Confusion

The three major parties in Mexico have united behind their rejection of the US attaching strings to the aid provided under Mérida, something they accuse their neighbor of surreptitiously doing. The PRD's Teresa del Carmen Incháustegui also complains that the Mexican Congress is in the dark about what is going on:

We still don't know anything about those funds, the Chamber of Deputies hasn't received information about that. I think there must be a visit so that we are informed about how it's working.

If the relevant legislators in Mexico don't have a clue what is going on, what hope does the public have of staying informed? I'm not sure how Plan Colombia compares as far as transparency in spending, but this confusion doesn't seem to be a natural, inevitable part of an aid package.