Legislative changes will give AMLO control over Supreme Court: critics

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April 6, 2019

The Supreme Court: target of power grab?

A legislative proposal by Mexico’s ruling party to create an anti-corruption chamber in the Supreme Court (SCJN) and increase the number of justices from 11 to 16 is a ploy to enable President López Obrador and his government to control the court, an academic and opposition lawmakers say.

Raúl Mejía, an associate professor at the Center for Research and Teaching in Economics (CIDE), said the proposal is a way for the López Obrador administration to get an “effective majority in the court” because it would be able to appoint eight justices to the SCJN instead of just three.

He said the number of corruption-related cases doesn’t justify increasing the number of Supreme Court justices.

Mejía, a former SCJN official, added that if the government was able to stack the court with its own hand-picked justices, a situation would likely be created in which the “judicial counterweight to the Congress” is eliminated.

Citizens’ Movement (MC) Senator Clemente Castañeda said the government’s intent is to seize power in the court, while Emilio Álvarez Icaza, a senator not affiliated with any political party, called on the Morena party and López Obrador to give an assurance that the proposal isn’t an attempt to control the SCJN.

Another senator, Jorge Carlos Ramírez Marín of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), said the appointment of additional justices is “absolutely unnecessary” and would be a financial burden on the country.

Damián Zepeda of the National Action Party (PAN) was also critical of the Morena party proposal.

“A new chamber isn’t needed. It’s nothing more than a pretext to dominate the court by increasing the number of justices because if you have five new justices plus the two already appointed [by López Obrador], you’re just one away from having the majority with the president’s casting vote,” he said.

López Obrador will be required to make a third appointment to replace Justice José Fernando Franco, whose 15-year term will end in 2021.

The president yesterday distanced himself from his party’s proposal, saying that it was a matter for Congress rather than the executive branch of government.

“It’s a matter for the legislative power. My respectful opinion is that we don’t need more [judicial] apparatuses. What’s needed is to put an end to corruption from top to bottom,” he said.

Source: Reforma (sp)

Trump ‘shooting himself in the foot’ with border threats: business leader

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MND Staff

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April 6, 2019

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Border closure threats hurt trade: business.

United States President Donald Trump is “shooting himself in the foot” by threatening to close the border with Mexico, according to the president of the Business Coordinating Council (CCE).

Carlos Salazar Lomelín said the only thing Trump achieves by making such threats is to slow down cross-border trade, which generates economic losses for both Mexico and the United States.

The U.S. president had threatened to close the border “or large sections of the border” this week if Mexico didn’t immediately stop all illegal immigration into the United States through its southern border.

However, Trump pulled back on the threat Thursday, stating that he was giving Mexico “a one-year warning” to stop drug and migration flows. If the government doesn’t comply within that period, tariffs will be imposed on Mexican auto imports and the border will be closed.

Cars and trucks have faced long wait times at several border crossings this week as a result of a decision to redeploy border officials to deal with a large influx of migrants as well as more exhaustive vehicle inspections.

Trump’s words are also a factor in the delays, Salazar contended.

He said it was “logical” that whenever Trump makes a threat, the process to cross the border slows down, causing trucks to stack up and making it impossible for them to make timely deliveries.

“He doesn’t realize that he’s shooting himself in the foot,” Salazar said, explaining that it’s not just Mexican companies who are affected and complain about the situation but those in the United States as well.

“You don’t [just] affect Mexico, you affect both countries . . .” he said.

Echoing Economy Secretary Graciela Márquez’s words, the business leader added that trade and migration are separate issues and one shouldn’t be allowed to affect the other.

Meanwhile, the Business Roundtable – an association of chief executive officers of United States companies – has written to United States officials to express its concern about delays at the border and the possibility of a future closure.

“Shutting down the U.S-Mexico border or slowing cross-border trade would severely damage the operations of American businesses and hurt American workers. Closing the border would back up thousands of trucks, impact billions of dollars of goods each day, cripple supply chains and stall U.S. manufacturing and business activity,” the letter said.

