Mexican president presents ‘ethical guide’ book of precepts

MEXICO CITY – Few world leaders talk about morals and ethics as much as Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and on Thursday he presented an “Ethical Guide for the Transformation of Mexico.”

López Obrador took office two years ago pledging government austerity and an end to corruption.

Much like the president himself, the text presented Thursday is socially conservative, and is definitely not a traditional leftist tract. It calls the family “the basic building block of society.”

The 20-point pamphlet is a compendium of vaguely social-democratic pontifications on work, fairness, forgiveness, justice and responsibility.

It marks quite a divergence for Mexico’s once rigidly anti-clerical government, which was long loathe to even talk about morality. But López Obrador often uses vaguely religious language and calls himself a Christian “in the broadest sense of the term.” He has long said he wants a “moral constitution” and a “loving republic” for Mexico.

The government aims to print and distribute 10 million copies for free.

“Inequality in any area is the product of injustice and creates suffering,” the pamphlet says. “Like power, work gains its full meaning when it is done for others.”

“It is not a crime to accumulate and increase material wealth,” reads another section. “Whoever earns a reasonable profit, using their creativity and taking risks to create jobs, that person will be recognized by society as a responsible businessperson with social sense.”