MEXICO'S FOX HAS FILLED PROMISE

Other Voices

At the very least, Fox has proven to be far more reliable -- and effective
- -- in the war on drugs than his predecessors.

Three years after Mexico ushered in a new political era with the
inauguration of Vicente Fox as president, polls show widespread
dissatisfaction with his job performance. His reforms have been stymied by
an obdurate Congress, the economy remains weak, and a proposed immigration
deal that Mexico badly needs with the United States has fallen through.
Even sympathetic observers such as former U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey Davidow,
in an interview with columnist Andres Oppenheimer, give Fox, at best, a
tepid endorsement halfway through his administration.

Yet it seems not only unfair but plainly wrong to claim that Fox has failed
to deliver on his main promise - to bring democracy to Mexico and to attack
the beast of corruption. Any fair examination of Fox's record would show
that if he has fallen short, it is precisely because he has governed in an
open, democratic manner far different from that of his authoritarian
predecessors.

Instead of sending orders to the Congress, he has sought consultation.
Instead of blaming the United States for his problems, he has sought
cooperation. Instead of hiding Mexico's sordid human-rights troubles of
yesteryear, he has probed for the truth. And, lest we forget, instead of
coddling Fidel Castro, he has turned Mexican policy around to treat Cuba in
a more even-handed manner.

Then there is the issue of drugs. The last report of the U.S. Office of
National Drug Control Policy shows opium poppy cultivation (the source of
heroin) in Mexico is down by 40 percent. Fox has overseen a thorough
overhaul of the attorney general's office; and his chief prosecutor has
fired or arrested 1,500 federal agents and police on drug-corruption
charges. At the very least, Fox has proven to be far more reliable - and
effective - in the war on drugs than his predecessors.

It seems evident, in retrospect, that Fox would find it impossible to
fulfill the aspirations that Mexicans had deposited in his candidacy. As
the first president in modern times not to have a majority in Congress,
both he and his adversaries have had to learn the delicate art of political
horse trading. Today, the main opposition party is split between those who
are willing to meet the president halfway and those who just want to deny
him any victories. They should be mindful that political leaders in our own
Congress over the past few years have had to learn some painful lessons
about the self-defeating nature of a policy whose only goal is obstruction.

As Fox starts the second half of his term, the White House must find a way
to revive the stalled immigration agreement, which is in the interest of
both countries. It would allow Fox to show that his patient efforts to
create a new relationship with the United States are paying off, and it
would breathe new life into the presidency of one of the best friends this
country has in Latin America.

The Miami Herald ---
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