“Even the threat of a border closure injects significant uncertainty for American companies who depend on legal workers who cross the border each day to operate their businesses. Instead, we urge the administration to keep U.S. land ports of entry open to legal commerce to support U.S. economic growth and competitiveness.”

The current situation at the border will be a key issue at a summit in Mérida, Yucatán, next Friday at which business leaders from Mexico and the United States will meet.

President López Obrador and Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard are also expected to attend the United States-Mexico CEO dialogue, a biannual event organized by the CCE and the U.S Chamber of Commerce.

Discussion of the pending ratification of the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, and the provisions in the new trade accord, will also be on the agenda.

The United States is Mexico’s largest trading partner, while Mexico ranks third for the U.S. behind China and Canada.

Mexico sent exports worth more than US $295 billion across the northern border by land last year, according to the United States Department of Transport.

Source: Milenio (sp), El Universal (sp)

Power outage affects 1.6 million electrical customers on Yucatán peninsula

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Tony Richards

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April 6, 2019

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Scene of the fire that knocked out power on the Yucatán peninsula.

For the second time in a month a fire beneath electrical transmission lines has been blamed for a major power outage on the Yucatán peninsula.

The power went out at 3:35pm yesterday for 1.63 million customers of the National Electricity Commission (CFE) in Yucatán, Quintana Roo and Campeche. The figure represents about 85% of the CFE’s clients on the peninsula.

The utility said the burning of brush between towers on the transmission lines between Ticul, Yucatán, and Escárcega, Campeche, caused the outage.

The CFE said power was restored by 7:00pm, although there were reports until 8:00pm that parts of Cancún were still without electricity.

A similar outage occurred on March 8 when transmission lines were affected by the burning of sugar cane, cutting off electricity to at least 351,000 customers in Yucatán and Quintana Roo.

Source: Animal Político (sp)

Volcano evacuation routes prepared with the help of drones

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Madison Koen

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April 6, 2019

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El Popo sends a vapor plume drifting across the skyline.

Images taken with drones have helped prepare 42 evacuation routes for communities surrounding the Popocatépetl volcano.

The National Center for Disaster Prevention (Cenapred) together with state and national Civil Protection personnel prepared evacuation plans for a digital platform on which residents can identify the closest escape route.

The videos of the escape routes will be shareable on social media.

Civil Protection emergencies subdirector Salvador Cervantes stressed that it was important for the public to know exactly where the escape routes begin and how to arrive safely at the temporary shelters.

State Civil Protection authorities explained that they hope to create a culture of disaster prevention in which residents will know how to reach out to authorities and take responsibility for the preventative measures that can be carried out beforehand.

Authorities said they are working to improve conditions on the escape routes, which in some cases include treacherously narrow stretches of road and bridges in need of repair. However, the state government emphasized that all routes are currently navigable in case of a major eruption.

The volcano’s alert warning was upgraded two weeks to yellow Phase 3. The next highest level is in the red zone and warns area residents to be prepared to evacuate.

Source: El Financiero (sp), Excélsior (sp)

Amid questions over the benefits, clocks change Sunday morning

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MND Staff

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April 6, 2019

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Clocks will advance one hour in most of Mexico at 2:00am tomorrow for the annual switch to Daylight Saving Time as debate over the pros and cons of the practice continues.

Summer time will remain in effect until the last weekend in October.

The only regions of the country that are not affected by the time change are the 33 municipalities that border the United States and the states of Sonora and Quintana Roo.

Daylight saving was introduced in Mexico as a power-saving measure in 1996 and, according to the Secretariat of Energy (Sener), it works.

At the conclusion of summer time last year, Sener said that turning the clocks forward an hour had prevented the emission of 548,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide and generated savings for consumers of just under 1.4 billion pesos (US $73 million).

Ricardo Bernal Vargas, president of the Industrialists Association of Michoacán (AIEMAC), said in that state, average energy savings of 10% are seen during the summer time period, which can translate into significant financial savings for businesses.

