Martinellis Singapore fantasy clouded by corruption

AFTER  a year of  judicial investigations that have  embroiled dozens of former high profile political and business figures, including a big section of the former cabinet, the clouds that hang over former president Ricardo Martinelli have yet to burst as he languishes in self-imposed exile in Miam,i,reportedly working on his biography and contemplating a return to political power in Panama.  

Dozens of  corruption cases have been instituted by the Public Ministry, and an enhanced  team of  prosecutors has put in thousands of hours mapping the twisted paths leading to the theft of money from the public purse, which ultimately operated to the detriment of essential development projects like education.

Multi millions more were squandered on failed or uncompleted projects like the helicopters and  radars for the unwinnable  ”war on drugs”, which led to a l $25 million addition to the  “coima”  (bribery) fund.

All this while the education system continued to plummet, schools fell  apart, and the health and water systems deteriorated from their low level of efficiency to the current “crisis” level.

While in office, Martinelli liked to compare Panama to Singapore, which is presently celebrating its 50 years economic miracle.

The talking heads have agreed that three of the key elements in the miracle were a massive crackdown on corruption, and emphasis on education and housing to help create and sustain a productive economy. Today, 90 percent of Singapore’s population own their own homes. In Panama the housing “boom” and the construction of hundreds of luxury apartment blocks has pushed the dream of home ownership out of reach of the vast majority of the country’s citizens.

In education Panama  languishes near the bottom of the class when compared to other countries, and is  not on the same planet when compared to Singapore, whose students recently topped the world for their maths and science skills.

In Panama, schools are falling down, the national university has a major administration problem, teachers are poorly paid, and largely poorly trained, so the profession is no longer a choice for graduates aspiring to an upwardly mobile middle class life.

When it comes to corruption much of the citizenry is numbed by the ongoing  maelstrom of investigations and hoping for an early dénouement, with at least some of the leading figures behind bars and perhaps a break in the cycle of public theft, and impunity that has bedeviled the country for generations.

Three characters in the current imbroglio have directly pointed fingers at Ricardo Martinelli: Christopher Salerno, Pipo Felipe Virzi and Giacomo Tamburrelli.  More may follow, but the sooner justice is seen to be done the better, so that to country can concentrate on the economy and its social agenda. 

The Singapore miracle started with an island with no natural resources, and no golden nest egg. Panama has the Canal and an underdeveloped natural tourism opportunity. With the corruption scandals resolved will come the chance to move the country’s engines from park to drive and maybe cruise in the slipstream of  the Asian frontrunner.