The Ibero-American Commission on Human Rights for the Development of the Americas (CIDHPDA), in the voice of its Commissioner for Latin America and the Caribbean, Víctor Hugo Gutiérrez Yáñez, stated that the autonomy of the institutions is necessary for the exercise of accountability. and strengthen the democracy of a country, as is the case of Mexico.
In the morning conference on December 11, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced that, before the end of his mandate, he will send an administrative reform initiative that aims to eliminate autonomous organizations such as the National Institute of Transparency, Access to Information and Protection of Personal Data (INAI), the Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT) and the Federal Economic Competition Commission (Cofece). The Mexican president described these organizations as “supposedly autonomous” and “useless,” considering that they only assist a minority and not the people in general.
Wanting to disappear public and autonomous institutions is a direct blow to democratic life, since these actions violate the participation of public exercise, which makes it easier for the Executive to become a one-man monarchical public administration. Gutiérrez Yáñez stated that this type of actions, such as disappearing the Human Right to access information, protected by Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, violates transparency and accountability, activities that are mandatory for a democratic government.
Decentralization facilitates accountability, resulting in greater trust among the population towards their institutions, since these, by being constantly monitored, disclose their actions, accept opinions on the matter and address citizens' concerns. In this way, a true rule of law is formed where the rules for its autonomous bodies are clear, acceptable to all involved, and are appropriately applied against those who break the law.
However, in some countries, especially those that are developing, their autonomous bodies have ambiguous regulations and require application criteria. On the other hand, nascent democratic governments struggle with how to handle the crimes of previous administrations or spend a lot of time and resources trying to clean up the old regime through criminal trials.
Access to information is necessary so that citizens can serve as a control or counterweight to the public administration, as long as it provides pertinent information about its actions. For this purpose, a means is essential that makes it possible to file complaints and protect against possible retaliation.
Many countries, especially developed ones, have accountability and access to information mechanisms independent of government institutions, for example, the General Accountability Office (GAO) in the United States or the Audit Commission in Great Britain. . In other nations such as Hungary there is an ombudsman who deals with data protection and freedom of information; Although this figure does not have legal authority to resolve controversies, he uses dissemination to pressure the government.
The INA has been the subject of constant disqualifications by the current administration, however, this organization has important recognition worldwide. In April of this year, within the framework of the XXIV Meeting of the Transparency and Access to Information Network (RTA), made up of authorities from 18 Ibero-American countries, a message of support for the INAI was delivered and the importance of guaranteeing this institute can carry out its work of promoting and protecting the human rights it protects.
The President Commissioner of the CIDHPDA regretted that Mexico is going through authoritarian decisions whose intention is to make the public exercise controlled by a single person. It is important to highlight that institutional balances on accountability in public affairs help to maintain a balance and avoid excesses when executing projects managed by the State, which, carried out irresponsibly, can break the stability of a country.