Martinelli goes it alone with Metro fare rate

A HALLMARK of the reign of President, Ricardo Martinelli, seems to have been his reluctance to accept the advice of those around him.

That goes from ignoring the suggestions of the "notables" on the constitution, to shutting down the committee working to select Supreme Court Justices.

For a man who controls his own supermarket mini-empire where “my way or the highway” it is do-able, if not acceptable in the eyes of those who teach progressive business practices. In his hurry to get things done, Martinelli introduced the no-bid direct contract system which observers were quick to point out was opening the door wide for cronyism, nepotism and direct theft. And unless they are blinkered or blind, most, citizens can point to examples of all three. Any who doubt it can do a few Google searches, or check the files of local media outlets or even the government’s own websites. Handing out multi-millions of the people's money for major projects is a little different from ordering store items paid out of your own pocket.

But the President’s final fling came with his long awaited announcement of the fare rate for his flagship project, the Metro subway, opened with much pride and fanfare even though the project was not finally completed.
Martinelli, true to form, decided on Wednesday May the 14 that a ride on the Metro will be 35 cents, after several months of cost analysis by experts of the Metro Panama Secretariat (SMP) and members of the Executive.
A Cato Institute commentator had earlier suggested a much higher fee to even partially reduce the inevitable taxpayer subsidy for operating the system. Local observers have chipped in with their opinions about what they consider under-estimating the cost of running and maintaining the system.
Roberto Roy, Metro Secretary, said he had suggested a fee of between $ 0.65 and $ 0.75. Nicolas Real, president of the road commission of the Panamanian Society of Engineers and Architects, said the figure is a "mockery of the next government." That’s a viewpoint echoed by many commentators.
A last jab at the man whom Martinelli fired but will now replace him?