Toothless Congress

The revelation that social activists, human rights defenders and journalists have been subjected to espionage attempts, allegedly by the Mexican government, reveals the inability of the country to investigate such cases objectively. Could there be impartiality in a scenario where the Executive Branch investigates itself?

Faced with this type of situation the division of powers should represent the best alternative to counteract the excesses of some power, but in Mexico , unfortunately, this road has many obstacles.

According to information disclosed today by EL UNIVERSAL , experts and legislators warn that the Congress does not have investigative powers, that the Legislative Branch is designed to be weak and that agreements made at the top subdue the Houses of the Congress.

While in the United States a Senate committee has President Donald Trump against the ropes, in Mexico legislative commissions have little or no effect when it comes to controlling or overseeing government actions.

In the Mexican Congress, out of the 188 existing commissions (among ordinary, special, research and bicameral), most are unproductive and expensive. This dairy has documented that, except for special cases, commissions are assigned a budget for consultants and operating expenses, without having regular sessions or without having been given some initiative or draft.

The current situation (both in Mexico and the United States) should serve to strengthen the scheme of counterweights in the country. In the neighboring country, the Congress and the Judiciary Branch have limited and reversed the decisions of Donald Trump. Here the Supreme Court has shown progress in this regard, but the biggest lag lies on the Legislative Branch, where it is frequent to see government officials be held accountable for their actions, without a consequence that goes beyond the claims.

The alleged espionage of government on social groups, politicians and journalists, instead of intervening communications from criminal gangs, should serve to introduce greater powers of investigation into the Congress. It is not a question of manipulating or diminishing the Executive Power, but of achieving a healthy counterweight in the exercise of power.

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