Cabinet shuffle coming up as president defends officials

Panama’sPresident Ricardo Martinelli  will be shuffling his cabinet in July, but continues to defend senior officials named in scandals  and WikiLeaks revelations.

Meanwhile economists and business leaders have expressed their concern that Panama’s position as the largest receiver  of foreign investment in Latin America could be harmed as news percolates around the world affecting the country’s image as a stable environment.

La Prensa reports that representatives of  business community agree that economic development has been based on legal security, political stability and clear game rules. "If investors perceive some level of instability, they might have some apprehension to devote  resources to the country, " said the president of the College of Economists, Raul Moreira.
 Panama is  promoted as a tourist destination and home to multinational companies. The international  perception of the country’s stability internationally is  key to economic behavior  and it is necessary to investigate and determine responsibility for problems in the administration  says said Anthony Fletcher, president of the National Council of Private Enterprise. "It's a great opportunity to show the strength of institutions" 

But Martinelli continued to deflect calls  for action and came out in defense of his officials named in scandals.
 "They want to distort and damage the image of the government.” he said after reappearing in public in Panama for the first time in 15 days"

He did not say who “they” were, but the government has launched an advertising campaign attacking named journalists. 

He was, referring to accusations being made against Solomon Shamah, manager of the Tourism Authority, María Cristina González, director of Migration and EnriqueFernández  Ho, director of the Sanitation Authority..
On Wednesday, May  11 he appeared at an event in Tocumen and at a reception marking the opening of a new bank. Among the guests was Balbina Hererra, the PRD candidate who ran against him in the presidential elections, and was the first to speak out about alleged donations of $800,000 to the Martinelli campaign by David Murcia Guzman, a convicted felon.