OPINION: Panama not a private estate

Panama’s President will travel to China in the coming days to participate in the inauguration of the  Panam “pavilion” in the China International Import Expo, with  “a large delegation.” La Prensa asked the Presidency for details of that trip, but they were informed that the agenda will be published the day the president leaves for that country. While it is understandable that your agenda is not complete, it is clear that a visit to such a distant country should have a more powerful motivation than a ribbon cutting. And those of us who pay for this trip have the right to know what you will do there; how much your visit will cost; who will accompany you and who pays your tickets; who you plan to meet with; where you will you stay and on what plane will you travel? The president cannot expect us to settle for what little he has reported when we have verified that he does not report y everything he does, not even here in Panama. It is your obligation – and that of your officials too – to understand that the State is not your private estate and that, even if you do not like it, your duty is to be accountable for everything you do, and this trip is no exception. Hopefully, the agenda and all the details we need to know will be published more in advance than planned. –LA PRENSA. October 26