"Power Dispels Fear"

Politics is redefined as the art of evading the law; elections become a pretext for physical or verbal violence; and democracy is transformed into a battleground where votes are cast, but not always freely or fairly.

In this column, we analyze the #Blindspot #PuntoCiego of the public arena, today we observe that to understand politicians and electoral campaigns, one must comprehend the logic of criminals.

During an encounter that oscillated between harsh reality and fiction, I spoke with a former Colombian hitman from the era of Pablo Escobar known as "Mr. Bullets". In the largest election in the history of Mexico and predictably the most violent, the conversation leaves us with three lessons to analyze politicians in electoral campaign.

First, the voice of this man emanating from a body that smells of death and seems to have lost all limits, states emphatically: "power dispels fear". Clear and precise with that phrase, he explains to us, unwittingly, why Marko Cortes and his henchmen sign a "coalition" agreement "without fear" that is on the edge of legality and in the realm of shamelessness.

Also, the reason why Samuel García hands over the "command staff" to álvarez Maynez. It is not an act of bravery nor, as his spot says, a generational change; nor concern for the future of Mexico. In both examples, as in criminal logic, what matters is power, not the cost to obtain it.

The son of "Mr. Bullets" was raped by the victim's uncle. As a father, his first reaction was to take a knife to kill him. Seeing him, the grandmother said: "son, whatever you're going to do, do it well". He paused and "did it well". Days later, the rapist was exterminated, and the murderer was never charged.

Second lesson, in the name of the people and rhetorically against corruption, one can kill physically or verbally as long as it is "done well".

This becomes an addiction. "Mr. Bullets" points out that the hardest thing about living under the law is not killing, especially because he "knows how to do it well". One day at a time, even though his worst memory is being present while a man was dismembered, the smell of iron impacted him the most. The smell of cash is what moves many politicians.

Third, one can live without sleeping peacefully. The crimes of "Mr. Bullets", like those of most of our leaders and their close ones, have expired between the law or oblivion. It is serious, but it becomes unsustainable when we, the citizens, are the ones who forget. Organized crime and politics blur the thin line that once separated them. As Yuri would say, they are all the same. There lies the real future of Mexico.

#Blindspot arrives at El Universal, thank you for the trust. In this weekly space, we analyze facts beyond rumors, news beyond headlines, and stories that are easily ignored by "the common". We eliminate the blind spot of your spectrum of analysis with unusual content that adds to the prospect of what truly influences decisions.

Oscar Sandoval-Sáenz is a communication analyst and strategist @osandovalsaenz

Column published on January 17, 2024, in El Universal