OPINION: Time to regain some normality

Panamanian society has carried out a long and exhausting day of demonstrations in rejection of the contract with the Donoso mining company. The entire country joined the protests, which included the blocking of the country’s main streets and highways, strikes, and even the suspension of classes. The Government (which seems to have learned nothing from the July 2022 uprisings) has had to listen, for the first time in many years, to the popular clamor and has taken steps aimed at fulfilling the will of the protesters. It is time to allow the course of unconstitutional lawsuits against Law 406 of 2023 to take place and be resolved as soon as possible, to give social tranquility to the country. It does not mean that the vigil ends, but free movement must be allowed for everyone. Producers see thousands of dollars disappear daily; commerce is not developing normally; tourism in the interior has decreased in one of the most profitable holidays of the year; Thousands of medical appointments have been missed, and the entire country is beginning to suffer severe wear and tear due to fatigue and frustration. There are many who are already losing patience, seeing how their work and effort of so many months fade away. It is time to be in solidarity with those Panamanians who, knowing that they had a lot to lose, joined the protests. They deserve, like the rest of the country, to regain some normality, while we wait for justice to do its job. – LA PRENSA, Nov. 5.