Pastor Duran, Integrity and betrayal at Seguro Social

As professor Juan Jované, ex-director of the Social Security Fund (CSS), will not agree to balance the budget of that institution in a manner that will conform with the narrow interests of employers and the government, the Board of Directors recommended his firing to the Executive Branch.

From the night before Jované's firing (Wednesday, September 10), the National Police undertook mobilizations that remind the citizenry of the epoch of the Torrijos-Noriega dictatorship. As the sun came up on Thursday the 11th, this police force dedicated itself to brutally suppressing the protests of the popular organizations in all of the country, particularly the United National Syndicate of Construction and Similar Workers (SUNTRACS). Various citizens and popular leaders were arrested, among them Saúl Méndez, the secretary of defense for SUNTRACS, in open violation of civil rights and constitutional guarantees.

One of the most detestable acts that has taken place in the CSS crisis has been the agreement of Rolando Villalaz, the CSS deputy director, to replace professor Jované as director. Until recently we had seen Rolando Villalaz identified with the administration of Jované, but now, more than ever, when he should have demonstrated loyalty to his colleague and principles, we have seen how Villalaz has caved in to the pressures of the ruling Arnulfista Party and of the special interests.

There is no room for doubt --- although President Moscoso says otherwise --- that with the firing of professor Jované, the executive attempts to accelerate the privatization of the CSS. It plans to unfold a series of measures, supposedly to solve the financial crisis of the Disability, Old Age and Death Program, the cost of which will be left to fall on the shoulders of the working class, despite all of its sacrifices.

Jované complained days before of having received pressures to use $500 million from the CSS reserves to purchase the foreign debt and convert it into internal debt. If an unprincipled person stood in Jované's shoes, he or she would have acceded, as the person who carries out these sorts of actions is rewarded with great benefits. It was an attempt to assault the CSS and take it as booty in the middle of the present electoral process. However, with a man of integrity like Jované, it misfired.

But there are more Judases on this Way of the Cross. Jované was fired thanks to the vote of Erasmo Muñoz, the representative of the National Confederation of Organized Workers (CONATO), and thanks to the vote of Roberto Valencia, of the Independent Teachers association, the representative of public employees. It's not the first time that the pseudo-leaders encysted in bureaucratic yellow leaderships like that of CONATO have sold out to the highest bidder, betraying the trust of the Panamanian people.

It's important to observe the attitude of the bourgeois opposition Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD), whose presidential candidate, Martín Torrijos, made statements trying to take electoral advantage of the situation. As at other junctures, the PRD, because it doesn't control the protest leadership, always looks to cut some deal, alleging the need to preserve "the democratic system" against the advance of the popular forces. We saw it in May of 2001 during the fight against the increase in bus fares. The bureaucrats and yellow unionists of the CONATO leadership, maneuvering in a situation where professor Jované himself was the mediator, were used to disrupt the unity of working people, which allowed the government to dodge the crisis.

The present struggle to defend the CSS must move toward: 1) restoring professor Jované as CSS director; 2) not allowing the CSS to be used as a petty cash box for the various administrations; and 3) putting forward a national development plan that's an alternative to the exclusionary neo-liberal model.

Also in this section:
Duran, Integrity and betrayal at Seguro Social
Landau, Guillermo Novo and me
Gush Shalom, Israel's assassination policy
Sanders, America's shrinking
Girvan, The WTO's failure at Cancun
Jackson, Free trade negotiating principles

opinion

The Christs and the Judases