Culiacán: Unprecedented transparency

The failed Culiacán operation to arrest Ovidio Guzmán on October 17 had to be explained in detail after the confusion that reigned during and days after the events. On Wednesday, almost two weeks after the arrest and release of Guzmán , the federal government released the details of the failed operation, as explained by the Defense Minister and the Security Minister .

For over an hour, the head of the Defense Ministry explained the whole operation using diagrams and videos . This was an unprecedented event because it showed the intensity of the violence used by the Sinaloa cartel . Although the explanation was the result of demands made by different sectors, it should be recognized that information was handled with transparency .

Nevertheless, issuing this report doesn't mean everything is clear; some unsolved questions still remain among society. One of them is the possible leaks about the operation from government sources or the cartel 's ability to intercept information. Since the federal government has said that nothing will be hidden, therefore, it has to respond to this question.

On October 17 , the flawed flow of information sets a before and after for the current administration, in regards to communication. On the day Ovidio Guzmán was arrested, EL UNIVERSAL published six different versions of the events and the contradictions between President López Obrador and cabinet members.

Mexico

's recent history has emblematic examples of situations where the official version of the events has been questioned and deemed unconvincing , a few examples include the death of cardinal Posadas Ocampo , the disappearance of the 43 Ayotzinapa students , and the murder of presidential candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio . Moreover, these cases have always been full of contradictions .

Before the Culiacán operation, the government always released information about any case without delay but in the case of the arrest and release of Ovidio Guzmán , Mexicans had to wait for two weeks to provide details. By releasing all this information, public opinion and the armed forces benefit from transparency .

Finally, Culiacán is a lesson, especially for those who make decisions and for those who are in charge of communication. This lesson should never be forgotten.

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