He explained that the power savings mainly come from the reduced need to turn on lights during working hours.

Despite the benefits, a lot of Mexicans oppose the time change, including many who say that it has a detrimental effect on health.

Arguing for the elimination of Daylight Saving Time, Mexico City lawmaker Carlos Castillo Pérez said in February that people’s performance at work and school can be affected both by its commencement and its conclusion, contending that the time changes can cause extreme fatigue, irritability, insomnia, anxiety and poor concentration “while the body adjusts to the new schedule.”

This week, the Mexico City Congress approved a motion to ask Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum to eliminate summer time in the capital, while the Baja California Sur Congress has sent a request to its federal counterpart to scrap the practice across the country.

Baja California Sur Deputy Perla Guadalupe Flores Leyva this week accused federal lawmakers of ignoring the request and said she had written to President López Obrador about the issue.

However, efforts to get rid of Daylight Saving Time are under way at the federal level.

Ruling party Senator Félix Salgado Macedonio presented a proposal late last month that seeks to revoke the presidential decree that allowed the time changes to occur.

“There is no data that supports . . . the argument that was initially put forward to establish the seasonal schedule nor sufficient evidence of the beneficial consequences of said schedule. On the contrary, there is evidence that proves [the time change] harms health and affects citizens’ daily lives,” his proposal says.

With López Obrador – a longtime opponent of the summer time regime — in office and the ruling Morena party and its coalition partners’ commanding a majority in both houses of Congress, the chances of Daylight Saving Time disappearing seem to be greater than at any time in the recent past.

But it could ultimately be up to the people of Mexico to decide summer time’s fate: López Obrador has floated the possibility of holding a national consultation on the matter.

Source: ADN Político (sp), La Voz de Michoacán (sp), BCS Noticias (sp)

Flight attendants threaten strike at Aeroméxico

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César Hernández

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April 6, 2019

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Aeroméxico flight attendants threaten to strike May 31. — The union has set a strike date of May 31.

The flight attendants’ union has announced that 2,200 of its members employed by Mexican flag carrier Aeroméxico will go on strike on May 31 to press for a 10% salary increase.

Union leader Ricardo del Valle explained that the flight attendants delivered their list of demands to the airline this week, and that the workers hope to come to an agreement before the strike date.

Other demands includes improvements to social security benefits.

Del Valle said the union is a democratic organization whose members elect the leadership with a universal and secret ballot, and is accountable to its members.

Source: El Economista (sp)

Mezcal maker ad called racist for using fair-skinned person in advertising

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MND Staff

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April 5, 2019

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The offending photo that was used in an advertising campaign.

A mezcal industry group has called on a maker of the spirit to withdraw advertising that has been called racist.

An image of a fair-skinned woman on a horse flanked by four indigenous women appeared on social media late last month to promote the company Mezcal Oro de Oaxaca.

The young woman, a social media influencer with 205,000 followers on Instagram, also posted a photo of herself in an agave field with two other models.

The two-photo post linked to Mezcal Oro de Oaxaca’s Instagram profile and featured the hashtag #orodeoaxacaexperience, which appears to have been created as part of a wider social media campaign for the company.

Scores of other Instagram users were critical of the post for its allegedly racist content.

“Who are the [indigenous] ladies? Your retinue of servants? Because that’s what it looks like. Another brand, again, making a pig’s ear of it. There’s a campaign behind this, there would have been creative people who approved what you’re doing . . .” Food Police MX wrote.

Twitter user Pilar Rosas offered that it was “horrible that Mezcal Oro de Oaxaca is continuing to fuel racial stereotypes in its ‘advertising campaigns.’”

Luis España, president of the National Chamber of Mezcal, said he wrote to the company to ask for an explanation about the advertising and to request its removal from social media.

“We can’t intervene in the company’s advertising policies but in this case . . . [the photos] generated a lot of noise and ridicule for the [mezcal] industry, which is why we decided to intervene to ask for an explanation and for the errors to be rectified,” he said.

