Mexico: Consultations on Maya Train and Nine “Priority” Projects of New Government

Train

On November 24th and 25th, the consultation was held on the Maya Train and nine other projects that the next executive considers “priority” to implement as soon as it officially takes office on December 1st.

1,098 voting tables installed in 538 municipalities nationwide were used, according to the Arturo Rosenblueth Foundation, in charge of the organization. 946,081 people participated in this consultation and 89.9% voted in favor of the proposed Mayan Train project that seeks to communicate the main archaeological centers of the Maya zone in five states of southeastern Mexico. All the other proposals received more than 90% of votes in favor: the development of the Tehuantepec Isthmus Train; the refinery in Dos Bocas, Tabasco; the reforestation program; the increase in the pension for adults over 68 years of age; the granting of scholarships to all students of public high schools in the country; the delivery of pensions to disabled people; as well as guaranteed medical attention and free internet coverage.

Specialists, academics, environmentalists, scientists and civil organizations have questioned the development proposals included in this package, mainly due to the ecological damage that these projects could cause.

For its part, the Movement in Defense of the Land and the Territory in Chiapas questioned why none of these projects was brought to consultation with the people that will be directly affected when it is carried out in cities. “Of the 79 spaces that were installed in the state, only one was in the municipality of Palenque and it was located in the municipal capital, far from the places through which it will transit -in case of materializing- in its 45 kilometers,” they said.

For more information in Spanish:

El Tren Maya y su impacto en las comunidades, Proceso, 27 de noviembre de 2018

Tren Maya pasa la consulta de López Obrador en México con el 89,9% de los votos, CNN, 26 de noviembre de 2018

Equipo de AMLO presume que programas obtuvieron más del 90% de aceptación; Tren Maya, el menos votado (Animal Político, 26 de noviembre de 2018)

Consulta sobre Tren Maya no llegó a los pueblos, comunidades y ejidos que impactará en Chiapas (Aristegui Noticias, 26 de noviembre de 2018)

Pueblos indígenas no participaron como se esperaba: Claudia Muñoz (La Jornada, 26 de noviembre de 2018)

Resultados de la Consulta Nacional 10 Programas Prioritarios (Fundación Arturo Rosenblueth, 25 de noviembre de 2018)

Les falta baño de pueblo, dice López Obrador a críticos del Tren Maya (Animal Político, 25 de noviembre de 2018)

Entre burócratas y ciudadanos los que más participaron en la consulta de AMLO (Pagina3.mx, 25 de noviembre de 2018)

For more information from SIPAZ:

National: Faced with Rejection of National Guard, AMLO Proposes New Consultation (December 12th, 2018)

National: AMLO Announces Consultation for the Construction of the Maya Train (November 14th, 2018)