Martinelli may veto jailbird bill, but deputy stands firm

President Ricardo Martinelli, viewed by many as the new strongman of Panama,seems ready to put the brakes on some of the actions of his Democratic Change Party deputies.
According to reports in La Prensa and T Panama America he may veto the bill establishing a penalty of six months to two years in prison for closing streets during a protest.
The president is said to believe two years in prison for protesters interfering with a pathway is "a long time."
Ombudsman, Ricardo Vargas, went further saying that "criminalizing” would be more serious than street closures.
In his view, the proposal might be unconstitutional and he has asked deputies to reconsider the project.
Martinelli too has called on deputies to have further discussion and fine tune the bill, already labeled the “jailbird” bill by opponents
But Democratic Change deputy Marcos González, a proponent of the initiative, remains adamant that the proposal will remain and will be discussed in the third debate. "There is no going back," he said.
The deputy added that the President has the right to his opinion, but that would not change his decision to continue the debate. Otherwise “the media would say that the Executive has interfered in another state body. We will act independently, "he said.
Although the deputy said that the penalty will only be for those closing streets through violence and the destruction of public or private property, criticism escalated across the country with civil rights groups and lawyers condemning the proposed legislation.