OFF THE CUFF: Martinelli linked to Aesop fable

FORMER PRESIDENT Ricardo Martinelli’s fascination with Twitter continues as he tweets regular messages attacking the new administration. A recent one consisted of multiple images of a tortoise, implying that the new President Juan Carlos Varela (in office for 3 months) was moving too slowly.

 One commentator was quick to point out that Martinelli appeared not to be familiar with Aesop’s fable. “The Tortoise and the Hare”, and that many of the projects he rushed to put in place have not been completed, and others, including pardons for criminals and those still before the courts, are coming unstuck. Varela reacted to Martinelli’s allegations by responding, “The election is over.” Varela stressed that he is working without discriminating against political parties. “That’s far behind, now let’s all work for Panama,” he told the media. “I’m working for the future, the past is the past.” Varela made the statements at the “My First School” program at Don Bosco Elementary School in San Miguelito. He was accompanied by  Education  Minister Marcela Paredes Vasquez and Mayor Gerald Cumberbatch, and other authorities.