In many corners of Mexico, far from the great decisions of the government, we find the true engine of the country: municipalities. They are the spaces where people’s life is weaved every day, where the challenges closest to people are faced. In those places, these are daily issues, but also the most transcendental: from security to access to basic services. However, the municipalities have historically been cornered by the decisions that are made hundreds of kilometers away, many times by officials who do not know the reality of the inhabitants of the peripheries, neither of the countryside, nor of the small communities.
The Mexican federalist system is at risk if we do not take action now. Municipalism must be the true engine of change. Because, if we continue to ignore the need to strengthen local power, we run the danger of losing what makes our democracy unique: its plurality, its diversity, its autonomy. The time to act is now, and we cannot continue waiting.
The proposal of the constitutional reforms that I am promoting in the Senate of the Republic is not only a technical or administrative issue, but an act of justice. It is an opportunity to return to our municipalities the autonomy they deserve. Because it is not a bureaucratic structure, but the very basis of our democracy. And if we want a country that respects the diversity of its regions, we must give each municipality the ability to make their own decisions.
The lack of autonomy: a historical evil
Perhaps the word subsidiarism sounds distant or difficult to understand for many, but in its background it is simple: it is not just sending resources to the municipalities, but to teach them to manage them, to give them the necessary tools so that they can solve their own problems. The real challenge is not to give fish, but teach them to fish. Do not replace or move them, in any case strengthen them.
For years, municipalities in Mexico have been trapped in a dependency cycle. It all depends on the federal government, in other cases of its state government: resources, decisions, solutions. The result is clear: inefficiency, disorganization, and worst of all, a power vacuum. When problems arise, people do not know who to go, because centralized power is thousands of kilometers away. And, instead of promoting autonomy, the system has fed a dependency that prevents the real growth of municipalities.
Therefore, my proposals seek to change that story. We want stronger municipalities, with the capacity to make decisions and manage own resources. We want local governments to face the challenges of their communities without depending on decisions taken in distant offices, which are often far from people’s real needs.
The diversity of Mexico, through the municipal lens
Mexico is a country of impressive diversity, and there is no better place to see it than in the municipalities. With 2,437 municipalities throughout the country, each one reflects the peculiarities of its people, their culture, their needs. And precisely because of that diversity, a centralized system simply does not work. There is no single solution for everyone. Each municipality has its own challenges, and each one must have the ability to face them with their own resources, without waiting for them to be sent from above.
Federal policies often fail to adapt to local realities. For example, the field and peripheral cities have very different problems from those of large cities. Without an autonomous municipality that has the ability to make decisions at the local level, the solutions do not arrive on time, or they arrive badly focused.
-The voice of the municipalities: a local power that cannot expect
The autonomy of municipalities is not an option, it is an urgent need. As a great thinker of Federalism said: “Without municipalities, there is no country.” If we do not strengthen the municipalities, we cannot have a strong, plural and truly democratic nation. It is the municipalities that guarantee that decisions are made near people, where everyone’s voices, regardless of their origin or condition, can be heard.
“If we do not strengthen the municipalities, we will not have a strong nation. Without a municipality, there is no country.” This is the principle under which I have worked to boost these reforms in the Senate. Because we know that each municipality has its own reality, and must be able to face it from its own land, with its own resources and without depending on the decisions made thousands of kilometers away.
The time of the changes is now
And I don’t want this concept of subsidiarism to stay alone in empty words. It is a concrete practice, which goes beyond distributing resources: it is about giving them the ability to manage them, efficiently and transparently. The disappearance of INAI, for example, left a huge vacuum in the protection of public information. My proposal is that each State decides which local body will be responsible for guaranteeing transparency in its territory, because closeness is key for access to information to be really effective.
Similarly, reforms around the election of judges and the protection of human rights seek to ensure that there are no setbacks in the most basic of our democracy. It is unacceptable that local constitutional reforms may violate the fundamental rights of people without a mechanism to challenge them.
Federalism is in danger, but it is not late to change. Municipalism can be the engine of that change. If we do not take action now, we run the risk of losing what matters most to us: a democratic, autonomous, diverse country.
It is time to listen to the municipalities. It is time to strengthen local power and recover the autonomy of those who are closer to people. There is no time to lose.
The author is a senator of the Republic and president of the Municipal Development Commission
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