Mexico City. The president of the National Institute for Transparency, Access to Information and Protection of Personal Data (INAI), Adrian Alcalá, warned on Friday that the eventual disappearance of the organization would violate the human rights of Mexicans.
In the context of the discussion in committees of the initiative that seeks to eliminate INAI and other independent constitutional bodies, which was generally approved by the Constitutional Points Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, Alcalá reiterated his call for an open parliamentary exercise where all voices are heard before the initiative is judged.
“We are convinced that it is necessary to have an open parliamentary exercise where diverse voices are heard, since the said provision could affect the practice, but above all guarantee the rights of access to information and the protection of personal data in Mexico,” he said in a video message.
“Much has been said about the fact that these rights can be protected by the government itself and by institutions of all powers, but if this happens as stated in the opinion, we must first ask ourselves what happens next: to whom will people who need information turn to report corruption in their municipalities, in their state, at the federal level, or to highlight poor performance by their authorities? To whom will people turn to report the misuse of their personal data and thus the violation of their privacy and the safety of their families?” added the head of the National Transparency System.
“The loss of independent specialized institutions that are not subject to pressure from public authorities, such as the National Institute of Mexico, affects the human rights of the Mexican people that Mexicans have achieved precisely after countless social struggles over time,” he said.
“But the government would also lose the valuable opportunity of having a system of balances that independently highlights areas of opportunity in terms of transparency and protection of personal data, and therefore we see ourselves not as an institute created not to bother, but as an institution of the Mexican state to fight for what we all want: to eliminate corruption and strive for our well-being,” Alcalá added.
He reiterated the Institute’s readiness to engage in dialogue with lawmakers and with the new federal administration to be headed by President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum.
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