Only a year has passed and most of the campaign promises that led Ricardo Martinelli to the Presidency have already been forgotten; his government has only honored those promises that could buy him political support, such as a “universal scholarship” of U$20.00 per month to all students who attend the public school system, giving out monthly payments of U$100.00 to senior citizens older than 70 years of age, raising the minimum wage of workers of the private sector, without taking into consideration the sacrifices that many entrepreneurs have to make to turn a profit in the middle of a global recession, and nationalizing, in the best leftist style, the two only private highways that existed in Panama. Of course, doing all this is very expensive, so he paid for it by ordering the National Assembly, in which Martinelli’s “Alianza por el Cambio” has a vast majority, to rubberstamp a new tax hike of such magnitude that hadn’t been seen since the military left-wing dictatorship was in power during the 1970’s.

The current government has made several political moves that are shady at best, such as attracting elected officials (representatives, mayors and, at least, one legislator) from the opposition party by offering them access to public funds to invest in their communities[i], in exchange for leaving their party and joining Cambio Democrático (CD), Martinelli’s ever-growing personal fiefdom. Not even the political parties that helped him win last year’s elections are safe from his ambition, as two members of Alianza por el Cambio are already negotiating their uneasy merger with CD[ii], although some of their historical leaders fiercely oppose this decision[iii].

Meanwhile, Panamanians have to suffer increasing violence levels, while the National Police, a civilian organization which is in charge of keeping the streets safe, is becoming increasingly militarized by Martinellli, who appointed Gustavo Pérez as its director, a man who was closely involved with Noriega’s regime (he was a Lieutenant in the Panamanian Defense Forces, so close to the dictator, that he was chosen to read a loyalty oath to Noriega in a public event[iv]) and was dishonorably discharged from the National Police in 1990, after the fall of the military dictatorship, for the taking of American civilians as hostages[v] during Operation Just Cause, a crime that today would be considered a terrorist act.

Ricardo Martinelli, by his own admission, knew everything about his subordinate and chose to ignore it[vi]. Worst of it all, is that once the Public Ministry was ordered to investigate the matter, the file which contained Perez’ discharge went missing[vii].

One can only wonder, then, what does it mean that a President who was elected on a message of free markets and respect to the institutions that safeguard our liberty, makes of crass populism its favorite tool, appoints a dishonorably discharged lieutenant as the head of the largest armed body of Panama, pardons several police officers involved in the murders of innocent fishermen[viii], and plans to pass a law that would allow the Executive to organize plebiscites, the same tool Chávez used to tighten his grip around Venezuela’s neck.

Source: HACER

References:

[i] http://mensual.prensa.com/mensual/contenido/2010/03/25/hoy/nacionales/2134248.asp

[ii] http://www.laestrella.com.pa/mensual/2010/04/03/contenido/220329.asp

[iii] http://www.prensa.com/hoy/panorama/2120643.asp

[iv] http://www.laestrella.com.pa/mensual/2010/02/26/contenido/208186.asp

[v] http://www.pa-digital.com.pa/periodico/edicion-actual/gustavoperez-internas.php?story_id=892090#axzz0ic3Iw2hY

[vi] http://www.pa-digital.com.pa/periodico/edicion-actual/gustavoperez-internas.php?story_id=892939#axzz0ic3JC5KC

[vii] http://www.pa-digital.com.pa/periodico/edicion-actual/hoy-interna.php?story_id=898997#axzz0ic2Z2j7l

[viii] http://www.tvn-2.com/noticias/noticias_detalle.asp?id_news=32147