Man is master of his destiny and his destiny is the Earth and he himself is destroying it until he has no destiny.
Frida Kahlo
Let us remember that we live on a beautiful planet that keeps us traveling permanently in the cosmos with its own rotation and translation, as well as by the interstellar movement of the Solar System and the Galaxy.
On April 22, International Mother Earth Day was commemorated. Its purpose is to generate greater awareness around the need to support the protection of the environment and that we need a change in our activities to make them more sustainable and to make them work for both people and the planet. Let us reflect on the excessive abuse and overexploitation of the natural resources that the Earth provides us.
In our country —surprisingly— it seems that there is no awareness or interest in protecting the environment.
We view with concern the completion of the emblematic works of the current government. For example, the Mayan Train that lacks a defined line and seems to have no environmental impact statements. The advances in its section 5 favor devastation and ecocide with the destruction of the forest and the fauna that lives there. One of the worst effects will be the contamination of the subterranean waters of the peninsula. Fortunately, a judge ordered the suspension of said work until studies on the environmental impact of the project are presented. It is hoped that the requirements will be met or the harmful advance will be definitively suspended.
What seemed like a positive sign from the President, meeting to talk with defenders of the jungle, members of the #Sélvamedeltren movement, was cancelled.
Another issue of concern is the increase in forest fires, which, mainly as a result of the ancient custom of preparing land for planting, also contribute to pollution and devastation. So far in 2022, more than 3,200 forest fires have been registered throughout the country, affecting an area of more than 95,000 hectares, which includes wooded areas.
One of the consequences is that Mexico is warming faster than the global average.
Another area that is dangerously heated is the social one, mainly due to the fires that the President starts and feeds, followed by legislators, his party and collaborators, among other supporters. They incite hatred, hostility, discrimination and violence against various sectors of the population. Now the target are the deputies who voted against his initiative for constitutional reforms in electrical matters, whom they have named traitors to the country. He has tried to “judge” them as if he were the Judiciary, based on an erroneous and fallacious interpretation of the Federal Penal Code. For his part, the president of Morena and the leader of the deputies of that party have organized a “peaceful wall” to subdue the deputies of the opposition parties.
Evidently, the provisions of article 61 of the Constitution are ignored or ignored, which clearly establishes that deputies and senators are inviolable for the opinions they express in the performance of their duties and can never be reprimanded for them.
As far as opposition legislators and journalists are concerned, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of the United Nations, of which Mexico is a party, is also violated, which establishes in its article 19 the protection of freedom of expression and opinion, also guaranteeing the right to seek and receive information. For its part, the American Convention on Human Rights provides in Article 13 that the law must prohibit any propaganda in favor of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to violence or any other similar illegal action against any person or group of persons.
They violate article 1 of the Constitution, which imposes on all authorities, within the scope of their powers, the obligation to promote, respect, protect and guarantee human rights and prohibits any discrimination based on opinions, which violates human dignity and is intended to annul or undermine the rights and freedoms of individuals.
It is recommended that the majority in the Congress of the Union — an institution called to ensure republican integrity — responsibly assume its power, which has been far from generous and tolerant. He has shown arrogance by hindering and avoiding possibilities of understanding with the opposition fractions and has led parliamentary work, which requires study, preparation and even improvement of the initiatives he knows, to the simple and blind majority to echo the legislative activism of the President .
By directing the President and the legislators of his party their batteries to reverse the progress and consensus in matters such as electoral and national security, there is a risk of destruction or distortion of our institutions to the detriment of a better future.
All this shows us that the power of the President overflows and transcends his attributions and faculties, regardless of whether this harmful and illegal expansion of his domain affects the rights and freedoms of the governed or the weakening of institutions and the rule of law.
We are getting closer to populist models in which the rulers deceive their people on a daily basis with absurd lies and magical solutions that never materialize, pretending that they believe that life is better and happier and that everything is under control. Sadly, reality is responsible for showing the people the opposite.
The most frequent outbursts and outbursts of the Executive keep us on alert, as we see how cordiality is diluted and ignores the culture of peace.
The growing, overwhelming and violent reality in society is so ingrained that a change seems unlikely. However, we will not stop insisting on the convenience of reaching a dialogue to restore the social fabric and promote the culture of peace.
Let us not allow the advance of warming neither in the national territory nor in our social fabric.
The writer is a lawyer and professional mediator.
Twitter: @phmergoldd
Lawyer and professional mediator
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