Mezcal Oro de Oaxaca responded that it decided to use the photograph in question because it showed an authentic “Mexican” moment.

The indigenous women featured in the image voluntarily approached the horse-riding female model to ask if they could appear in a photo with her, the company said.

Source: Milenio (sp)

Government-picked commissioners means regulator loses autonomy: experts

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MND Staff

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April 5, 2019

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Appointments give AMLO more control, critics warn.

The four people chosen by the federal government to fill positions on the governing body of the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) will result in a loss of autonomy for the regulator, experts warn.

President López Obrador announced yesterday that he had appointed Luis Linares Zapata, Norma Leticia Campos, José Alberto Celestinos and Guadalupe Escalante to CRE commissioner roles.

Gonzalo Monroy, managing director of theconsultancy firm Monroy Energy, said the appointments were political and showed that the CRE was losing its independence and instead becoming “captured” by government interests.

Luis Miguel Labardini-Deveaux, a partner at energy sector consultancy Marcos y Asociados, said that the CRE appointees were selected because of their proximity to the federal government and “loyalty” to López Obrador.

Both men agreed that the appointments are designed to ensure that the CRE doesn’t oppose the decisions the government takes in relation to the state oil company and the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE).

Labardini-Deveaux said López Obrador’s intent is to return to a time when Pemex and the CFE were not just energy companies but also their own regulators.

“The president wants a mixed economy but one in which Pemex and the CFE are preeminent and for that he needs a CRE to his liking, a less autonomous one,” he said.

Monroy contended that a less independent CRE is bad news for private and foreign companies that have entered Mexico’s energy market in recent years.

“For good or bad, the CRE was the guarantor of a level playing field, especially when you have such dominant companies – although no longer monopolistic – such as Pemex in the petroleum market and CFE in natural gas and electricity. You need an independent regulatory body so that private foreign or national companies [have the confidence] to invest,” he said.

George Baker, a Houston-based energy consultant and editor of the newsletter Mexico Energy Intelligence, said “the lack of a level playing field could put a brake on new investment in the [energy] sector.”

Earlier this year, López Obrador accused the CRE and the National Hydrocarbons Commission of being complicit with the corrupt management by past governments of state-owned companies.

“They maintained relationships with private companies that benefited from contracts both with the CFE and Pemex,” he said.

Source: El Universal (sp)

Morelos law would prohibit 2 adults on a motorcycle to deter crime

By

Madison Koen

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April 5, 2019

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The second adult might soon have to get off the bike in Morelos.

Three people — sometimes even four — on a motorcycle is not an unusual sight in Mexico but in Morelos it’s the motorcycle carrying two adult riders that has authorities concerned: many crimes are committed by a two-man team on a bike.

Governor Cuauhtémoc Blanco announced his support this week for a proposed law that would prohibit motorcycle riders from carrying passengers as a means to deter crime.

“I support [the proposal] and I hope that people are aware of [the situation]. I know that sometimes women accompany their husbands on their motorcycle, but we have to do this. Believe me, you can always find criminals on motorcycles when there are two people aboard.”

The governor cited statistics that indicate that 90% of homicides linked to organized crime are committed by men riding motorcycles. But Blanco reassured residents that the new law would not prevent children from accompanying their parents.

The proposal came from state security commissioner José Ortiz Guarneros, who said the state Congress would be asked to prepare legislation to make two adults riding a motorcycle a ticketable offense.

Ortiz said the security commission compiled an extensive list of stolen motorcycles that were later used in criminal activites. According to the list, in the last two months of 2018 and the first month of 2019, police inspected a total of 1,510 motorcycles in the state, and 400 turned out to be stolen.

The proposed law would not be the first of its kind. According to Bogotá, Colombia, security chief Jairo García, a similar measure implemented for three months in high-crime neighborhoods saw a 10% reduction in crime.

And the same restriction was imposed on motorcyclists in Honduras in 2014 for the same reason: criminals found them useful in their work.

