In the next decade, Mexico has the historic opportunity to become a country of the middle classes, on the path to definitively eliminating poverty. I am convinced that I am the person with the ability to lead this task to a successful conclusion, since I have the experience and knowledge to take the helm and make a difference.
Today we have everything ahead of us to take advantage of this situation and grow twice as fast as in recent decades. At our doors is a “geopolitical bonus” due to the tensions between the United States and China, which have led companies from the five continents to relocate operations and reorganize their supply chains and mineral procurement.
Given our prime location next to the world’s largest market, our extensive network of free trade agreements, our young workforce—with an average age of 29—and our healthy public finances—with debt barely half GDP—we are the ideal nation to attract such investment and become the next high-end manufacturing powerhouse.
Although this has already been happening since I was chancellor, when we brought the Tesla and BMW plants, many are still waiting to land in our territory, so we need to create the conditions for their arrival; for example, with the construction of 25 new industrial parks.
In addition to this, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has deployed the largest social investment in history, with some 40,000 million dollars a year in social programs. This has allowed millions of young people of all educational levels to remain in the classroom and receive scholarships; In addition, it ensures them a space in the labor market through a national training program for their first job. Thus, the average schooling will reach 10 years, although much remains to be done to reach the goal of 12 years.
However, seizing this opportunity will require confronting the scourge of violence. During my travels, I have had the enormous privilege of listening and knowing first-hand the concerns of the Mexican population: despite the great advances in the matter, restlessness continues to prevail.
The fight undertaken by President López Obrador against corruption and impunity has produced tangible results. Hand in hand with this, his greatest contribution to the tranquility of Mexicans has been the creation of the National Guard. Never before in history have we had a body of this scope and magnitude, dedicated to bringing peace to Mexicans, which in 2024 will have almost 200,000 elements deployed throughout our borders.
To continue the legacy of the Fourth Transformation, it will be necessary to build on what has been advanced. Therefore, my desire is that the next Government complements the deployment of this police force with the intensive use of innovative technologies to combat crime.
With this objective, I designed the Angel Plan —acronym for Advanced GEoLocation and Security Standards—, which will provide the National Guard, the state police and the prosecutors and public ministries of the entire country with the most advanced artificial intelligence tools to strengthen their crime prevention and investigation capacity. The data provided by biometric identification cameras, weapon and vehicle detectors, sensors that identify gunshots, and drones will be immediately processed by AI, making security forces more efficient and expeditious.
Of course, the Angel Plan is a pillar of a comprehensive security strategy. At the same time, the next administration must advance a comprehensive reform of the Judiciary and provide state and federal prosecutors with the necessary instruments to improve their ability to investigate crime, in addition to providing comprehensive care to inmates and implementing social reintegration programs to reduce the ranks of organized crime.
There is nothing improvised in this approach. Since I was chief of the Mexico City Police, during the administration of the now president of Mexico, and later as head of government, together we managed to substantially reduce high-impact crimes between 2002 and 2012. Based on a broad territorial deployment of the police, the reduction of impunity and the intensive use of technology, accompanied by innovative social assistance programs, we offer the citizens of the capital years of tranquility and security in the midst of the wave of violence that was being experienced on a national scale.
I agree with the president that security and tranquility are the fruit of justice. I am convinced that I have the experience and knowledge to face the enormous challenge of insecurity. This is how I achieved it in Mexico City, where I more than fulfilled, and that is why I know what I am talking about when I affirm that, with the Angel Plan, Mexico will enjoy the safest period in its history.
Marcelo Ebrard is a candidate to coordinate the defense committees of the Fourth Transformation of the National Regeneration Movement (Morena). He was head of Government of the Federal District (2006-2012) and Secretary of Foreign Relations (2018-2023).
Subscribe to continue reading
Read without limits
