“What is not in the budget does not exist, it is pure demagoguery.” Those are the words of President López Obrador when he used to be the opposition and not the government. But the deputies of his party, MORENA and his allies, who know little about what the country needs, have approved a budget for 2022 that is more of the same, centralist, inertial and away from the true needs of the people.
For the first time in three years, the project contemplates increases in spending for health, tourism, federalism and gender equality; However, these increases only create the illusion that this Government is meeting citizen demands, since they are explained, to a greater extent, by allocations to social programs that continue without operating rules and that have been used for purely electoral purposes. as well as the pharaonic works that have not proven to be viable.
An example of this is federal spending to states and municipalities. Although an increase of almost 5% is estimated, this is concentrated in programs and actions that do not address the care of the most sensitive sectors of the population. In states like mine, Tabasco, more than half of the investment spending is directed to Pemex and CFE projects, leaving the drinking water programs, support for single mothers, loans for small businesses and even the water program completely abandoned. acquisition of drugs from the IMSS; something that is extremely alarming considering that Tabasco has positioned itself as one of the leading states in the shortage of medicines.
Another lie is the increase in resources to ensure gender equality. Annex 13 contemplates an increase of 75%; However, of the 103 programs included, only 25 have different operating rules for women and men, and 80% are programs such as “Sembrando Vidas” that pay nothing for the objective of achieving substantive equality and strengthening the rights of our women and men. girls
In tourism, history repeats itself; 96% of the budget is allocated to the Mayan Train while the promotion and support program for the Magical Towns continues without resources.
In addition, everything points to continue dismantling our autonomous bodies, the judiciary and the National Electoral Institute, which are the ones that bring the greatest reductions. The latter, had a last minute cut of almost $ 5 billion that, by the way, was going to be used for the popular consultation.
As a former Federal Representative, I recognize the courage that the legislators of the Alianza Va X México showed by presenting an alternative budget that proposed adjusting $ 380 billion of reassignable spending for issues such as strengthening public security, providing new resources to FORTASEG, to economic reactivation with the creation of unemployment insurance and the temporary employment program, as well as a new vision of social policy that would give order and rules to the main social programs, and would return popular insurance and childcare stays, among others. Sadly, it was only left to that in a proposal.
I regret that the closure and callousness of the ruling majority has robbed us of the opportunity for a truly inclusive budget exercise; there was the opportunity to return to our beloved Mexico, and it was lost again.
Twitter: @PerezSoraya
Economist
Between Numbers
Former President of the Federation of Associations of Economists of the Mexican Republic AC
Reference-www.eleconomista.com.mx