Can a ham produce a vote?

Hot on the heels of a Ministry of Finance decree banning seasonal government parties at the taxpayer’s expense, an elected official is smoothing the path to re-election with 30,000 hams paid from the public purse.

The action of National Assembly president Sergio Gálvez, has drawn scathing criticism from fellow legislators: "The new scandal in the purchase of hams and turkeys by Sergio Gálvez shows that he only knows how to win elections by giving away food, as he has nothing more to offer," Carlos Rubio, national secretary of the opposition Popular Party told La Prensa.com. " Using State resources to please people is an act of pure patronage, besides being immoral it is an electoral offense and a blow to the dignity of a people who are looking at how to use the taxes that are the product of hard working of Panamanians to benefit a few elected billionaires.
He added .that the Comptroller General had stopped "this immorality" and under Article 3, 206 of the constitution Galvez must be investigated, prosecuted, and suffer exemplary punishment for "these things do not happen again in this country…Unfortunately President Ricardo Martinelli has it all under his control, and at least in this time I have my serious doubts that anything will happen, unless Gálvez falls out of favor with Martinelli, as has happened in the past, "he said.
Former President of the National Assembly, Jose Luis Varela, called for a investigation into the purchase of the 30,000 hams with state money for political purposes. . "It seems that the strategy towards the election period is to buy consciences,"he said.
"The use of state resources for patronage is a known practice," said the Panameñista, deputy Luis Eduardo Quirós. “An attitude change is needed.