From the outset, it was clear that Governor Joaquín Díaz Mena’s cabinet would be a patchwork government, as it was formed with various politicians from the PRI and PAN parties. The top-level officials are not part of the Morena party’s political cadre, much less that of its leader, notes Dr. Othón Baños Ramírez, a sociologist, political analyst, and academic researcher at the Autonomous University of Yucatán (UADY).
Interviewed about the numerous resignations and reshuffling of officials during Governor Díaz Mena’s first year in office, which were extensively reported by the newspaper on Sunday, February 15, Dr. Baños Ramírez emphasizes that the majority of the cabinet members were individuals who had accompanied Díaz Mena during his gubernatorial campaign. These individuals lacked experience in public administration and were appointed not based on their professional qualifications or experience, but rather on friendship or collaboration with the now-governor.
In his opinion, the current Morena state government lacks a true political direction, as well as any clear, defined, and ambitious project based on the Development Plan. Everything is simply a continuation of the same approach, practicing pragmatism using the Mayan word. He believes there is much discontent among officials because they are all doing the same things; there is no real transformation, or perhaps the government asked for their resignations because they didn’t do things as those at the top expected.
“Huacho’s cabinet was formed more by friendship than by professional competence,” he says. “They are close associates who supported the campaign, believed in the Morena government, and joined it. I think that’s the root of the governor’s team formation: the government has been characterized by pure pragmatism, a lot of 4T pragmatism in the name of the Maya, in the name of the people, but everything is pragmatic, based largely on common sense when it comes to industrialization and rural development policies. It’s more of the same; there is no transformation.”
During the first year of the administration, he explains, some people—it shouldn’t be ruled out—approached him to join the state government, but they didn’t meet his expectations. Ultimately, they realized it was a pragmatic government, one that didn’t prioritize truly innovative ideas. Some, at the level of secretariats or general directorates, were likely reduced to purely bureaucratic work, which displeased them, and they left their posts.
“I think much of the discontent within the cabinet stems from the lack of real direction; there’s only pragmatism,” he indicates. “At some point, they must have felt they weren’t contributing and were asked to resign.”
“Could this be a natural adjustment due to the learning curve?” he is asked about the numerous resignations from the government.
“Many women resigned, leaving with the experience of not being the most positive in government. They didn’t adapt to the Huacho administration,” he replies. “Being part of the 4T (Fourth Transformation) means being obedient, nothing more. It means continuing to do things in a mechanical and bureaucratic way, as they’ve always been done. Frankly, I think many of those people were dissatisfied with the government, and that’s why they left or were asked to resign because they weren’t doing things the way they were expected to.”
Are the new technical and political replacements a change in priorities or simply to fill the vacancy?
“Those who were selected don’t have a technical or political profile that says, ‘These people work in politics in this branch, in these groups.’ They were people who were mostly unemployed, with a different kind of job; it wasn’t really a political job with that institution,” he emphasizes.
“The changes are because there’s dissatisfaction on both sides. The staff are simply employees who do their jobs mechanically and pragmatically; they do things they have to get done out of habit.”
Source: yucatan
