Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Monday 2 SepteMber 2019

Mexico’s president vows to tackle violence, weak economy

By AMY GUTHRIE Mexican presidents are lim-
Associated Press ited to a single term in of-
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexi- fice.
can President Andrés The transition has been
Manuel López Obrador ac- bumpy, with three top
knowledged a grim tally of Cabinet members having
violent crimes and a weak already resigned. Auster-
economy as he delivered ity measures have gutted
the first state of the union key institutions, such as the
address of his six-year term public health system, and
Sunday. contributed to a growing
Homicides in Mexico are hesitance among Mexi-
at a record high and the cans to invest and spend.
economy is struggling nine The president touted 145
months into his adminis- billion pesos, or roughly
tration. Yet López Obra- $7.25 billion, in savings from
dor, who campaigned on spending cuts and other
promises to end corruption, measures that have taken
continues to enjoy sky-high effect since he took office
approval ratings of more Dec. 1. His administration
than 70% after winning the has confronted fuel theft
presidency in a landslide from the state oil company
July 2018 election victory Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador waves goodbye after delivering his first year’s Pemex, slashed public sala-
that also handed his politi- state of the nation address at the National Palace in Mexico City, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019. ries, eliminated a major so-
cal party a near-majority in Associated Press cial program and decom-
Congress. of 100 points in Transparen- “Nothing has damaged his tenure the “Fourth Trans- missioned government of-
Stamping out corruption cy International’s 2018 Cor- Mexico more than the dis- formation,” saying it rep- fices abroad that promot-
and impunity remains a top ruption Perceptions Index, honesty of its rulers — and resents a change akin to ed investment in Mexico.
priority, López Obrador said where a lower score indi- this is the main cause of the Mexico’s 1810 indepen- As the economy flirts with
in his address to Cabinet cates higher levels of cor- economic and social in- dence uprising, 1857 Lib- recession, López Obrador
members, generals, busi- ruption. That puts Mexico equality, and of the insecu- eral movement and 1910 said that well-being should
nessmen and journalists at on par with Russia and be- rity and violence, that we revolution. He took office in be measured via the hap-
the National Palace. hind countries such as Bo- suffer,” the president said December on promises to piness of the people rather
Tackling corruption is a tall livia and Honduras in clean somberly. help the country regain its than by growth in gross do-
task. Mexico scored 28 out business dealings. López Obrador has dubbed moral compass. mestic product.q
Indigenous leader in Brazil’s Amazon tries to thwart loggers

By LEO CORREA had been put up by illegal rainforest, were excessive.
Associated Press loggers. They traveled part About 14% of Brazil is indig-
ALTAMIRA, Brazil (AP) — An of the way in a boat be- enous territory, a huge area
indigenous leader in Bra- tween river banks thick with for those groups’ relatively
zil’s Amazon says he will do vegetation. Kadjyre Kaya- small numbers, the presi-
what he can to stop log- po is head of Krimej village, dent said.
gers and prospectors en- where villagers run a surveil- Bolsonaro has faced criti-
croaching on his people’s lance operation that tries cism for saying rainforest
land. to monitor incursions into protections are blocking
Kadjyre Kayapo, his son indigenous territory. Brazil’s economic devel-
and other companions “I founded this village to opment. He has said Eu-
searched in recent days for prevent the loggers get- ropean countries express-
signs of trespassing in the ting into our territory,” said ing concern have done
lush rainforest of the Kaya- the leader, who wore a tra- enough damage to the
po indigenous group’s land ditional headdressQ and environment themselves
in Pará state. Krimej indigenous Chief Kadjyre Kayapo, of the Kayapo a necklace reading “Je- and should focus on their
The routine patrol came indigenous community, looks out at a path created by loggers on sus Christ” in Kayapo lan- own reforestation.
the border between the Biological Reserve Serra do Cachimbo,
after a month in which fires front, and Menkragnotire indigenous lands, in Altamira, Para guage. The Brazilian Amazon saw
swept many areas of the state, Brazil, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019. Brazilian President Jair Bol- 30,901 fires in August, the
Amazon, causing an inter- Associated Press sonaro contends that past highest for the month since
national outcry over the ping carbon dioxide from nalist accompanied the vil- allocations of land to in- 2010, according to the
growing threat to a vast the atmosphere. lage watch group and saw digenous people, many of country’s National Institute
area that drains heat-trap- An Associated Press jour- paths and a bridge that whom live in the Amazon for Space Research. q