Governor Defends his Administration
(Tixtla, El Sur 10 March) The administration of outgoing state governor Zeferino Torreblanca Galindo is being compelled to defend itself against allegations of wrongdoing, virtually on the eve of the transfer of command to governor-elect Ángel Aguirre. In previous days an audit of the public health services of the state government showed defalcations of over $150 million pesos. Two days ago, armed men attacked the state public health services office in Acapulco and burned a room full of records. The inference was drawn that some people in the outgoing government were essentially trying to “wipe their fingerprints” from a corrupt situation. In related complaints from within the governor´s own political party, critics point to 38 murders of PRD politicians in Guerrero during the six-year term of Governor Torreblanca, and none have been solved. The maiming and near murder of Guillermo Sánchez Nava by PRI thugs during the political campaign for governor also is unresolved. The PRD held a demonstration outside the governor’s offices yesterday for that reason.
In response to all these criticisms, the governor said, “Those who complain are just trying to retaliate against us because in my administration, we do things right.” He said no information was lost in the fire because there was a computer backup of everything. “The investigation is going forward,” he said, “so that we can find the truth, and I am very calm about it because I know that we are doing everything right.” The governor was asked about the helicopter he uses for transport around the state, which was bought with funds for the Health Services. He said, “The press should pay attention to how and why we purchased it, and not pretend in the end that they are surprised.” Apparently it was an irritated way of saying to the reporters, “if you do your homework, it won’t be a mystery.”
On why the 38 political murders and the one maiming have not been solved, the governor said that in the context of violence today, we simply do not have enough resources to devote investigators full time to one or another case. “I would like to leave office with all of them solved, but that is just not possible, given today’s violent situation.” On Guillermo Sánchez Nava, he said that neither that case nor any other has been forgotten. The problem is that it was a mob who committed the crime, and that makes pinning down personal responsibility very hard.” The governor cited the fact that in general, 4 out of 5 homicides committed in the State of Guerrero remain unsolved.
The governor ended his press interview by saying that soon he would be telling the press what the plan is for the formal transition of authority from his administration to the new one.
