OPINION: Panamas legislative Mafia

Matryoshkas are Russian dolls that have hidden inside another smaller version of themselves. The budget of the National Assembly is a matryoshka of public funds available for abuses of deputies.

First was the scandalous game 172, then the disgusting game 080, and now the existence of a heading 02 is confirmed, for more of the same. [the figures are accounting reporting codes]Each Deputy has available hundreds of thousands of dollars that are transformed into tens of millions for the entire legislative body. These monies have been kidnapped as hostages to Creole politicking. Apparently, there is no limit to the perquisites of the Legislative Body, with the active complicity of the Executive, and the passivity of a Supreme Court, which refuses to act against deputies, either for running over a young woman or for breaking the rules of transparency. There are still to be disclosed other pieces of the cost of backroom deals and legislative alliances. When everything is finally discovered, we citizens must repudiate and punish clientelism. It’s time to say: enough! to the mafia that we have for deputies … LA PRENSA, May 8