Varela returns to country in turmoil

PRESIDENT Varela has returned to Panama from the Summit of the Americas where he signed on to a spoken agreement to crack down on corruption, to find that the country’s turmoil has increased during his absence.

While he and the First Lady were posing for photos with the Mexican president, for the first time since the Panama Canal opened in 1914, ships were prevented from entering the locks over a labor dispute and two major strikes and street protests are scheduled for this week,  with mass demonstration by schoolteachers not far behind.

Meanwhile, the conflicts continue in the National Assembly with two deputies in a screaming match and threatening a punch up, while a constitutional crisis hovers with a turf war between the Assembly, The Executive, and the ever laggard Judicial branch.

Whether this and the escalating dispute with Venezuela will halt the president’s plans for more globe-trotting in May remains to be seen.

Panamanian business leaders are looking for more active involvement on the home front and on Sunday. April 15  urged dialogue before the two strikes while warning that a “drastic adjustment” to wages cannot be made.

The announcements of strikes by the Union of Construction Workers and similar  (Suntracs) and civic organizations of Colón underscore concerns of the Panama Chamber of Commerce, (Cciap) and of several other sectors on the impact on the economic performance of Panama “, said a statement.

According to Cciap, “Our economy cannot face  a drastic adjustment that would cause a scaled increase in real estate prices, which are no longer accessible to a large part of the population that does not meet the requirements of bank credit as a product of various factors, including an increase in unemployment “

Suntracs demands a salary increase of 60% for the different categories of its affiliates, arguing that the entrepreneurs pocket a juicy surplus value “at the expense of the workers”, according to its leader, Saúl Méndez.

The national strike is scheduled for Tuesday, but from tomorrow protesters will begin blocking roads in hours of greatest traffic in the country.

“The strike is a fundamental guarantee for workers, but its exercise can not harm the rights of other citizens, which is why the Chamber insists that policies and decisions in this area must consider the maintenance of current jobs and the creation of all the many more that our development will demand “, says the Chamber..

Referring to  a strike called by civic groups in Colon province  the Chamber recognizes that “the Government executes in Colon  a program of important investments, although not enough to solve all its problems.”

The Colonists, on the other hand, “maintain that they are not taken into account in the matters that affect them. This reveals a lack of effective communication, “the Chamber says and adds:”Both experience and practice confirm that direct dialogue is an irreplaceable formula for the solution of conflicts.”

The strike in Colon set for  Wednesday is to demand that the government signs a series of commitments and promises expressed orally a couple of weeks ago, after another peaceful protest that degenerated into violent conflicts and destruction of property.  Varela, who was a frequent visitor to Colon for ribbon cutting photo-ops was a no-show at meetings brokered by the Catholic Church.

“We call for avoiding situations like those that were experienced in Colon a few weeks ago,” said the Chamber.

But archbishop, José Domingo Ulloa, on Sunday before thousands of parishioners voiced his “solidarity” with the people of Colón for the “indifference” to remedy their serious problems, the second province in the country generating wealth.

Ulloa criticized the idea of establishing an economic logic that “justifies inequality” as part of the development process and called on the youth of the country to mobilize to support the struggle of the Colon people for better social justice.

The Chamber stressed that “Panama needs to move towards stability and tranquility before the general elections of 2019. And it will not be able to do so if factors of unrest persist.

Welcome home, Mr President.