Critics attack Mexico's Zedillo for lack of idea Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit Wed, 3 Sep 1997 13:13:50 -0400 (EDT) sent by Milt Shapiro Critics attack Mexico's Zedillo for lack of ideas 04:59 p.m Sep 02, 1997 Eastern By Michael Stott MEXICO CITY, Sept 2 (Reuter) - President Ernesto Zedillo came under fire on Tuesday for using an historic address to Mexico's new opposition-led lower house of Congress to rattle off statistics instead of proposing ideas. Zedillo delivered his annual state of the nation address Monday evening to a parliament which for the first time in modern history is not entirely dominated by his Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). The PRI lost its 68-year-old majority in the Chamber of Deputies, as the lower house is known, in July elections, though it continues to control the Senate. Analysts praised the cordial atmosphere in the Congress while Zedillo spoke and the respect shown to an opposition firebrand making an unprecedented reply to the president. But with the election result taking Mexico into uncharted political waters, they had hoped Zedillo would seize the initiative with new solutions for Mexico's dire social problems. Instead, the president used most of his 90-minute address to reel off statistics covering everything from the number of school textbooks handed out to the increase in grain harvests during his tenure. ``The President of the Republic erred in the fundamental aim of a state of the nation address: giving direction to solve problems,'' commentator Gaston Garcia Cantu wrote in the daily Excelsior. ``By choosing to relate public works projects, give out lots of triumphant statistics ... and reiterate that year after year in his administration things are better, he made a big mistake.'' Luis Hernandez Navarro, writing in the left-leaning La Jornada, criticized Zedillo for not announcing any major new initiative during his speech. ``Instead of ... proposing an agenda for reform and action to build a new Mexico (Zedillo) decided to play the role of manager or accountant of a business, sheltered by the magic of graphs and charts,'' he said. Many commentators were surprised that Zedillo did not mention Mexico's guerrilla groups, the Indian Zapatista rebels or a Marxist group, the Popular Revolutionary Army. Nor did he touch the delicate topic of tax reform -- an issue which has become a rallying cry for the opposition. He admitted that his measures had failed to curb soaring violent crime but did not offer any solutions. Instead, Zedillo warned legislators against tampering with his orthodox, free-market economic policies -- despite evidence that it was popular anger at the results of those measures which lost him and the PRI the July election. Left-winger Porfirio Munoz Ledo, replying to Zedillo's speech, noted that ``the people voted in favor of an economic and social policy which allows improvements in salaries and incomes.'' Zedillo, however, told legislators many of his policies were for the long term and would not bear results during his six years in office. ``Could there be anything more depressing ?'' asked political columnist Humberto Masacchio. ``To sum up, despite the expectations of the people, Ernesto Zedillo wasted yet again the opportunity to stand up as the leader of a nation and, modestly, preferred to appear as the administrator of minority interests,'' he concluded. Copyright 1997 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytcamer-09.11.97-19:45:31-7198