AP: BOGOTA, Colombia — The top security adviser for Mexico’s next president said Friday that he is recommending the creation of elite units of police and troops who will target not just major drug traffickers but also lower-level cartel hitmen as a way of swiftly reducing violence.
The proposal newly retired Colombian police director Gen. Oscar Naranjo explained in an interview with The Associated Press offers a glimpse of how President-elect Enrique Pena Nieto might fulfill his promise to slash the number of murders and kidnappings by 50 percent during his six years in office.
Similar to the approach that Naranjo employed against Colombian traffickers, the proposal raises the question of whether the widely respected general can reproduce his success in a very different country. Read more.
The MexicoBlog of the Americas Program, a fiscally sponsored program of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), is written by Laura Carlsen. I monitor and analyze international press on Mexico, with a focus on security, immigration, human rights and social movements for peace and justice, from a feminist perspective. And sometimes I simply muse.
Showing posts with label Mexico job market. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mexico job market. Show all posts
Jul 8, 2012
Jul 2, 2012
Mexico's Pena Nieto to push for quick reforms
Reuters: Mexican President-elect Enrique Pena Nieto pledged on Monday to focus on energy, labor and tax reforms and said he hopes to strike deals with opponents to help shepherd changes through Congress before he takes office in December.
Pena Nieto won Sunday's election with about 38 percent of the vote, about 6 percentage points ahead of his nearest rival, returning the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) to power after 12 years in opposition.
But the victory margin was smaller than expected and results suggested the PRI and its Green allies would struggle to win a majority, officials at the electoral authorities told Reuters.
That would leave Pena Nieto reliant on other parties to back his plans to reinvigorate Latin America's No. 2 economy.
Speaking to reporters in Mexico City, the 45 year old said he was ready to consult with outgoing President Felipe Calderon and bring in experts to make progress on the reforms and help ease them through Congress, which reconvenes in September. Read more.
Pena Nieto won Sunday's election with about 38 percent of the vote, about 6 percentage points ahead of his nearest rival, returning the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) to power after 12 years in opposition.
But the victory margin was smaller than expected and results suggested the PRI and its Green allies would struggle to win a majority, officials at the electoral authorities told Reuters.
That would leave Pena Nieto reliant on other parties to back his plans to reinvigorate Latin America's No. 2 economy.
Speaking to reporters in Mexico City, the 45 year old said he was ready to consult with outgoing President Felipe Calderon and bring in experts to make progress on the reforms and help ease them through Congress, which reconvenes in September. Read more.
Jul 1, 2012
Pocketbook Issues Weigh Heavily as Mexicans Vote
Members of Mexican's informal economy have seen a decline in their earnings over the years, not to mention, risk of crime against their business if they do well. Jobs and earnings have been a key interest of Mexicans in this election.
NY Times: CIUDAD NEZAHUALCÓYOTL, Mexico — Fernando García fondly recalls the late 1990s, when all three floors of his factory in a green row house here held employees sewing and tagging the women’s slacks that his family has been selling for decades.
But those days are gone, killed off by extortion and a 70 percent drop in sales, and Mr. García’s views on government and politics, like those of many Mexicans, have dimmed with his fortunes.
“We were all hoping for real change with Fox,” he said, referring to former President Vicente Fox, whose victory in 2000 ended seven decades under the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI. “It didn’t happen.” Read more.
NY Times: CIUDAD NEZAHUALCÓYOTL, Mexico — Fernando García fondly recalls the late 1990s, when all three floors of his factory in a green row house here held employees sewing and tagging the women’s slacks that his family has been selling for decades.
But those days are gone, killed off by extortion and a 70 percent drop in sales, and Mr. García’s views on government and politics, like those of many Mexicans, have dimmed with his fortunes.
“We were all hoping for real change with Fox,” he said, referring to former President Vicente Fox, whose victory in 2000 ended seven decades under the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI. “It didn’t happen.” Read more.
What does #Iam132 mean for Mexican youth?
El Pais: Americas Program Original Translation by Anna Moses
See Spanish Original.
The aspirations of young Mexicans are very different, and equally real, like the slogan of a student protest in Mexico City- "Be informed, vote, and turn off the stupid television"- and painted on a wall in a provincial town: "I would prefer to die young and rich than old and broken like my father."
The first phrase is a slogan of the "I am #132" movement, the first far-reaching political youth movement of the century, the modern, urban and technological face of the new generation. A critical wave that began in the social networks in May, the movement took to the streets of the capital with a tide of young people that denounced the supposed alliance between the big communication networks and the PRI candidate, Enrique Peña Nieto, front runner for the elections on July 1st.
The movement threw the PRI campaign into confusion and damaged the PRI’s voting expectations, however, not bringing it down from its first place in the polls, and had such an influence that three of the four candidates- with the exception of Peña Nieto- participated in a student-organized debate.
