Political analysts have kept themselves busy assessing the achievements (or non-achievements) of Jalisco Governor Aristoteles Sandoval, as the 42-year-old who ended 18 years of conservative rule by the National Action Party (PAN) hit the 100-day mark of his administration June 1.
Most observers have been cautious not to heap undue praise or criticism on the novice governor, although his Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) administration has certainly moved to reach out to its core base – the less advantaged sectors of society that felt increasingly marginalized under the pro-business PAN government of Emilio Gonzalez.
That said, some critics say many of the programs, projects and priorities announced by Sandoval during the past three months have simply been regurgitated from the PAN years, for which he should take no credit.
Sandoval came into office like a mild tornado, from day one installing his previously heralded plan to restructure the state government by creating, eliminating and fusing various agencies in order to reduce costs and further efficiency.The proposals garnered little opposition. Chief among the changes was the creation of the Fiscalia General, a super-agency that incorporates the previously autonomous Secretaria de Seguridad Publica (Public Security Ministry) and the Procuraduria General de Justicia (Department of Justice).
While it’s too early to say whether the move has been beneficial for the state, it has certainly raised the profile of Attorney General Luis Carlos Najera, a former cop who now has wide-reaching powers encompassing implementation of crime prevention policy, as well as overseeing intelligence gathering, investigation and the prosecution of crimes.
Plans to create a Mando Unico (Single Command) comprising qualified officers taken from municipal forces trained to react to high-impact crime are moving at tortoise-like pace. While a Guadalajara metro area command post of 300-plus officers could in place by the fall, it is unlikely that the 19 provincial substations will see the light of day this year.
Sandoval has reiterated many campaign promises regarding infrastructure investment but has taken pen to paper with only a handful of projects. While he supports a third Tren Electrico (subway) line in Guadalajara, no formal proposal has yet been presented, although the likelihood is that the line will run from Zapopan to Tlaquepaque.
However, he has committed the government to extending Line One one kilometer across the periferico into a dense residential neighborhood.
After he bowed to public pressure and refused to raise city bus fares, Sandoval has promoted a new transportation model that seeks to modernize the metro area bus service by introducing modern technology and more effective regulation. Although discussions with bus owners and drivers on how exactly this will be achieved are likely to drag on for months, most citizens are pleased that there governor has taken the initiative on an issue woefully neglected by his predecessors. Sandoval has also kept a his campaign promise to provide public school students with free transportation (two trips a day), a program that begins in August.
Other newsworthy points of note in Sandoval’s first 100 days have been:
- He has vowed to install free internet service in public spaces in every municipality in the state and has already signed a deal with Telmex for 500 wifi spots.
- He is seeking to increase penalties for drunk drivers, and is setting up a special unit of 200 female officials whose main responsibility will be to detect DUIs.
- He has set up the Instituto Jalisciense del Emprendedo to assist entrepreneurs looking to start small- or medium-sized businesses.
- In a bid to tighten the government’s belt, he has eliminated cars, cellphones and medical insurance as benefits for many officials and employees, a move that he says will save 600 million pesos, annually. (Nonetheless, Sandoval has yet to take a cut in his own bloated salary, something he vowed to do during his campaign should he be elected.)
Although the PRI enjoys a majority in the state legislature, Sandoval has tried to emulate President Enrique Peña Nieto and introduce a “Pact for Jalisco,” mirroring the national accord between the main political parties that is designed to fast-track important reforms through Congress. Sandoval’s advisors have drawn up a document listing 70 key areas (they include transparency and the environment) where collaboration across party lines looks highly feasible, but the proposal has been greeted with little enthusiasm outside the ranks of the PRI.
Outside of the metropolitan area, Sandoval has been keen to shore up his strong provincial base, which mainly contributed to his election victory last year. Last week, he instructed state police to liberate the road leading to the Tenacatita beach, which had been blocked for almost three years by a real estate developer backed by the PAN, much to the fury of locals who also claim title to the disputed beachfront land.
Sandoval also gave himself a pat on the back last week after signing an agreement with federal authorizes to build a new dam (Purgatorio) on the Verde River, 15 kilometers from Guadalajara, that is expected to provide the city with two-thirds of its water for the next 30 years.
Like Peña Nieto, Sandoval prefers a low-key approach to crime. While crime figures in Jalisco have remained reasonably stable this year, there has been no let up in the drug-related violence that plagues many parts of the state, especially at the borders with Michoacan.
PAN Jalisco President Miguel Angel Monraz Ibarra said it was a poor indictment of the new government that Sandoval’s first Tourism Secretary was gunned down and killed just days after taking office – a shooting that now appears to be linked to drug trafficking.
Monraz also said that its was “a concern” that age-old PRI practices were surfacing again, such as the “stuffing” of government departments with cuates (pals) of senior state officials, rather than appointments based on merit.