Lopez Obrador says his gov’t is not militarizing Mexico

Mexico City, Dec 1 (EFE).- President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Wednesday that claims his government is militarizing Mexico are without foundation.

“The accusations are entirely lacking in logic and in the most basic good faith,” he told a crowd in Mexico City during an event to mark the third anniversary of his inauguration.

“The armed forces have not been ordered to make war against anybody, to spy on or oppress society, to infringe on liberties and much less to become involved in repressive actions,” the leftist president said.

In a departure from previous administrations, the military has carried out its tasks without human rights violations, massacres, torture or forced disappearances, he said.

Lopez Obrador, known as AMLO, pointed to the role of the military in aiding victims of natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes.

The armed forces have worked to win back the trust of the public, lost due to “erroneous and perverse decisions” by earlier governments, he said.

Recalling the origins of the modern army in the Mexican Revolution, the president stressed that it is not an elite force which “belongs to the oligarchy,” but “the nation in uniform.”

Acknowledging that crime remains a serious problem, he vowed to continue addressing the social and economic woes behind the violence.

AMLO pointed to the launch of social programs aimed at keeping young people from being lured into organized crime and he thanked all of the parties in Congress for approving the creation of the National Guard as part of the effort to reduce the role of the military in law enforcement.

“We have not confronted violence with violence,” he said. EFE csr/dr