Candidates Flip-Flop on La Parota Dam
(Acapulco, JG 7 December) Last week Guerrero Governor Zeferino Torreblanca Galindo said that the opposition to the ¨La Parota” hydroelectric dam project was minimal – maybe 50 people or fewer. Paradoxically, the two main candidates for governor have been back-pedaling since then, altering their earlier positions in favor of the dam. Apparently they are afraid of a political cost to support the project, even though it clearly is in the long-term economic interests of the population. As a practical matter, the opponents, even if few, are shrill, and the wider population is indifferent, since any benefit will not be felt for five years or more.
Last week, the Aguirre campaign expressed doubts about the hydro-electric project, reversing an earlier position that favored construction “for so long as those who live in the flood zone are treated fairly.” Those reading tea leaves for the Añorve campaign have concluded that their opponent improved his standing with the voters when he flip-flopped on the dam, and yesterday, the Añorve campaign followed suit. Héctor Apreza Patrón, the press secretary for the Añorve campaign, made the announcement.
The question of the “La Parota” dam had come up again when the Aguirre campaign negotiated with Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the former candidate for President of Mexico on behalf of the PRD. López Obrador narrowly missed becoming president in the campaign against Felipe Calderón; for that reason the Aguirre campaign considers his endorsement to be valuable. One of the conditions set by López Obrador for endorsing Aguirre was, reportedly, the rejection of “La Parota.” No reasons were given why the former PRD leader is so set against an undertaking that would contribute to Guerrero’s infrastructure and economic development.
Añorve’s press spokesman Apreza was careful to separate his boss and the PRI from the López Obrador connection, saying that support for Aguirre from that quarter will do him very little good, and the decision of Añorve to oppose “La Parota” had nothing to do with the former PRD candidate for president or his opinions.
