Deputies foot dragging on transparency, anti-corruption

PANAMA’S National Assembly is dragging its feet when it comes to the  discussion and passage of laws on transparency and anti-corruption.

 The Assembly’s only independent deputy Ana Matilde Gomez, and former Attorney General presented several bills aimed at the cancer of self protection that appears to govern those elected to serve the people.
The draft “blindaje law, aimed at removing some of the immunity armor plating of deputies, ran into road blocks while still in committee with the PRD and CD creating an unholy alliance that ensured it would not go for debate during the current session. It was introduced by Panameñista deputy Adolfo Valderrama A Bill presented by Ana Matilde Gomez. Seeking to prevent the occurrence of conflict of interest in public service did not even get to first debate.

Gomez’s proposal was to regulate the actions and behavior of public servants according to the “principles, rules, obligations, guarantees, procedures” of each entity to encourage correct performance, and to combat of corruption and repress nepotism in and all forms of clientelism.
Another bill that didn’t make it to first reading, aimed at restoring the length of time allowed to pursue offenses against public administration.
When it dominated the previous Assembly the CD Party reduced the period for the pursuit of crimes against public administration: embezzlement, unjustified enrichment and crimes against state assets.
Gomez presented Bill 149 an initiative that sought to restore the previous statute. The bill never reached the Assembly.
The same fate befell Bill 158 which aiming to provide rewards to citizens for reporting corruption and which was presented by the Panameñista Antonio Dominguez.
This and other Anti-Corruption projects are pending discussion at the second session.
Assembly President of the Assembly, Adolfo Valderrama said that despite what happened to transparency projects, progress was made during his administration.
He said that after receiving an Assembly with multiple problems and scenarios that were harmful to Panamanian democracy, he is leaving this organ of state with a profile of more oversight than the previous administration reports La Prensa.
“The Assembly displayed its supervisory role and independence. 75% of the projects were initiated by the deputies and there was no interference of the executive to approve or deny them,” he said.
He also stressed the condemnation of ex-Supreme Court Judge Alejandro Moncada Luna for the crimes of unjust enrichment and falsification of documents.
The pact of governability of Panameñista and the PRDhangs in the balance for the second period, after differences between the two factions emerged during discussion of the the anti-armor draft law.
The deputy and president of the PRD, Benicio Robinson, does not rule out a strategic alliance With Democratic Change. 
He said the agreement  with the  Panameñistas does not prevent the PRD talking to CD. Under the agreement signed for three years  The president of the Legislative should be a PRD. deputy.Robinson aspires to the office.

Meanwhile the PRD is riven internally and senior members are  calling for a restructuring of the board.