Difficult days ahead for Panama constitutional lawyer

Difficult days are ahead for Panama as a police chief who has committed insubordination gets promoted and cabinet ministers remain silent says a leading constitutional lawyer.

Miguel Antonio Bernal on TVN News on Monday, March 12, was referring to the controversy involving Gustavo Perez who has been moved out of his role as director of the National Police and "promoted" to head of the State Security Council.  Former Minister of Public Security José Raúl Mulino, who resigned over the insubordination of Perez “did not dare to dismiss the police chief” said Bernal who  questioned the new Perez appointment  “awarded to the insubordinate" In his view, it demonstrated a  "cracked institutional order."

 Bernal reiterated that Perez committed insubordination and violated Article 311 of the Constitution which states that "the police are not deliberative and shall not make political statements or representations individually or collectively."

 The rest of the ministers of state have kept silent about what happened . "They have left only the former minister [Mulino], hanging”  said the lawyer, showing  clearly that there are deeper things that the public know. 

Bernal, who took a lead role in opposing former dictator Manuel Antonio Noriega, said:  “We have to stop and think about what country we want democratically. We expect difficult days,"