Alfonso Cuarón questions Mexican President on Energy Reform

Who is the misinformed one here?

MEXICO.- This morning, several national news outlets published a series of questions posed by Alfonso Cuarón, Oscar-Winning Mexican Film Director of Gravity, to Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto in relation to the recent energy reform legislation. His open questions have caused quite a frenzy on social media sites.

Previously, Cuarón expressed that he was against the energy reform legislation that was passed last year, and in response President Enrique Peña Nieto indicated that Cuarón was not well informed on the subject. The Director requested further information on the subject and asked the president tell the public what the reform's objectives and scope is.

Cuarón, utilizing phrases that Peña Nieto used in his response, explained that his "lack of information is not due to 'opposition groups' that have 'generated disinformation'… that the reason is much simpler: the legislative and democratic process for this reform was poor and lacked a complete discussion, and the coverage on its contents was similar to a propaganda campaign in that it bypassed public debate". Cuarón also indicated that the disinformation of this reform and other reforms is a result of lack of transparency with citizens when the government fails to release indispensable details so that the public can fully understand the reform.

These were the questions posed by Alfonso Cuarón:

    When will the price of gas, gasoline, fuel, and electric energy come down, and what other tangible benefits will come as a result of the reform? What is the timeline of these benefits? What specific ecological effects will massive exploitation have on our environment, and what measures will be taken to protect this? Who will assume responsibility if there is a spill or disaster? Fossil fuels are non-renewable resources, and their impact on the environment is huge. Are there plans to develop alternative energy technologies and infrastructure in our country? This Reform will result in expensive, multimillion contracts. In a country with such a weak or non-existent legal system, how will you prevent large-scale corruption? The transnational oil companies have as much power as the government. What measures will be put in place so that our democratic process isn't trampled on by illicit financing and other large scale interest pressure? What regulatory tools do the Mexican government poses to avoid predatory practices that may be committed by the private firms that participate in this sector? How will you ensure that the reform will in fact increase productivity of PEMEX if the problem of internal workers union corruption is not targeted? If PEMEX provided more than half of the federal budget for more than 70 years- with which it financed our national infrastructure, supported education, and social health services-now that petroleum income will not directly support the public coffers, how will these expenses be provided for? How will you ensure that the profits are not channeled into the expansion of bureaucracy and that these are returned to the original owner, that is, the Mexican citizens? Two disastrous experiences linger in the memory of Mexicans: the 1982 crash (as a result of the extravagances, ineptitude and corruption that characterized corrupt petro profit management in the seventies) and the discretional reforms and dark days of Salinas de Gortari that stuffed the pockets of private interests and left little for consumers. Who will guarantee that these experiences, which served to further damage our society, are not repeated? You and your party bear the historical responsibility of these reforms. Do you really think that the country has the instruments to effectively and transparently manage this reform, without compromising social concerns.

A couple of days ago, Alfonso Cuaron and President Nieto shared headlines again. TIME Magazine released a list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World, and once again Mexico only had one person on the list, that of Alfonso Cuaron. The story was the same in 2013, but that year it was the Mexican president who was listed. The questioning this morning shows that, although Cuaron may be far from home, his work in cinema does not impede him from expressing concern about the wellbeing of his home country.

brenda.colon@sandiegored.com

borderzonie@gmail.com

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