Tulum’s Urban Chaos: Who’s to Blame?

Chetumal — Federal Deputy Mildred Ávila Vera has asserted that the problems facing Tulum, as well as other parts of Quintana Roo, are the result of decades of neglect and corruption by PRI and PAN governments, which she said allowed for disorderly development and the overexploitation of the region's natural resources.

These statements were issued in response to recent assertions made by PAN Senator Mayuli Martínez Simón, who, accompanied by national leaders of her party, attempted to place responsibility for the accumulated problems in the state on the Fourth Transformation movement.

“It is, to say the least, ironic that a representative of the PAN, a party responsible for years of corruption, privatizations, and abandonment in Quintana Roo, comes today to speak of ‘transparency’ and ‘public services.’ With what moral standing do they come to denounce or complain, when they left us a deeply rooted mess that we are working to combat, correcting the backlog and dismantling the corruption that they sowed,” declared Mildred Ávila.

The legislator recalled that the alleged problems that, according to Mayuli Martínez, Tulum faces were not born with the Fourth Transformation, but were sown during the governments of the PAN and the PRI, when disorderly growth, irregular permits, and the plundering of natural resources were permitted, all for the benefit of a few.

“Today, with Morena, order is finally being brought to the urban chaos they left behind. The Maya Train, the new Tulum International Airport, and the Jaguar Park are historic works that represent sustainable development, environmental conservation, and social justice for a region that for years was marginalized by the governments of the past,” she emphasized.

Mildred Ávila described the assertion that Tulum “is a tragedy” as disrespectful to the population, and stressed that the real tragedy was the indifference and corruption of those who governed before, when private interests were placed above collective well-being.

The deputy also responded directly to Ricardo Anaya Cortés, coordinator of the PAN senators: “He completely lacks the moral standing to criticize the 4T, when he has pending criminal proceedings for money laundering, and that is why he fled to the United States, from where he only returned with a legal injunction and parliamentary immunity. He cannot speak of ethics or transparency,” stated Mildred Ávila.

Furthermore, she pointed out that if transparency is being discussed, it would be important to remember that it was Morena that put an end to the rigged concessions and sweetheart contracts that characterized the PRI and PAN governments.

“Today, public resources are invested where they should be: in the people, not in the pockets of a few. In Morena, we do not manage glamour, we administer justice, well-being, and development for all,” she concluded.