The painful reality of the Panama Legislature

Yesterday, when the disaster that is our National Assembly (AN) in terms of transparency was disclosed, Deputy Raúl Pineda (PRD) made it clear to the face of the country that, indeed, the lack of accountability of the Legislature is not a perception but a shameful reality. Pineda almost went to blows with the independent Edison Broce, who asked for accounts on the programs of the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise Authority, at a time when its director supported his budget. Pineda absurdly described Broce’s question as “discriminatory”, preventing an answer. This kind of attitude reveals how reluctant politicians are to abide by the transparency rules that govern the public sector. That is why the AN ranks 10th out of 13 parliaments evaluated by Transparency International in the region. There were variables, such as regulations on transparency, the budget, and administrative management, in which the deputies were poorly evaluated, exposing the serious shortcomings of this body. It is worth wondering if such a bad appreciation matters to the deputies. We must not go far: the answer was given yesterday by Pineda. – LA PRENSA. Aug. 26.