Despite all of these changes, articles protecting basic liberties remain untouched. For decades they also were systematically overlooked by the state. At one time or another during the state-party regime every single right was violated. Citizens were murdered, silenced, prosecuted, tortured and calumniated.
For the past years this has changed. There is corruption in Mexico, crimes are still being committed, but these demeanors are not even the shadow of what happened in the past. Now a common citizen can express his opinion, he can question his ruler, he can write whatever he wants. This change is impressive for those who lived most of their lives under the PRI. The change is so impressive that this year a citizen defeated the PRI in a presidential election.
One of the liberties Mexicans took back from the state is freedom of speech. Although Mexicans never lived under pressure so asphyxiating as in other totalitarian regimes like the Soviet Union or Cuba, there was a fear to express opinions. Especially when those opinions were critical to the invincible. One of the many ways people referred to the state party. Now they're calling it the ex-invincible.
Year after year, on June 7 the same ceremony was repeated. The journalist would hear the category and then his name. He would stand up and go to the presidium to receive his award from the President himself. It is called the liberty of speech award. President Luis Echeverria established June 7 as the freedom of speech day. In a time when freedom of speech was nonexistent or very limited it was a rather cynical festivity.
The anecdotes are countless. Officials from the Interior Ministry called the anchor of the country's most seen news program to suggest changes in the content. Newspapers were shut down because of a story that stirred up anger in Los Pinos. -The Presidential mansion- Magazines with flattering Mr. President page after page or denouncing the communist ideas on the left-wing opposition parties and the fascist tendencies on the PAN.
Emilio Azcarraga, CEO of Televisa until his death in 1997. Went as far as saying that Televisa -One of the largest communications corporation in the world and the largest in Latin America- was part of the PRI. "I am a soldier for the President, not the PRI," Azcarraga used to say. Televisa was a useful tool for the PRI, ninety percent of all television shows wathced in Mexico were aired in one of Televisa's channels. It was a private owned monopoly serving the state.
Go To Page: 1 2