The other phrase is on a wall in Culiacán, capital of Sinaloa province. The quote is from the writer, Humberto Padgett, winner of the Ortage and Gasset 2012 prize for the book "The Lost Boys" which was based on interviews with young prisoners. "When I was asking them what they wanted to be, they said “El Chapo” Guzmán, the boss of the Sinaloa cartel, the one who kills most, who f---- most, the worst b------, and they were asking me if it was worth the effort of studying to end up selling tacos in the street, like their older brothers."
See Spanish Original.
The aspirations of young Mexicans are very different, and equally real, like the slogan of a student protest in Mexico City- "Be informed, vote, and turn off the stupid television"- and painted on a wall in a provincial town: "I would prefer to die young and rich than old and broken like my father."
The first phrase is a slogan of the "I am #132" movement, the first far-reaching political youth movement of the century, the modern, urban and technological face of the new generation. A critical wave that began in the social networks in May, the movement took to the streets of the capital with a tide of young people that denounced the supposed alliance between the big communication networks and the PRI candidate, Enrique Peña Nieto, front runner for the elections on July 1st.
The movement threw the PRI campaign into confusion and damaged the PRI’s voting expectations, however, not bringing it down from its first place in the polls, and had such an influence that three of the four candidates- with the exception of Peña Nieto- participated in a student-organized debate.
The other phrase is on a wall in Culiacán, capital of Sinaloa province. The quote is from the writer, Humberto Padgett, winner of the Ortage and Gasset 2012 prize for the book "The Lost Boys" which was based on interviews with young prisoners. "When I was asking them what they wanted to be, they said “El Chapo” Guzmán, the boss of the Sinaloa cartel, the one who kills most, who f---- most, the worst b------, and they were asking me if it was worth the effort of studying to end up selling tacos in the street, like their older brothers."
Jun 22, 2012
Stagnant Wages May Decide Mexico's Election
Businessweek: Julio Don Juan makes $400 a month working at a noisy, cramped call center in Mexico City that counts major American companies among its clients. The 37-year-old hasn’t had a raise in three years, he says, and was forced to pull his son out of a special-needs school because he could no longer afford the tuition. “Because costs keep rising, I’m actually getting a pay cut each year,” says Don Juan, who lives with his parents. “We’re scraping by.”
The plight of millions of Mexicans stuck in similarly low-paying jobs is a major campaign issue ahead of a July 1 general election. Since 2005, wages in Latin America’s second-biggest economy have risen at an annual pace of just 0.4 percent adjusted for inflation, according to the International Labour Organization. In Brazil, wage growth averaged 3.4 percent over the same period. Read more.
The plight of millions of Mexicans stuck in similarly low-paying jobs is a major campaign issue ahead of a July 1 general election. Since 2005, wages in Latin America’s second-biggest economy have risen at an annual pace of just 0.4 percent adjusted for inflation, according to the International Labour Organization. In Brazil, wage growth averaged 3.4 percent over the same period. Read more.
Jun 21, 2012
López Obrador promises peace in Juárez if elected
El Paso Times: JUAREZ -- Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the left-wing candidate for president of Mexico, on Wednesday promised to return to the border after being elected to begin the restoration of the city.
"I'm going to make a promise. I'm going to return to Juárez and here's where we will begin with the restoration of our country," he said. "In July, when I'm elected, I will return to create a plan to guarantee social peace in Juárez and all the border cities."
López Obrador was in Juárez on Wednesday to close his campaign in the region. After meeting with reporters in the morning, López Obrador led a rally around noon on 16 de Septiembre street between Francisco Villa and Benito Juárez streets. Hundreds of people holding yellow, white, red and orange flags -- the colors of the parties he represents -- were present. Read more.
"I'm going to make a promise. I'm going to return to Juárez and here's where we will begin with the restoration of our country," he said. "In July, when I'm elected, I will return to create a plan to guarantee social peace in Juárez and all the border cities."
López Obrador was in Juárez on Wednesday to close his campaign in the region. After meeting with reporters in the morning, López Obrador led a rally around noon on 16 de Septiembre street between Francisco Villa and Benito Juárez streets. Hundreds of people holding yellow, white, red and orange flags -- the colors of the parties he represents -- were present. Read more.
Jan 5, 2012
Mexico Youth: Young people face difficult job picture in 2012, experts say
La Jornada: A report by the College of Mexico states that the job outlook for young people in Mexico in 2012 and future years presents extreme difficulties. This sector is and will continue to be affected by very high rates of unemployment, job precariousness and the nature of the informal job market, which provides no programs of government security (such as unemployment or health insurance). It is envisaged that this situation will not change in the near term.
The impact of the crisis is more severe in the youth labor, especially in the group between 14 and 19 years old, who are battered by extreme job insecurity, lack of opportunity and uncertainty at work." Spanish original
The impact of the crisis is more severe in the youth labor, especially in the group between 14 and 19 years old, who are battered by extreme job insecurity, lack of opportunity and uncertainty at work." Spanish original
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