A Battle Cry from the Shadows
In the midst of the aquatic devastation that has plunged Veracruz into a blanket of mud and despair, where the rivers have become rampaging beasts destroying everything in their path, a voice emerges from the very depths of the confinement. It is not a voice of consolation, but a poisoned dart loaded with resentment and accusations. Javier Duarte, the former governor whose figure is torn between infamy and the defense of his own political legacy, has launched a message that resonates with the force of thunder in the already convulsed state panorama. From his cell, he has woven a narrative where he is the misunderstood visionary and his successors, the architects of the current ruin.
The Accusation: A Legacy Systematically Destroyed
With prose that mixes bitterness with an air of moral superiority, Duarte not only limits himself to observing; declare war. Pointing an accusing finger at Cuitláhuac García and Miguel Ángel Yunes, he places the ultimate responsibility for Veracruz suffering on them. In his story, it was not the unleashed fury of nature that was the true enemy, but rather a planned demolition of everything he, as he claims, successfully built. His message is not a mere complaint; It is a chronicle of what he denounces as deliberate incompetence and a thirst for excellence that ended up plunging the state into vulnerability.
“One of the reasons why Veracruz is suffering… is that during the 2 years of Miguel Ángel Yunes’ mandate and the 6 of Cuitláhuac García’s mandate, the only thing they dedicated themselves to was destroying my legacy as a systematized way to stand out in the face of their ignorance,” wrote the former president, transforming the climate tragedy into the perfect scenario for a political reckoning of epic proportions.
The Golden Age vs. The Announced Collapse
Duarte paints his administration with the colors of a golden age in matters of Civil Protection. He talks about the creation of the state risk atlas as if it were a treasure map to save lives, and early warning as an always awake watchman. It boasts of having had “the best team of collaborators in this matter, well equipped and well trained,” an elite army ready to battle against the onslaught of hurricanes. According to his personal epic, during his mandate, despite facing cyclones of ferocious intensity, human losses were minimal, a testimony, in his vision, of effective and far-sighted management.
All this scaffolding, this supposed unbreakable fortress, would have collapsed like a house of cards under the yoke of its “useless successors”. In his dramatic story, the dismantling of his system has left the population defenseless, forcing the current governor Rocío Nahle to face a “titanic task” from scratch, carrying the weight of other people’s mistakes. Federal aid, which in its time came to bring the situation under control, is now perceived, in its narrative, as a late arrival to a disaster that could have been mitigated.
Populism: The Great Villain of Tragedy
But his criticism does not stop at specific people; rises to condemn a phenomenon that, in his eyes, is the cancer that eats away at true management: populism. He describes it with disdain as a “cult of personality”, a papier-mâché stage set up for the opportunistic photo. With a nod to his past, he states that “more than taking photos with water up to my waist… the important thing was to solve the problem, not gain popularity.” It is an argument that seeks to differentiate, at all costs, what he considers serious and technical management, from what he labels as pure empty spectacle. In his world, solutions are worth more than applause, although the official story tells a very different version of his time in power.
This message, launched from prison isolation, is not just an explanation; It’s a weapon. It is one man’s attempt to rewrite his place in Veracruz history, using current misfortune as proof of his innocence and the guilt of others. Every word is charged with the tension of a drama that is far from over, where flood waters mix with the murky waters of politics, creating a perfect storm of accusations, wounded pride and a battle for memory that defines the present and future of a state marked by tragedy.
Do you think Duarte’s criticisms are justified or are they an attempt to rewrite his legacy? Share this shocking story on your social networks and explore more content about the ins and outs of Mexican politics.
