Bernal, Confusion mongers vs. a constituent assembly

Panamanian society needs to democratize itself if it doesn't want to see itself relegated to last in line in today's world. The necessary social cohesion that a modern society requires doesn't exist, and we can't have that without true reform of the state, which demands, notwithstanding whatever the confusion mongers may say, a real, effective and participative constitutional change.

The recognition of the necessity for a national constituent assembly has been gaining ground among diverse sectors of the population, despite the attempts by some print and televised media, and by some "communicators," to divert public opinion and to slant published opinion. They have become accustomed to deceiving their readers or audiences, making them believe that all opinions are equally worthy (something that every cultured person knows isn't true), to slipping away from debates. Some of them were promoters of all the moral corruption that has befallen the republic from the ministerial or other posts that they occupied when the military dictatorship held sway --- that which they fantasize by calling the "revolutionary process" --- and also served as coauthors of the constitution imposed in 1972. The fugitives from the constituent assembly now regroup and organize, meet in the air- conditioned offices of influential lawyers with their new allies in an attempt to sow fear with the "indisputable truths" and the worn-out lies that they call "the vortex of a constitutional discussion."

There can be no doubt that they're terrified. Some of them say so, and ask what to do about public irritation. Others don't hesitate to demonize the constituent assembly and consider the yearning to democratize the democracy to be "playing with fire." Sure, now that they can't be the ones monopolizing the truth, now that they can't go on passing off borriguero lizards for iguanas, and now that they have neither the capacity to send their adversaries into exile nor to use cheap demagoguery to order people to sacrifice, they have to rail against the constituent assembly because they're afraid of change. Allied as they are with those who pursue "the change that doesn't change anything," we must not surprised by their next actions.

Such is the level of audacity in selling confusion that they don't hesitate to make disinformation of the information within their reach, attempting to impose by repetition that which reason denies, for example the absurd statement that "the fifth ballot can't be included for lack of funds." That is, that you can't invest to democratize, but you can squander on corruption and on privileges for so many chiselers.

Who says that a national constituent assembly, if it is democratically elected, if it is a true representation of Panamanian society, if it is not monopolized or controlled by the political parties or their satellites, if it creates mechanisms for citizen participation, will have to throw away the gains in the fields of individual, social, political, cultural, labor and environmental rights that have been made by our country or other societies?

Bereft of serious arguments to continue opposing a constituent process, they are left with no other recourse than to propagate fear, rarefying the environment by talking of "anarchy," of "dangers," while dusting off --- with the assistance of the current government --- the terminology of "sedition," "destabilization" and "commotion." They'll have you know more of their old "October Process" sales kit. However, their mental arrhythmia is in reality proof of what they would silence and hide: a growing number of citizens, especially young ones, has begun not only to identify with constitutional change, but also have begun to devote time to their preparation and education about the subject so that the apologists of terror and confusion mongers can't deceive them with considerations far removed from theory and history, and above all far removed from the truth.

It's not an easy task, but the constituent assembly process is much more sensible than continued confusion about reforms to the imposed constitution --- the one still in effect --- which only produces more mistrust, more incredulity and more dissatisfaction. Stop the confusion mongers: support the constituent assembly, support the accomplishment of a new constitution.

Also in this section:
Bernal, Constituent assembly vs. the confusion mongers
Coronel, Doesn't Chávez get it?
Saum, The bitter part of bananas
Weisbrot, Top Gun fires blanks
Martínez-Piva, Trade obstacles in the Greater Caribbean
Jackson, Colon's a cool place to be from