General Manuel Noriega’s return to Panama yesterday, after serving 22 years of imprisonment abroad, poses serious questions for the Panamanian system of justice, the rectitude of Washington’s treatment of Noriega during his long period of incarceration, and the future fate of the 77-year-old former dictator. The Noriega case is surrounded by gross hypocrisy, a failure to tell the full truth concerning the nature of the U.S.-Panamanian relations during the period of Noriega’s rule of...
Panamanian doctors, medical workers, and teachers ended a month-long strike on November 18 by signing a series of agreements with the Panamanian government about Bill 349, or the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Bill, which appeared to permit the government to privatize healthcare and education. The agreement would send the bill back to a “first reading,” which means, according to The Council on Hemispheric Affairs’ interviews with journalist Eric Jackson of The Panama News, that the...
While Congress debated over the recently passed free trade agreement, neither side acknowledged that a contract with Panama will not only fail to provide a level playing field for U.S. businesses to fairly compete, but will also force U.S. businesspeople to become mired in dealings with a corrupt government, undercutting prospects for legitimate bilateral transactions. Martinelli’s apparent reaches for illegitimate power have led the executive branch to profoundly undermine the legislature, leading to an...
Endemic corruption in Panama’s government threatens to jeopardize the recently enacted free trade agreement with the United States and Panama’s economic strength. Highly publicized land titling scandals in Juan Hombrón, Paitilla, Costa del Este, and Chilibre, Panama, have raised questions about the alleged involvement of the administration of President Ricardo Martinelli and other government officials. Suspicions have arisen that the bidding process for the strategically important Panama Canal expansion program may have involved a...
Panama’s notoriously corrupt judiciary and political backdoor dealings make the U.S.-Panama FTA a most problematic transaction. This FTA is yet another example of catering to big business interests abroad; indeed, it creates few benefits for the average U.S. citizen while generating possibly detrimental effects in Panama. Several WikiLeaks cables have portrayed President Martinelli and other Panamanian government officials in a self-defaming light, as the government continues to be buffeted by daily scandals. Panamanian...
