The mayor of a town in Mexico has come under fire from members of his
community for deploying cutouts of himself at events that he can’t
physically be present at.
Moisés Aguilar Torres, the mayor Pichuclaco, a town in the Mexican
state of Chiapas, managed to outrage his constituents by sending a
cutout of himself to a local health services event that he didn’t bother
attending. Photos of actual attendees posing for pictures with Torres’
cardboard cutout have been doing the rounds on Mexican social media for
days, sparking both criticism and hilarious comments.
A former male nurse himself, the mayor reportedly disappointed local
health services employees who attended the event hopes of meeting
Aguilar Torres. Instead, they had to settle for photos with a cardboard
cutout of him threateningly raising his right fist towards the sky. Any
questions or requests had to be written down on pieces of paper and
handed over to city hall employees.
Despite facing criticism in the media, Moisés Aguilar Torres’ administration tried to put a positive spin on the situation.
“This is how our mayor makes decisions for the benefit of citizens in
the health sector because serving is his commitment,” mayoral aide
Bustamante Maza said.
After photos of Torres’ cardboard version at the recent health
services event went viral on social media, Pichuclaco residents were
quick to point out that the cutout had made appearances at other events
as well. The mayor’s office did not deny these reports, and has yet to
decide if the cutout will be retired or if it will be used at future
events.
