In the ten years that yours truly has been reporting about Panamanian events, there has never been anything like what we’ve been witnessing today: Children arrested, babies killed, mass arrests, police brutality, blatant violations of every human right on the book, and a government incapable of managing a situation that has rapidly spun out of control.
Minister of the presidency Papadimitriu has been in Changuinola for days now, unable to reach an agreement with angry activists who want the “sausage law” repealed. Although he just announced the possibility of “white smoke” within hours, he was not allowed to finish speaking when he climbed a pick-up truck this afternoon and, after announcing that the riot police would be withdrawn, he left the scene:
Unions have declared a national strike starting Tuesday (Monday according to some) and there is no reason to believe the unrest will stop. People are understandably angry about their loved ones being shot, beaten up, arrested arbitrarily and so on. In the Ancon police headquarters, 300 people are still being detained, without access to a lawyer, Raisa Banfield posted on Facebook.
Martinelli needs to go.
If he thinks he can ask Bosco the Clown to resign over just the garbage problem, surely we can ask our narco-president the same over several deadly victims, many dozens hurt, and gross violations of civic rights? Go! Now! Maybe you’ll still make it to the World Cup final!
This useless impostor, this grocery charlatan, has been incapable to govern this country in any mature and responsible fashion. If you want to reform the labor code, you sit down with the unions and negotiate a deal. If you want to change environmental laws, you consult with all those involved. If you change legal protection, you make sure it is within the realms of the constitution and international treaties. But not Martinelli. The bipolar lunatic style of governing he and his team of frauds have deployed from the beginning has plunged the country into chaos, caused irreparable damage to its people, its institutions and its reputation. And he seems not even interested, reluctantly canceling his date with that other mafioso, Silvio Berlusconi.
He needs to go. Or the Panameñistas, if they have any decency left at all in their asses after a year of assuming the 99 position, should send him away. Or otherwise, will the people do it? I wouldn’t be surprised. They’re angry enough.
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