Fog of silence around ministerial resignation

The fog of silence surrounding the resignation of Minister of the Presidency, Demetrioc(Jimmy) Papadimitriu’s continued through Monday July 16.

The only official word came on Sunday when  the usually quick to respond President Ricardo Martinelli told reporters at a Tocumen Children’s Day ceremony: “When I have something to say I’ll say it.”

At his last public appearance, in an interview with Radio Panama on July 2, Papadimitriu said: "I have nothing to do with the land" in Juan Hombrón, in which family members were identified as beneficiaries of the free transfer of 54 hectares.

Subsequently, Panama America linked to Martinelli, published on Thursday July 12 , a story, blaming  Papadimitriu for costing the state $21 million because of the delay in  the full implementation of the Metro Bus system in the capital. "The calculation of the Minister of the Presidency, Jimmy Papadimitriu to complete the modernization of public transport in August 2011, caused  an additional expense to the state of $21 million for  grants to keep the ticket price at 25 cents,”  The Metro Bus is one of the flagship projects of the government.

On the same afternoon,  an executive order, signed by Martinell appeared in the Official Gazette expropriating without compensation, the 54 acres of John Hombrón. Vice president, Juan Carlos Varela, said that the decision leaves open payment of future damages through the court processes.

In the evening of that day a call came for the resignation of Juan Pablo Mora,close to Papadimitriu  and director of the Transit Authority

On Friday 13 July13, La Estrella published the news of the Papadimitriu resignation . The text included  a copy of a letter from the minister.

The paper’s editor, Gerardo Berroa, said on RPC  and Panama Radio that he had first received, a call from the minister giving the details of his resignation .

Constitutional lawyer, Miguel Antonio Bernal, said  the resignation or not of the minister is a secondary problem and the most despicable of all this is the way in which "all members of the Cabinet manipulate information and make fun of the Panamanian people to remain silent about this sensitive issue." 
‘It is is a continuing violation of theconstitution he told RPC Radio. "The government makes the lie more than a moral category, if its modus operandi , "said Bernal and  situation wascausing terrible damage to the country, revealing a high degree of  the absolute absence of institutions and respect for due process of administrative matters of public affairs. 

He added that the alleged resignation of Papadimitriu has been used by the Executive to create a "fog" over the national scene, to divert public attention from the expropriation of land from Juan  Hombrón and other topics of interest to the country.

Carlos Lee of the Citizens Alliance for Justice, said that after the little information given by the Government on the resignation or not Papadimitriu, the country has a crisis in the administration and the Cabinet. noted that the submission of the resignation of Papadimitriu to a newspapeer -when it should be addressed to the President- was not handled in the most responsible way, and represents a rift between members of the Cabinet, and the government must give an explanation.