Activists set deadline to restart dialogue or “other actions”
PENONOMÉ, COCLÉ Members of the social alliances who hoped to start phase 2 of the Single Table of Dialogue for Panama at the facilities of the Cristo Rey seminary in Penonomé on October 13 waited in vain.
According to the activists, the members of the Executive did not arrive to continue with the talks, perhaps due to a statement sent by the Catholic Church on Wednesday, postponing the meeting until October 28.
Jorge Guzmán, a spokesman for the Alianza Pueblos Unidos por la Vida, said that the church’s pronouncement to resume talks a few hours away is not consistent, and did not conform to what was agreed upon.
The alliances gave the Executive a deadline until October 28, so that they return to the plenary to start the second phase of the dialogue, and choose the new facilitator and the participants will be.
Fresh actions
They added that if they do not have answers, they will be taking different types of actions.
This dialogue table arises as a result of the protests carried out by social groups, teachers, and small producers from the interior of the country in the month of June, demanding a reduction in the cost of fuel, the basic basket, and medicines generating a social, political and economic crisis.
The intensification of the protests and economic losses led, after more than 15 days, to the Government announcing the freezing of fuel prices at $3.25, which calmed the situation. However, the closure measures continued in Chiriquí. and Veraguas.
After this, with the intervention of the Catholic Church, it was possible to establish the dialogue table in Penonomé, where after several days of conversation and reaching some agreements such as the installation of the fairs of the Agricultural Marketing Institute (IMA) for the acquisition of cheaper foodstuffs ended the closure of the Inter-American Highway.
It is expected that in this second phase structural issues such as the crisis in the Social Security Fund and corruption, will be addressed.
