Reforma: René Delgado*
Sep. 14, 2019
They are pretending that time or errors made by the adversary [AMLO] will be the guarantee of their survival or the reward for their incapacity. Perhaps it may allow them to declare themselves satisfied staying safe within their own labyrinth, but that means they are an opposition without power. So goes the opposition.
Reforma only allows subscribers to access their articles online.
*René Delgado is a journalist since 1978, specializing in political affairs. His he began his column in Reforma, "Sobreaviso" [Advanced Warning], in 1989. He is the author of The Opposition: Debate for the Nation, Crime on the Eve of Elections and the novel The Rescue.
Sep. 14, 2019
The partisan opposition is trying to reconstitute itself not by way of the success of its actions, but by depending on the errors of its adversary [President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, aka AMLO]. It is lost and afraid to leave its labyrinth.
Despite the evidence of the radical change in the terms of doing politics, [AMLO and his party, Morena, essentially wiped out the existing political parties in the elections of July 2018] the opposition insists on doing as before, as usual, afraid to explore new paths. Unable to leave the comfort zone that is one of moving about in the corridors of power and making internal arrangements, it does not want to expend any energy in other spaces or be out in the open. Its bet is not to take firm and successful steps, but to bet on the stumbling of the opponent [AMLO] or trying to hinder him. And so the opposition is harmless.
The practice of opposing without proposing, of resisting by remaining entrenched in criticizing, shouting, lamenting or entering into negotiation does not hold any future for the opposition. In a couple of years, it will be seen if it prevails or succumbs, but if it continues as it is going, its extinction is not unlikely. [There will be midterm elections of the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Congress, and some governorships in 2021]
We have previously expressed in this space how Morena [the Movement for National Regeneration, AMLO´s new party] causes indigestion with its erratic exercise of power; true, but the opposition causes a bitterness due to the absence of power.
The directions of the Party of the Institutional Revolution [PRI] and the National Action Party [PAN], are embodied by Alejandro Moreno and Marko Cortés [their respective new presidents]. They are busier holding onto their positions than in conceiving, guiding, articulating and coordinating the performance of the different poles of their respective power groups. They lack the acceptance of the membership of the parties they manage and, without leadership, they seek to reconcile internal interests in order to appear as leaders, even if they are not. There is no line of direction in the performance of those parties because their respective leadership cannot draw it, much less cast it ahead. Such conduct limits their performance and, to that extent, their decisions have the firmness and solidity of jelly.
The directions of the Party of the Institutional Revolution [PRI] and the National Action Party [PAN], are embodied by Alejandro Moreno and Marko Cortés [their respective new presidents]. They are busier holding onto their positions than in conceiving, guiding, articulating and coordinating the performance of the different poles of their respective power groups. They lack the acceptance of the membership of the parties they manage and, without leadership, they seek to reconcile internal interests in order to appear as leaders, even if they are not. There is no line of direction in the performance of those parties because their respective leadership cannot draw it, much less cast it ahead. Such conduct limits their performance and, to that extent, their decisions have the firmness and solidity of jelly.
The desire to secure positions, seek internal party arrangements and keep the existing forms means that the congressional coordination of the opposition, particularly in the Senate, does not fall on those who have greater authority, representativeness, room for maneuver and possibility.
Their congressional coordinators in the Senate move with lukewarmness for two reasons. One is because they know that their past - their previous performance - condemns them and, at any time, could be exhibited and, thus, their room for maneuver is extremely reduced. The second is because, plainly and simply, they lack the experience and political leadership necessary to lead their congressional caucus and, therefore, they act without rhyme or reason.
Both are the product of negotiations within the interior of their parties and do not have the prestige, prudence and intelligence required to face the movement in power. Needless to say, this situation may maintain the equilibrium within those parties, but it widens the room for maneuver by those they supposedly want to cut down [AMLO and Morena].
The lack of leadership in the opposition parties and the consequent lack of the formation of a single front generate a contradictory performance that a merged opposition party would not have.
One example. Opposition lawmakers criticize the government for seeking more funds and, in contrast, the state governors of the same opposition party, so accustomed to enjoying their positions of power, criticize the government for the lack of funds [the federal government provides most state funding]. Not even in one way can they concur in order to endorse the undertaking of the tax reform that the moment demands.
These power poles are conducted without a guideline, so they stumble over their own feet and, in that condition, they open different and very navigable negotiation channels for the power [Morena] they resist.
Such is the fear of seeking out or exploring other ways of doing politics that, given the lack of results they are accustomed to, the opposition parties want to replace their inability by transferring decisions to the Judiciary that they will not be able to reverse [filing for amparos, like an injunction, to stop certain actions of the López Obrador government].
Without saying so, the opposition wants the Courts to do what they cannot and, if they insist on that route, they could end up collapsing the judiciary or subjecting it to unnecessary wear and tear. The opposition wants the Courts to become the party that they cannot reconfigure and lead, that the courts do what they can't.
The ministers [justices] are obliged to protect the Constitution, not to supply opposition parties with what they don't know how to do. The opposition is judicializing politics, although it complains about it at the same time. Direct and committed action outside the halls, corridors and usual mechanisms of power does not occur in the least to the opposition parties.
The activism and proselytizing of the movement in power [Morena] and, above all, of the chief executive [AMLO] has cornered the opposition and it is afraid to leave its labyrinth because, being out in the open, using its shoe leather to regain contact with the citizens at a time when there is no election campaign in progress is not their thing. A long time ago, they left that public political space and they are terrified of seeing themselves on the street, being - it is a paradox - where the citizens are.
MV Note: Throughout his career, AMLO has made being virtually constantly on the street, among the citizenry he political power base. That base was formalized in his creation of a new party, Morena.
The opposition is looking for what citizen cause to lead, but the distance they have taken from the citizenry is such that their joining any cause leads to their being repudiated by it. Years of being delighted by agreements between the leadership and living off the perquisites now have them up against the wall.
They are pretending that time or errors made by the adversary [AMLO] will be the guarantee of their survival or the reward for their incapacity. Perhaps it may allow them to declare themselves satisfied staying safe within their own labyrinth, but that means they are an opposition without power. So goes the opposition.
Reforma only allows subscribers to access their articles online.
*René Delgado is a journalist since 1978, specializing in political affairs. His he began his column in Reforma, "Sobreaviso" [Advanced Warning], in 1989. He is the author of The Opposition: Debate for the Nation, Crime on the Eve of Elections and the novel The Rescue.