Assembly President Marcos Gonzalez gives them the finger
Remember the sausage law circus almost two years ago? Fighting in the Assembly, protests outside, Martinelli nowhere to be found, and then the whole project to allow mining everywhere without any safeguards finally collapsed.
Well, it's on again!
We're talking Sala Quinta today, the Fifth Chamber of the Supreme Court, which allows Martinelli to control each and every legal issue in the country, including reelection and what not. Plus, it allows the Martinelli mafia to shut down media, censor websites, filter the internet and basically grab absolute power.
Yesterday and today we saw therefore similar scenes in the National Assembly as two years ago. The governing party CD brought in thugs to harass opposition protesters, and Assembly president Marcos Gonzalez told one lady that she was a stupid old bitch who should go take care of her grandchildren.
Today it got even worse, with fistfights between Panameñista and Cambio Democratico legislators, broadcasted live on TV, and with the PRD deputees acting as arbiters in some sort of all star wrestling match. And as usual, Martinelli is nowhere to be seen.
Of significance - because unusual - was a tweet yesterday by the National Police, asking for dialog. This suggests that the police has a position on the subject that does not automatically mean repression and teargas.
Meanwhile, the government party says that the law is now off the table, but at the time of writing it remains unclear how serious that is, and Martinelli has a habit of not giving up and trying to pass the same sleaze again under a different cover.
Yet another highlight of today was when president of the criminal racket also known as the "Supreme Court" - a corrupt piece of shit called Alejandro Moncada Luna - came out today and practically ordered the appointment of three magistrates because, he said, an earlier ruling had already established the Fifth Chamber without any law needed. Ordering the government around is illegal for magistrates, and the opposition has filed a complaint against him which will probably not go anywhere.
The mining battle is far from over either. The indigenous peoples are staging protests and road blocks again now that Martineli is on track to break his promise that no mining would be allowed in the indigenous comarcas.