The top political brass of Mexico is to blame for the misfortunes in the country. The ruling class posses the means of productions ranging from finances to machinery. They use these massive resources to influence the voting process. Politicians collude with businesspersons and drug lords to capture the state machinery making it hard for the law enforcers to maintain law and order. The proceeds from drugs are extended to political parties with parties returning paybacks by supporting policies that do not interfere with the illegal business. Parties receive enormous funding during elections from the drug lords. The drug lords have developed string ties with influential politicians who champion their interests in parliament and in government.
The police receive clear instructions from cabinet officials not to seize goods belonging to specific individuals. The non-cooperative businesspersons are frequently harassed and even sometimes their properties vandalized in order for them to cooperate. For an individual to engage in trade, he or she must part away with something. This means that security agencies have turned out to be the rich man’s property. The police force is instructed to either executive some individuals or withhold their property (Horwitz, 2004). Farmers are not favored either because they are compelled to dispose of their produce at a throwaway price mainly because of threats. Just like in Columbia, where the drug lords have taken over the leadership of the state, introducing their own administrative system referred to FARC, Mexico is also headed the same direction.
Mexico’s Political and Social Culture
Mexicans in the real sense have a strong logic of statehood rooted in common history and the overriding religion as well as language. In early 1920s, the state was separated from the church. This led to separation of powers meaning that the state operated independently from the church with church leaders being restricted to spiritual positions. This separation led to reduced influence of the church in political activities (Horwitz, 2004). However, religion still influences voter behavior during elections. Through religious beliefs and associations, another political culture referred to as patron-client relationship has developed in recent years.
This structure of connections based on personal associations and enigmatic leadership has always offered a strong unity to an agrarian Mexican society. Finally, economic dependency is another political culture that has influenced Mexican present cultures. The state is more dependent on the country’s colonial master Spain as well as the dominant neighbor, the U.S. The patron client system is one of the cultures that have affected the state so much as far as corruption is concerned. The citizens have the habit of expecting rewards from the political elite. This system has taken root in the country for quite some time (Feige, 2003).
Effects of Drugs on the Economy in Mexico
The resources obtained from the sale of drugs inflate the country’s economy. It becomes hard for the government to control the key sectors of the economy such retail and wholesale, foreign exchange and taxation. Generally, drug lords destabilize the economy in many ways. The trade in drugs raises insecurity mainly because of conflicts among the traders (Feige, 2003). Each drug lord always struggles to monopolize a particular market hence applying force and brutality. It is therefore not surprising that drug trafficking affects social organization in the society.
References
Feige, L. (2003). “Dynamics of Currency Substitution, Asset Substitution and De facto Dollarization and Euronisation in Transition Countries.” Comparative Economic Studies, 45(3) 358-383.
Horwitz, S. (2004). “Cigarette Smuggling Linked to Terrorism.” The Washington Post. Web.