After plowing through numerous videos of interviews with diverse VIPs in Panama’s sociopolitical scene, I finally happened upon one televised interview that actually gave information instead of slanted political rhetoric aimed solely at discrediting President Martinelli and his cabinet. Listening to political opportunists take advantage of the current crisis in order to further their own image and agenda sits poorly with me.
The
interview I’m referring to is one with Roberto Troncoso, the president of the
Panamanian Association of Business Executives.
He, too, has his own spin on things, but it was one that provided some
answers.
The existing
law regarding the Colon Free Zone was enacted in the 1940’s and Colon's leaders
were aware that it was up for revision.
According to Mr. Troncoso, the announcement that there was a leadership
consensus regarding Law 72 is misleading.
He said there was a consensus regarding revising the law, but the topic
of the sale of public lands in the free zone was a surprise that rose at the
very last moment. (???????)
The
interviewer interrupted to mention that the sale of the public lands in the
free zone was the topic of public interest and protest regarding Law 72. Mr. Troncoso reported that the purchase of
these lands was a minimal issue to business leaders, and no one actually was
motivated to make purchases at this time. [no surprise there…] But apparently, Law 72 has many other articles and
provisions that they object to. He explained
there were provisions giving “super
powers” to the manager. These included
authority to unilaterally impose fines of up to $ 250,000 on business
owners. Requests for appeals or
reconsideration then had to go through this same manager. He called the provisions “divisive and a violation of the right to due
process, bordering on unconstitutionality”.
Mr.
Troncoso advised that the Colon Free Trade Zone was perhaps the only one in the
world that wasn’t privatized. The interviewer asked if it wouldn’t be good for
a businessman to buy his own land, which could later be mortgaged to purchase inventory,
build structures, or provide financial liquidity. Mr.
Troncoso replied that land never devaluates.
The dollar could, but land doesn’t.
The sale of the government land, in his view, amounted to “Bread for today, hunger for tomorrow”.
The
current Colon Free Zone operation provides 170 million dollars, or 8% to Panama’s
GNP. Not all of this income is from
rents, however. Of this total amount,
the city of Colon receives $ 320,000 annually.
The Cambio Democratico party’s plan, that includes sale of the public
lands, is proposed to raise $1000 million dollars, generating an annual income to
Panama of $ 100 million. $33 million of that annual income is what is
proposed annually for Colon. (Mr. Troncoso referred to that amount as “crumbs”.)
Following the public outcry, however, President Martinelli tweeted from Japan
that he was willing to increase payment to 100% of rents for Colon, and repeal the
sale of lands if the populace was against selling.
Mr.
Troncoso expressed that reforms are needed, and that the right plan could be
good for Colon. But, he said, the
President’s acquiescences came eight days after the onset of the protests and 4
deaths later. Presently people are upset, angry, and
extremely distrustful of President Martinelli and his administration. As with
all other public and business figures, Mr. Troncoso also supports repeal of the
law. [no surprise there, either].
This
was also expressed in another interview I watched with Balbina Herrera, ex-presidential
candidate for the PRD party, who stated it thusly. “The country is like a woman who’s faced with
a request for divorce.
Her husband is telling her he’ll give her the car, the house, and other
possessions, but she just wants him to get out and go away.”
Mr.
Troncoso also raised the question as to why Law 72 and the promise of planned
improvements for Colon are two separate entities. Why, he asked, couldn’t the plan for Colon’s improvements
be written into the law? He stated that, to the best of his knowledge,
there was no master plan regarding improvements for Colon and that there has
been a long-standing issue of neglect for Colon involving prior administrations
for many years past. The population of
Colon, he stated, is decreasing and not increasing, and there is a dire need to
rescue the city. He alluded to the restructuring of the rental arrangements and percentages.
Just as I thought----it’s all going to boil
down to negotiation. Repeal the law as
it now stands, draft another, drop the unpopular articles and provisions
here, increase payments there, grease a few palms, and deceive the populace into thinking they
won their social struggle. I’m okay with
that, provided the violence, vandalism, road closures and deaths stop.
