What are the owners and directors of many of the large companies that operate in Mexico thinking about the perspective opened by the judicial reform and some of the announcements made so far?
The first thing to establish is that there is no single vision among the private sector. The perspective is heterogeneous.
But, although the perspective of each businessman or organization is different, some typologies can be identified.
Of course there are both extremes.
There are those who hate the so-called Fourth Transformation and are thinking about leaving the country or, at least, taking some of their businesses away from here.
It must be emphasized that there are very few who think this way, but they exist.
At the other extreme there are also some who were fervent supporters of López Obrador and today are supporters of Claudia Sheinbaum, and are convinced that Morena’s overwhelming victory was the best thing that could have happened to Mexico.
They are also few, but there are some big ones, or even very big ones, in this group.
In other areas of the business spectrum, there are visions that are not so radical in either sense.
There is a group that disagrees with most of the new government’s proposals and fears that the qualified majority in Congress will generate problems for the country, but they are convinced that we must survive and are willing to work with the government. and seek how to accommodate or cope with the changes that it will bring, such as judicial reform.
Some of them are at the head of various organizations in the business sector and they have to dialogue and negotiate very closely with President Sheinbaum and various public officials.
There are others who perceive that the judicial reform is going to do great damage to the country and can create legal uncertainty, so, without leaving the country, they will assess whether they carry out the expansion of their companies in Mexico or rather transfer it to some other country. country.
There are other businessmen who have not yet invested in Mexico and who are weighing the advantages and disadvantages that exist, since the judicial reform has not eliminated many advantages that the country has, such as its geographical location or the existence of a trade agreement with the United States.
In general (of course there are exceptions), foreigners tend to make a more objective evaluation of the implications of investing in Mexico, weighing advantages and disadvantages.
Mexican businessmen tend to include in their evaluations more emotional ingredients that have to do with their political preferences and personal experience.
There may be many other typologies, without a doubt, but those indicated may perhaps summarize the attitude of businessmen towards the new government.
As we have commented in this space, even if there had not been a judicial reform or the ingredients of Plan C, it is likely that we would have had a waiting period to complete projects, as has happened on other occasions in six-year transitions.
But what must be stated is that achieving economic and political success in the Sheinbaum government could be much easier without the inheritance that AMLO imposed on him.
The president would have had the time to build her projects and proposals in detail and could have articulated them without generating so much controversy.
The differences that exist between businessmen probably do not occur in the team closest to the President of the Republic.
Acceptance of the president’s statements, proposals and plans is likely to dominate, with little room for dissenting voices.
We live in unprecedented times with great opportunities, but also with enormous challenges.
It is elementary logic to understand that if there were diverse perspectives that understood differently what is happening in Mexico and were listened to at the highest level, they would enrich the vision that the President of the Republic has.
Hopefully the business community can ensure that, at least from them, the government will listen to ideas, perspectives and criticism that even say things that the government does not like to hear.
