A model to end Washington gridlock: Mexico
From The Christian Science Monitor
By the Monitor's Editorial Board
"In Washington, the years of political gridlock in Congress have yet to lead to such a moment of reforming remorse. But perhaps the United States
should look to a possible model - just to its south.
Since December, when Mexico's three main political parties pledged to seek 94 reforms, that country has been on a turnaround from past stalemates and
policy misdirections. It is as if Mexico had hit bottom, only to decide that its Congress must set aside some differences for the sake of the future.
Gridlock was finally seen as simply too costly. The nation's drug-fueled gang violence had gone on too long. And new leaders in each party had opened
a door for change.
RELATED OPINION: How Mexico's 'economy first' strategy could help the US
The so-called Pact for Mexico signed by top political leaders has enabled President Enrique Peña Nieto to overcome legislative paralysis and either
pass or present serious reforms. To the surprise of many, his own Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI), which once represented the entrenched
status quo, has taken on big interests that have long held Mexico back - in education, energy, broadcasting, and telecommunications.
Perhaps the most historic shift came when PRI approved a proposal to open Pemex, the state oil monopoly, to private investment. This potential reform
still faces hurdles but is now seen as essential to reverse a decline in petroleum production and to wean the government off an overreliance on oil
revenues.
The country's recent boom in exports - which some see as enabling the Mexican economy to become an "Aztec tiger" - depends on this key reform. PRI
also approved tax reforms to help pay for new social programs and new infrastructure.
Another critical reform was passage of a constitutional amendment that sets up the chance for drastic improvement in education. The government has
also challenged the powerful teachers union by arresting its lavishly wealthy leader, Elba Esther Gordillo, on corruption charges.
Mr. Peña Nieto is also winning legislative support for beefing up the nation's pro-competition laws, sending notice that he will break up
semi-monopolies in the TV broadcasting and cellphone industry. The latter means taking on the world's richest man, Carlos Slim, whose Telmex controls
80 percent of Mexican landlines and 70 percent of the mobile-phone market.
MONITOR'S VIEW: US pivot to Mexico?
The new president has smartly used his first 100 days in office to build on the reform consensus of the major parties. "The intensity won't be
passing. The pace of work will keep up. We didn't come just to govern, but to transform," he declared last week.
Many Mexicans have yet to see the results of these reform ideas. They remain skeptical. And with elections coming up soon, the political consensus for
reform will be tested in the contests for power.
But at least Mexicans have witnessed a rare moment in which their bickering political leaders came together for change. At a time when the US Congress
is struggling even to pass a budget, Mexico provides a model for what can be done when a nation says "enough" to self-imposed hardship. The lesson has
been learned."
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness.”
—Mark Twain
\"La vida es dura, el corazon es puro, y cantamos hasta la madrugada.” (Life is hard, the heart is pure and we sing until dawn.)
—Kirsty MacColl, Mambo de la Luna
\"Alea iacta est.\"
—Julius Caesar
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