OPINION: Doing More Wth Less

OPINION: Doing More with LessIn Panama’s government there has been no financial decrease in the last 31 years. The challenge requires the current government to define with caution and transparency the panorama of public finances. Can you do more with less?

The answer is difficult due to the heavy legacy of irresponsible indebtedness and the great corruption, still unpunished, of past governments. The current administration must prioritize public spending, avoiding politicking with the state budget and the temptation to return favors to campaign donors. If the government is transparent, it will have the necessary legitimacy to review subsidies, exemptions, automatic increases to some public servants, office rents and tax evasion, among many other taboo subjects.

It is urgent to rethink the economic model based excessively on services attached to the logistics sector. New engines of growth, such as the renewal of the agricultural sector and a green and orange economy, are essential for economic recovery with social and environmental equity. We have the opportunity to clean up old vices and balance our production system. –LA PRENSA, May 31