President López Obrador’s confidence in his Pollyanna approach to personal security is shared by key members of his party, despite a recent threat from a cartel boss.
Morena party president Yeidckol Polevnsky said in an interview yesterday that the narco-banner placed outside the Pemex refinery in Salamanca, Guanajuato, would not deter the administration in its fight against fuel theft and corruption and the president trusts the people to look after him.
The banner’s message, presumably signed by José Antonio “El Marro” Yepez, presumed leader of the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel warned López Obrador to withdraw troops from the state or innocent people would die.
“We will not retreat because of a narcomanta or anything so that they can continue with their crimes, corruption, and fuel theft,” Polevnsky said. “That’s unacceptable.”
She also denied that explosive devices had been found in a pickup outside the refinery, hours before the government suddenly changed its story and said there were explosives in the truck.
“There weren’t any explosive devices [outside the refinery] as was reported. The president trusts the people to look after him, and I believe they will, and although personally I would like much more security, I believe he has done well in marking the difference between the previous government and what the government is now.”
Mario Delgado, Morena’s leader in the Chamber of Deputies, also affirmed his belief in President López Obrador’s safety. He added that he believed the threats to be a sign that the president’s anti-fuel theft strategy was working and represented a threat to corruption and criminal interests.
Presidential spokesman Jesús Ramírez, who also told reporters initially that reports of explosives near the Salamanca refinery had been a false alarm, confirmed that police had in fact found explosives in a parked pickup and told the newspaper Milenio that the devices had been destroyed.
He told reporters that the president was unconcerned by the gang leader’s threat, repeating the party’s mantra that “the people will look after the president.”
Source: Milenio (sp)
