No punishment for Carnival boondoggle

The Panama Tourism Authority (ATP) had enough time to call a tender for the services it would need to organize and make this year’s carnival in the capital a reality. But, instead, it opted for direct hiring and leaving everything to the last minute and thus making up excuses for the imminence of the celebration dates. For this reason, the contracts are riddled with irregularities, some quite obvious and inexcusable. But, in addition, suspicions are born because in these direct businesses, there are almost always cost overruns and bites. To this must be added the incompetence of the officials of this government, which is unparalleled. From high executive positions –which obviously includes the Minister of Public Works, recently embarrassed in a restaurant–, passing through the mayor of the capital city, deputies and corregimiento representatives, who in the midst of the pandemic had no better idea than to raise their salary to outrageous levels, as much as the equivalent of an armed robbery. What happens in the ATP is a reflection of everything that is happening in the government that, reaching its death throes, the dispossession of the State is open, regardless of the consequences, because there is simply no punishment. – LA PRENSA, Feb. 13.