gimme shelter

Nonsense, you may say, arguing that this is merely a matter of the police suppressing juvenile delinquency in order to keep traffic flowing by the University of Panama. Or you may opine that the strike, protests and disturbances of September 23, and the strike called for October 30, are just the radicals’ issues of the day, and if it were not Social Security it would be something else. Or you might reasonably object to the term “negotiation” by observing that people with conflicting opinions are shouting at, rather than talking with, one another.

Meanwhile, US Ambassador Linda Ellen Watt went before the Chamber of Commerce to denounce the corruption that runs rampant in this country. Mireya’s sister-in-law (the minister of the presidency) and the president of the Legislative Assembly were among the many notables of the Panamanian political class who cried foul, various media that have been pointing their accusing fingers at Mireya for a long time gave the ambassador’s speech top billing, and apparently only weirdoes like me saw a connection between the street scenes above and what Watt had to say.

The September 23 strike was not as “general” as its organizers hoped. It did not shut the country down, and given a barrage of denuniciation and defamation from a nearly universally hostile press corps --- at least at the management level --- the strike leaders were thrown on the defensive and decided to build their strength before the next round of what they advise will be a protracted struggle. Part of that strengthening process has already unfolded, as a lot of the mud slung by the government and its supporters is at second glance sticking to the slingers alone. For example, the raid on Seguro’s cash reserves about which Dr. Jované warned and for which he was called a liar is happening for everybody to see. Whether such developments will swell the protesters’ ranks for the October 9 march and the October 30 strike is a question we shall see answered in due time.

But understand that the complaint of organized labor, the student leftists, the liberation theologists and the rest of the folks who have taken to the streets may be specifically about the future of the Social Security Fund, but at the bottom line it’s about the US-backed model of economic globalization in general.

If you think that this argument has been rowdy, imagine the protests if the Moscoso administration tries to jam a bilateral free trade deal through the present legislature.

Mireya is not to be trusted to represent the public interest. Because she has such an odious reputation, any economic negotiation between the Bush and Moscoso administrations is inherently suspect on this end. So if Ambassador Watt, who is representing American economic as well as political concerns in this country, is serious about free trade talks, she needs to address the corruption issue. She has to address it not only to allay public suspicion in Panama about whether Mireya has been or will be bribed or otherwise unduly influenced to sell us out on the free trade issue, but also to protect US investors from all the usual games that Panamanian politicians play.

I’m glad that Linda Ellen Watt spoke out, and I take it as one of many signs that Mireya’s nepotistic kleptocracy is imploding. I am concerned that after next year’s elections we’re likely to get different faces playing the same game, which is a problem that can never be solved for Panama by the Americans. However, it ought to be encouraging to those Panamanians who yearn for change that the sneering crooks who are currently lording it over this society don’t have Uncle Sam in their corner.

But how to resolve things? Much of this issue’s Opinion section is dedicated to a discussion of the Seguro Social issue and the protagonists in that dispute. I look at the legacy of paternalism and incongruities about who buys into it. The Caritas-Panama Social Ministry, a Catholic organization of the liberation theology orientation, looks at the question of the Social Security pension fund. FUNDAMUJER calls for a return to peaceful dialogue about the issue.

The lead Business story is about what’s happening at Seguro now that Mireya has taken it over. The lead News story is a collection of photos of the protests. The Editorial is about a crisis in Panamanian journalism that has manifested itself against the backdrop of the Social Security protests.

And then, there is THIS NEWSPAPER’S Social Security crisis. It’s time for our semi-annual fundraising appeal.

We have this large debt to the Social Security Fund. Anyway, it’s large for an operation that brings in well under $1,000 per month, which is the level at which The Panama News exists. We owe Seguro several thousand dollars and we have a number of other debts and pressing needs.

Ordinarily, we’d have made our pitch for funds in September, but going into that month our email was clogged up with spam from the Sobig.F worm attack and CitiBank was closing our account for being too small for their liking, so we put off our fundraiser until now.

Coincidentally, in September we broke our readership record. It’s hard to precisely say how many people read every issue of The Panama News, but it has to be in excess of 10,000 regular readers. If a few of you are very generous, or if a large minority of you send in a modest contribution --- or better yet, both things happen --- then not only will we be able to get legal with Seguro Social but we could go back into print publication before the end of this year.

Yes, yes, you’ve heard so many songs and seen so many dances and you can never be sure what’s a hustle. But the truth is, were I just another practitioner of the juega vivo I wouldn’t be putting in the labor that makes this publication something that you like to read on a regular basis, nor would I be sleeping on the office floor, as I generally do. Nor would Chase and Naida be working very part time, like me without having seen a regular paycheck in a long time.

Send your contributions to the cause to:

(At the moment it's better to make all checks out to Eric Jackson, with a notation that it's for The Panama News, and please understand that money orders aren't negotiable in Panama, even the ones that say that they´re "international" money orders.)

I thank those of you who have contributed in so many different ways and amounts, and the advertisers who keep us going month after month.

(And by the way, our ad rates are competitive in the Panamanian market and our readership makes us the ideal medium to reach people who are thinking about visiting or retiring down here.)

Has this been “too serious” of a front page? Don’t let me leave you with the wrong impression. There is a lot in this issue, not all of which, like the taking the photo above --- sans gas mask --- has a tendency to bring tears to the eyes. Ask Sparky the Wonder Dog. Check out our larger-than-usual Arts section. Read my Science article about a discovery that’s bound to have repercussions on a lot of the botanical research that goes on at Barro Colorado Island. Check out the photos from the diplomatic women's Fiesta Alrededor del Mundo, and see which country's food I liked best this time. Peruse this issue's orchids. Enjoy.

front page

Scenes from an economic negotiation