Pena Nieto Vows to Back His 'Indigenous Brothers and Sisters' The News
go to original October 27, 2012

EPN commits to rural development, cutting poverty. (The News)

President-elect Enrique Peña Nieto announced this week that his administration will bring bilingual legal advisors and interpreters for indigenous individuals into the court system, and pledged his respect for his “indigenous brothers and sisters.”

The president-elect began his first domestic tour after his trip to Europe in San Felipe del Progreso, State of Mexico, where he reiterated his commitment to developing rural regions and reducing poverty in indigenous communities.

He said that his administration will not make decisions from behind a desk, but rather alongside the people.

“Today we have sufficient public defenders but not enough who are bilingual (in indigenous languages) and who can provide indigenous individuals with a just and due legal process ... There have, unfortunately, been cases that have not followed due process, because at times defenders do not speak an individual’s language ... and (indigenous individuals) end up being sentenced in a way that (deviates) from the framework of justice and law enforcement,” Peña Nieto said.

With only five weeks left before Peña Nieto is sworn into office, the president-elect said he will work to facilitate the economic integration of indigenous individuals and achieve greater social balance in Mexico.

He recognized the urgency of strengthening government programs that support these linguistically diverse communities as well as supporting the efforts of civil organizations in addressing social inequalities.

Peña Nieto said, “... affection is shown, not just spoken ... and that is precisely what I propose to do from the Mexican government.”

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