CALDERON AT MOUNT SINAI

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MEXICO 003069 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR MX SUBJECT: CALDERON AT MOUNT SINAI REF: MEXICO 2367 ¶1. (U) Summary: On May 31, Felipe Calderon, presidential candidate of the ruling National Action Party (PAN), addressed over 500 members of Mexico,s Jewish community, the first of the three major presidential candidates to publicly appear before this community. In his remarks, Calderon focused on economic policy, public security, and the rule of law, saving his harshest criticisms for the recent anti-poverty proposals of challenger Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) of the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD). Distancing himself from President Fox's troubled relations with Congress, Calderon pledged that if elected, his first priority would be to form a stable and enduring legislative coalition. He also reaffirmed his strong support for keeping religion out of politics and his commitment to fighting ethnic discrimination. He lamented Mexico,s tradition of reflexively supporting anti-Israel resolutions in international fora, pledging that under a Calderon administration, Mexico would end that practice and consider each Middle East-related resolution on its own merits. The warm welcome accorded Calderon -- his remarks were punctuated on several occasions by standing ovations -- demonstrated he clearly had overcome any lingering wariness in the Jewish community on account of the PAN's perceived past relationship with conservative elements within the Catholic church. End Summary. ¶2. (U) Calderon's appearance at the Mount Sinai Jewish School was the first public appearance by a major presidential candidate before members of the Mexican Jewish community this year; AMLO is scheduled to appear on June 12 and PRI candidate Roberto Madrazo has promised to appear as well. During the event, Calderon turned in an energetic, upbeat performance before an enthusiastic crowd. The candidate spoke largely off-the-cuff for some 20 minutes, addressing such issues as economic policy, public security and the rule of law, before taking questions from the audience. AMLO,s Economic Numbers Do Not Add Up -------------- ¶3. (U) Largely ignoring third place contender Roberto Madrazo of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), Calderon contrasted his free market-oriented economic platform -- which he characterized as forward-looking -- with the allegedly statist model proposed by AMLO. He argued that AMLO,s economic proposals are the same that have been tried -- and have failed -- throughout Latin America. He denounced AMLO,s recently-announced plan to raise the real wages of Mexico,s poorest citizens by 20 percent, saying it would cost the GOM as much as ten percent of annual GDP and cripple the economy. Calderon added that AMLO,s proposals for other major public works projects, such as a long-distance bullet train and oil refineries, would leave the country deeply in debt and generate inflation, which would hurt Mexico,s poor most of all. Emphasizing Mexico's need to restore economic competitiveness, Calderon argued that the country,s inefficient energy monopolies were strangling economic growth. Overhaul Required to Address Public Security -------------- ¶4. (U) Calderon said that reforming Mexico's dysfunctional law enforcement apparatus and restoring public security would be among the most serious challenges facing his administration. To illustrate the point, he asked members of the audience to raise their hands if they or a family member had fallen victim to a crime in Mexico City: approximately 75 percent raised their hands. He asserted that Mexico's crime problem was partly a cultural one, insofar as there is a tradition in Mexico of disrespect for the rule of law. He singled out corruption as being a key factor underlying the poor state of public security, asserting that corruption in the political class and among law enforcement personnel has created an environment of impunity. He said that he would seek a comprehensive reform of the justice sector, ranging from crime prevention to criminal rehabilitation. At the core of the plan would be a fundamental reform of the police, placing the GOM's numerous autonomous police forces under a single command. He also proposed raising and harmonizing hiring standards, enhancing professional training and improving salaries. He advocating creating a mechanism by which citizens would oversee the work of police, to ensure the transparency and effectiveness of law enforcement. ¶5. (U) In addition to overhauling the law enforcement MEXICO 00003069 002 OF 002 apparatus, Calderon proposed a number of statutory reforms. He noted, for example, that anyone filing criminal charges has to provide their full name and current home address and they have no assurances that their information will not get back into the hands of the accused; this deters many crime victims from reporting crimes and should be repealed. He also railed against statutory minimum sentences, arguing that too many judges simply applied this minimum to avoid legal challenges. Calderon endorsed life sentences for kidnappers, although in response to an audience question, he reiterated his opposition to the death penalty. He advocated greater use of high-technology in preventing and solving crimes, including the creation of a central database to maintain fingerprints, ballistics, DNA, and arrest records. When asked about the controversial recent bill decriminalizing drug use (reftel) he said he opposed decriminalizing drug use, even if the GOM's focus should be on the prevention and treatment of drug abuse, and the prosecution of drug-traffickers. Calderon to Seek Governing Coalition -------------- ¶6. (U) In an implicit critique of President Fox's poor relationship with Congress, Calderon pledged that if he were elected without achieving a PAN legislative majority, his first priority would be to form a stable and permanent governing coalition, and that he was willing to do the personal politicking necessary to form such a coalition. He referred approvingly to the custom of Colombian President Alvaro Uribe of breakfasting with different legislators every day, in order to maintain a working relationship between the executive and legislative branches. Alluding to the possible inclusion of representatives of other parties in his cabinet, Calderon added that he was willing to share the responsibilities of governing. Calderon Distances Himself From PAN's Past -------------- ¶7. (U) The candidate received a standing ovation when he declared that Mexico must remain a secular society in which religion and politics do not mix. He said that combating discrimination would be a priority of his administration and that he would increase funding for the National Council Against Discrimination. He faulted the Fox Administration for allegedly responding with insufficient vigor to last year's anti-Semitic incident targeting former Director of the Mexican Social Security Institute Santiago Levy. Candidate Regrets Mexican Middle East Policy -------------- ¶8. (U) Answering an audience question about Mexican relations with Israel, Calderon said there had been "a terrible deficiency" in Mexico,s Middle East policy, epitomized by the GOM's history of reflexively supporting anti-Israel resolutions in international fora. He said that if he were elected, the GOM would no longer maintain an a priori position on Middle East-related resolutions and would consider each one on its own merits. He strongly condemned the decision by former President Luis Echevarria (1970-76) to support the infamous "Zionism is racism" resolution at the UN, an act he called "anti-Semitic." Comment: Calderon Connects...With Core Constituency -------------- -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Comment: Calderon's engaging performance at this event and the warm welcome he was accorded suggests he has overcome any lingering wariness within the Jewish community -- and perhaps among other non-Catholics -- on account of the PAN's historic association with conservative elements within the Catholic church. Calderon's gains in this constituency undoubtedly come more at the expense of Roberto Madrazo than of AMLO. Of course, in many respects, the well-educated, upper-middle class audience represented a home team crowd for Calderon, and we would have been surprised if he were not well-received. The ultimate success of his campaign will depend not on whether he can connect in Mexico's prosperous suburbs, but whether he can connect with the majority of Mexicans who prosperity has left behind. Visit Mexico City's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/mexicocity GARZA