Another motorcycle law was passed recently in Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, but it was about safety rather than crime. It prohibits riders from carrying children.

Source: Milenio (sp)

Zihuatanejo’s ‘secret dinners’ build gastronomical awareness

By

Elisabeth Ashe

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April 5, 2019

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Clandestina dinner guests at Punta Garrobo, Zihuatanejo. margaret reid

March 31 marked four years and 20 Clandestina dinners hosted by brothers Antonio and Felipe Meneses, co-owners of Restaurante Angustino in Zihuatanejo, Guerrero.

After chef Felipe Meneses read about the formal affairs, which originated in San Francisco and then went on to London, England, and major cities in the United States, he decided it would be a success in Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, too.

As his brother Antonio pointed out, it is their dream to make this part of Mexico a true gastronomical destination as well as the popular tourist destination it is today.

Each dinner has been hosted, as the name suggests, in a secret location. Guests arrive at the restaurant to enjoy a welcome cocktail before departing in prearranged vehicles to the location of the dinner. There they are wined and dined in the finest style for the entire evening.

The price is dependant on the location and menu, but guests can expect to pay between 2,000 and 2,700 pesos (US $100-$140) per person. The number of guests will vary between 20 and 60, making it truly exclusive as people vie for tickets at the once-a-month event during high season, December to April.

Restaurant crew prepares the plates. margaret reid

Past dinners have been held in locations such as the lighthouse at the tip of Las Gatas, a labor-intensive affair which required moving everything from tables, chairs and linens to food, flowers and guests on a dusty pathway.

Additional dinners were hosted at Zihuatanejo’s Archeological Museum and the infamous Patheon, that sits high on the hills of La Ropa beach. Still another used Ixtapa as a backdrop.

Depending on the menu, the brothers will often fly in special guest chefs from around Mexico to share their talents and expertise, and sometimes offer surprise entertainment for the evening.

At the museum Clandestina, for example, the young man sitting next to me rose half-way through dinner and did an amazing operatic version of Besame Mucho.

As I joined others on the patio at Angustino’s for what was to be the final Clandestina this season, I was as much in the dark as everyone else as to where the dinner was going to be held. Finally, when everyone had arrived, we departed in pre-arranged vehicles.

On the way I asked Antonio about the future of Clandestina dinners for the area. He explained that despite what might seem a hefty price tag, the dinners did not break even as a business for them, especially once all the expenses were factored in, such as airfare and accommodation for the visiting chefs, flowers, linens and, of course, the price of labour, food and wine.

Clandestina creators, from left, Felipe, Nori and Antonio Meneses. margaret reid

So why do it?

The whole point is to build up awareness of Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo gastronomically. Eventually, the brothers hope, other restaurants in the area with world-class chefs (and there are many) would choose to participate.

As Antonio’s car wound up the hills heading towards Playa la Ropa, I played a guessing game as to where the event would be held and discarded each guess as we passed it and began to climb. I knew there were several locations high above Las Gatas that would be suitable for a Clandestina, but we had passed all the places I thought it might be held.

Finally, we took a road I hadn’t even known existed and moments later we arrived.

The first thing that struck me was the incredible and breathtaking view of the beautiful Punta Garroba resort and condominiums. Far below I could make out the long linen-clad table which was, I learned, decorated by artist Miguel López Vázquez from Mexico City.

A beautiful staircase brought guests down to a stunning swimming pool on the manmade beach overlooking the surf and rocks below. The bar rested to the right where the staff worked to prep the plates for dinner.

Last dinner of the season, at Punta Garrobo. margaret reid

And then it came time to eat.

As each creative as well as delicious dish was presented and paired with an appropriate wine, chef Felipe explained them. It was love at first bite — from the first course, a seafood bouillabaisse, followed by tortellini in squid ink, plus a fish dish, to a beef dish with hibiscus and peppers.

The last course, a confection of chocolate and pistachio created by Antonio Meneses’ wife chef Nori, was the perfect end to an amazing dinner.

The writer is a Canadian who has lived and worked in Mexico for many years.