Dirty election campaigns can affect investment business leaders

BUSINESS AND CHURCH leaders continue to make calls for an election campaign void of dirty tricks and focused on issues, but no one seems to be listening.

The National Private Enterprise Council on Monday June 17 asked politicians running for office in 2014 to carry out campaigns based on respect, honesty and non-violence; and discuss proposals in their speeches.

Council Director Gabriel Diez, referring to the latest developments in complaints between the opposition and ruling party politicians said that poorly-led campaigns that can affect the development of the country should be avoided. "A campaign can be about proposals," Diez said. "People should learn to debate, because they are not enemies."
He said that dirty campaigning could have consequences that would be reflected in foreign investments.
"At times it seems like the politicians want to end the country," he said.
Bickering, allegations and complaints among political rivals and the media have heated up in recent days. Political leaders from both sides have been fighting on the radio, television, newspapers and in judicial spheres.
In the last two weeks there have been complaints filed by political leaders over alleged illegal wiretaps, embezzlement of funds, and irregularities in past administrations.
The most recent complaint was from Panameñista lawyer Alejandro Pérez, who asked the public prosecutor conduct a rigorous investigation of the years 2001-2006 when presidential candidate Juan Carlos Navarro was mayor of Panama City.
According to Pérez, he has documents that prove there was corruption in the handling of procurement requisitions and purchase orders.
The PRD has already reacted. It catalogued the complaint as a campaign against their candidate and accused Pérez of being aligned with President Ricardo Martinelli and the ruling CD.
The PRD, on its part, has said that state resources would be used in a pre-election year to benefit the government candidate.
PRD leaders also met with the Commission of Justice and Peace to denounce the government for the alleged placement of antennas near Navarro's house to monitor his phone calls. The claim was denied by the government, which clarified that the antennas were not theirs, but of a private company that had installed them to improve cell phone service.
Allegations of the PRD have been presented to the Electoral Prosecutor as well.
The CD, meanwhile, has claimed that the opposition has failed to follow the ethics pact and has filed two complaints against the PRD with the Justice and Peace Commission for alleged breaches of the pact.
Political espionage has been another ingredient in the pre-election period. The alleged recordings of politicians that have circulated in social networks – and which were originally announced on Twitter by President Martinelli – have fired up the election rhetoric says La Prensa,
Political analyst Mario Rognoni, this behavior of political figures suggests that they are "children."
In his view, “Today there is no class, the campaign has declined." In Rognoni’s opinion the general elections "will end badly."
Bishop Pablo Morales said the state of the campaign is "regrettable" and that citizens expect a debate of ideas and proposals, not allegations which, in the end, are not investigated.
"It is regrettable that allegations are being made and nobody investigates them," he said.