many other ailments.

One last example of skewed ITS arguments: in their communiqué they quote Dr. Gary Small saying that excessive use of the internet causes “damages to the functioning of the brain and reducing personal skills to establish face to face conversations.” Once again, they fail to include the part where Small praises the digital era and mentions that thanks to the Internet we are “heightening skills like multi-tasking, complex reasoning and decision making.”

If anything, Mexico’s investment in technological development and innovation is late at best. In a world where capacity to compete will be based more and more in knowledge and less on natural resources, ITS would propose abandonment of the little effort being made to catch up.

How far behind is Mexico? Ownership of knowledge and the result of research and development can easily be measured by the amount of patents registered in the U.S. and Europe Patent Offices. In 2010, the U.S. registered 107,792 patents and South Korea held 11,671. Mexico? 101. Fact: the U.S. state of North Dakota holds more patents than the whole of Mexico.

And isn’t it ironic that the only way ITS is able to effectively coordinate their attacks and link with other anarchist groups in the world, is through the use of the Internet? They mention that through the Tec bombing, their intention was to gain notoriety. In that effect, they’ve been very successful. They are now famously ridiculous.

*Arjan Shahani is a contributing blogger to AQ Online. He lives in Monterrey, Mexico, and is an MBA graduate from Thunderbird University and Tecnológico de Monterrey and a member of the International Advisory Board of Global Majority—an international nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of nonviolent conflict resolution.