Dario Ramirez: The Mexico Government Spends Millions on Buying Public Image Dario Ramirez - Sinembargo
go to original August 29, 2015

It never ceases to amaze the ease with which politicians lie. In their campaigns they dare to announce commitments and make statements freely, knowing that they will never be held accountable for those empty promises that sounded good. Once elected president, Enrique Peña Nieto made a promise that, years later, is unfulfilled. He said:

"I will push for the creation of a public and independent body to oversee contracts with the media for advertising purposes made by all levels of government. This measure is intended to ensure that advertising contracts are carried out under the principles of public interest, transparency, respect for journalistic freedom and public access to information."

The man who is now president of Mexico lied. And he did it for a very clear reason: the business of government advertising spending has become the "secret account" of those who govern. So nobody - including most media - want those millions of pesos of public funds to be regulated.

Four weeks ago, in this very space, I took up some of the findings of a short discussion paper presented by Article 19 on Enrique Peña Nieto's spending on government advertising. I confirmed that, in 2013, his government had spent 7 billion pesos [US$525 million at 2013 exchange rates] for advertising on radio, television, print, internet and other media - an expenditure [larger than any] that had ever before been taken from the public budget.

Now I clarify the information I presented them. This subtle change doesn't mean that the president has suddenly veered toward accountability and an end to impunity. The sterile investigation by the Secretary of Public Administration regarding the White House and other properties cannot be considered more than a stillborn process. No. But in the sense that spending on government advertising and government propaganda is increasingly onerous and damaging to our democracy.

In 2013 and 2014, the government of Enrique Peña Nieto spent 14.7 billion pesos [US$1 billion at 2013-14 average exchange rate] on government advertising. The president not only failed to meet his promise of creating a regulatory agency for government advertising, but has become a leader who has been buying his image and is the one who has spent the most in that category in our history. No president has ever spent this much money in just two years in office.

Undoubtedly, it is an excessive and vulgar figure, to say the least. It far exceeds the budgets spent in vital areas of the country's agenda, for example, the enforcement of human rights. It is five times the budget of the National Commission for Human Rights in the same period. We can also ask: how could those millions reduce the poverty of 52 million Mexicans?

Read the rest at Mexico Voices

Related: Mexico Government Needs to Change Strategy, Not Just Names (Mexico Voices)

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