The candidates
and parties promised to push for it and even signed a pact, but
despite that today, during the centennial, the extreme rule of
centralism, the scant progress of citizen participation in
regard to public policy and the development of democracy within
the framework of an exclusionary socio-economic model that
deepens the gap of inequalities loom large. Day by day, the
local governments point to the lack of legal powers,
capacities, representation and functions, which they attribute
to the existing centralism. There is an overload of demands by
the population on the state institutions, which correlates to
the weakening of the governmental capacity to respond, which in
turn generates a number of imbalances.
The excessive
centralization of power weakens the autonomous developmental
capacities of provinces, comarcas, municipalities and
communities, which reverberates in the lack of effective
satisfaction of the needs and interests of the populations that
they must represent. It can be clearly seen that the legal
factors that reinforce centralism and obstruct decentralization
unite in the frustration of those aspects that are favorable to
local improvement. There is no consistent development of
powers, and the programs for municipal improvement are
insufficient. The subject of decentralization has been low on
the political agendas and of little relevance.
The
deficiencies and local demands go on increasing, and in most
cases come from the impoverished sectors. The municipalities
don't have the capacity to confront the situations produced by
their marginality. The central government assumes projects that
belong to local governments, which in turn assume projects in
many cases without being able to call upon or achieve much
participation from their communities.
Plans that have
been elaborated in advance are handed to community groups,
without analyses in which they participate and help to decide
priorities. There is an absence of real and participative
diagnoses of problems, and of plans based on consultation.
Most relevant
has been the capacity of various significant actors to
articulate this in occasional instances of coordination, and to
attempt to come to an agreement on the subject from the
governmental viewpoint. To make that a fact would be
unprecedented in the history of this country, and although in
practice the 1999 Decentralization and Local Development Pact
hasn't been carried out, it has raised the subject before
diverse national sectors, thanks to the action of the municipal
associations and of CONADEL.
The decade of
the 80s was critical for Panama, as we went through economic
crisis, dictatorship and invasion. By contrast, the 90s were
marked by democratic transition, the elimination of the
national army, the withdrawal of the military bases, and the
assumption of national sovereignty over the canal and the
reverted areas. The national dialogues were a significant
experience in public participation in Panama during those
years, but basically the national accords that were reached
were thrown away. Moreover, the low development of the
participative dimension in local and national development is
palpable, now that despite having gone through 13 years of the
democratic process, powers have been centralized in formal
electoral democracy and proposals for significant participation
haven't been institutionalized. There has been a lack of
political will, and many partisan forces consider democracy
fulfilled by the electoral exercise and in many cases maintain
that citizen participation is unnecessary, given that a choice
of representation has taken place. In the local sphere, despite
a potential for community association in many territorial and
functional expressions, the participatory opportunities are
very scarce and limited. Also, although there have been
significant experiences in community groups and labor and
professional organizations, these will have to be multiplied if
citizen participation is to be made the pivot of democracy and
development.
Call it what
you will --- new constitution or constitutional reforms --- the
subjects of decentralization, local democratic power and civic
participation are indispensable elements that can not be set
aside. This understanding must underpin the actions of the
diverse forces committed to the decentralizing process and
civic participation.
Also in this
section:
Leis, Decentralization and
citizen participation
Gore, Freedom and
security
Powell, Ralph Bunche's
legacy and US foreign policy
Nader, Heightened awareness
of the marine environment
Girvan, Caribbean ties to
Central America's Atlantic side
Jackson, Systemic meltdown?
