In a recent plenary session, PAN deputies proposed initiatives to declare the peninsular Maya language or Yucatecan Maya as “Intangible Cultural Heritage for the State of Yucatán”.
They also proposed that city councils and state government agencies should have people in their citizen service areas who serve as certified interpreters or who are accredited in Mexican Sign Language.
Among the matters on the agenda, the deputies unanimously approved the point of agreement to exhort the federal government to arrange through its Ministry of Health the necessary vaccines in order to guarantee a complete immunization scheme, through a second vaccination, to all the personnel of public and private educational institutions against Covid-19.
Congresswomen Vida Gómez Herrera, from Movimiento Ciudadano, and Dafne López Osorio, from PAN, used the tribune in general matters to address the issue of suicides in the state.
The former complained that six days after the publication of the exhortation to the Executive to comply with its obligations established in the State Mental Health Law, to date there has been no response from the State Health Secretariat.
He also commented that “as a society, we have to be more responsible in the use of our social networks. The dissemination and propagation of sensitive material, of news involving victims, can cause a phenomenon, which is a hypothesis around the world, called the Werther Effect or Contagion Effect”.
The Congresswoman added that this effect can negatively influence vulnerable people who, upon seeing the sensitive information of a suicide, tend to face consequences in their mental health. She also pointed out that, according to statistics, in Yucatán, there is usually one suicide a day.
For her part, Dafne López pointed out that suicide is an issue that, far from being political, should be treated with greater openness to know what is needed and what can be done to fight against this evil, “this Congress has already pronounced itself, requesting information from the authorities in this regard. We agree that early intervention is the key to reduce them”.
Mayan Language as Cultural Heritage
PAN deputy Manuela Cocom Bolio presented an initiative, joined by Morena deputies, to declare the peninsular Maya language or Yucatecan Maya as Intangible Cultural Heritage for the State.
“The Mayan language has been the subject of studies at an international level, which denotes the importance it has for humanity and the scientific community due to its contributions in all fields,” he emphasized.
“In this context, the great knowledge that allowed the development of the Mayan culture was transmitted orally through time,” he said among the justifications for the declaration.
In addition, he considered that with this initiative the members of this LXIII Legislature fulfill a pending account with the Yucatecans, which is to provide an instrument to revitalize, strengthen and develop the Mayan language, as well as to establish the bases for the conservation and defense of a part of the cultural heritage of the state.
Rafael Echazarreta Torres spoke of World Day for the Fight Against AIDS, arguing that the important thing is to take care of it in order to prevent future situations, as well as the educational linkage on the subject and to generate programs for young people.
Jesús Pérez Ballote, a PAN legislator, presented an initiative to modify the laws for the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and of Government of the Municipalities, with the purpose of having certified interpreters or with accreditation in Mexican Sign Language in the areas of citizen attention, among other provisions.
Although this initiative states that the hiring of hand language interpreters will be in accordance with the possibilities and resources of the agencies, in the transitory articles it gives them a term of 180 days from the date of its publication to comply with it.
