January 5, 1999
By Adolfo Garza

MEXICO CITY, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Corruption within Mexico's ruling party, which critics say has reached alarming levels, is rapidly shaping up to be one of the main issues in this year's presidential campaign.

Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) candidate Francisco Labastida vowed this week to wage war on corruption should he win the July 2 polls, taking aim at a system of graft and impunity that has helped keep the PRI in power for 70 years.

But political analysts and opposition leaders poured scorn on Labastida's pledge, pointing to similar campaign promises made by past PRI presidents that were never fulfilled, as well as recent cases of corruption within the ruling elite.

Reflecting the general scepticism, the leftist la Jornada on Wednesday published a front-page cartoon of Labastida saying: "In the PRI, there is no room for the corrupt."

Behind him, the party faithful cheer: "That's right, there's no more room" and "We're full".

Analyst Joel Estudillo of the Mexican Institute of Political Studies said it was a PRI tradition "to make promises with the intention of taking very superficial measures."

"Labastida is taking preemptive steps against possible (opposition) attacks," Estudillo said.

Among Labastida's proposals is that the PRI only accept candidates who publicly declare their assets, though not necessarily those of their immediate families.

Corruption Seen as Out of Control

Several cases of corruption that surfaced during the administration of President Ernesto Zedillo, Labastida's political patron, have stunned even the most jaded Mexicans.

Raul Salinas, brother of reviled former president Carlos Salinas, has been accused by Swiss investigators of making $500 million by running a protection racket for drug cartels.

Raul Salinas was also found guilty of the murder of a political rival and is serving a 27-1/2 year jail sentence.

Other prominent officials charged with protecting drug lords include former anti-drug czar, Gen. Jesus Gutierrez Rebollo, and former state governor Mario Villanueva, who fled shortly before leaving office last year and is still at large.

"You can't eradicate corruption in a party that has been sustained and has grown through corruption," said Cuauthemoc Cardenas, the 2000 candidate of a leftist coalition.

"Corruption in the government is out of control," Estudillo agreed.

Mexico is among the world's most corrupt nations, according to watchdog Transparency International.

In the agency's 1999 report, which graded nations from 10 (least corrupt) to 0 (most corrupt), Mexico received a score of 3.4, compared to 7.5 for the United States and 9.2 for Canada.

Widespread corruption can cause the growth rate of a country to be 0.5 to 1.0 percentage points lower than that of a similar country with little corruption, the group said.

Analysts believe Labastida took on corruption to preempt attacks, particularly those from his main challenger, Vicente Fox of the conservative National Action Party (PAN).

Polls show Labastida leading Fox, and well ahead of Cardenas, candidate for an alliance led by the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) and the Labor Party (PT).

But Labastida's vow could backfire, since it recalls the empty promises of past PRI leaders such as ex-president Miguel de la Madrid, who pledged a moral renewal but whose 1980-88 rule is seen by many as among the most corrupt in modern times.

"It could have the opposite effect than intended, and lead to more public discontent," Estudillo said.