Arango, Remarks at the start of a legislative campaign

It is my great pleasure to share with you the inauguration of my campaign headquarters, where I officially announce today my intentions to run for a post as legislator of the Republic of Panama for Circuit 8-9, the circuit that encompasses the corregimientos of San Francisco, Parque Lefevre, Rio Abajo and Juan Diaz, the circuit where I have lived for more than 25 years and where I have worked for the last 16 years of my life.

My motive for this decision arises because, like the majority of those who reside in this circuit, I am conscious of all the aspects of our civic life that could be improved if there would exist the will among our politicians to promote changes. Lamentably, we have a precedent of candidates making an effort to be noticed, through ads, leaflets and speeches when they’re competing for our votes, but once elected they disappear into a limbo. The case of the legislators is very illustrative: during the campaign their presence is seen, felt and heard, but once elected they don’t even show up at the assembly. This absenteeism is a grave fault, which unmasks their intentions and reveals their indifference to the electorate.

Lamentably, these politicians have contaminated the expectations of the voters, who prefer not to see, not to know and not to participate, in order to avoid frustration and indignation. I feel and share this sensation. However, today I ask you for an opportunity, a vote of confidence. My proposal is new, fresh, committed and serious. I have shown it when I was given the opportunity as director general of INDE, by completely changing the face of Rommel Fernandez, our principal soccer stadium, as well as Juan Demosthenes Arosemena, the home field of the Panama Metro team.

My words will be energetic during the campaign, but my actions will be much more when I’m serving as a legislator. I will be there to repay with work and initiatives that benefit my circuit and my country, not to speak of the success of the next president of the republic, José Miguel Alemán.

I want to take advantage of this opportunity to publicly thank my party, the National Liberals, and the other parties of the alliance for the confidence entrusted in this servant.

I have belonged to the National Liberal Party from the first day on which they opened the books for its constitution as a political party, just as my ancestors did in the formation of the republic, the perfection of its political life and the promotion of liberal ideas from which have come the principal structures of the Panamanian state.

I come from families that have lived and live intensively in politics. It was my great-grandfather, Don Rodolfo Chiari, being the president and enjoying the sympathy of the electorate that could have given him another term, who repealed presidential re-election.

Almost 40 years later Don Roberto F. Chiari, my grandfather, the Dignified President, in the execution of his duties broke relations with the world’s greatest power to defend the dignity of his country, and thus set the bases for Panama to regain its territorial integrity and full sovereignty.

During this same period Raúl “Baby” Arango, my father, was winning the first of three legislative terms as deputy in the National Assembly, occupying the presidency of this branch of the government during the years 1966 and 1967.

Likewise my grandfather, Raúl Arango Navarro, a man with clean hands, dedicated a great part of his life of public service to another grand institution, the worthy Bombero Corps, and later accompanied Dr. Arnulfo Arias Madrid in the electoral triumph of the Arias-Arango-Bazán ticket of 1968.

These generations of my family kept their promises to the country and to Panamanians. My generation is the one that’s in debt. Thus, today I present myself before you as a candidate who will work like his ancestors for the benefit of our beloved Panama, taking as our guide their principles and actions. I am disposed to serve and not be served by the country. And thus, like they didn’t need any immunity before or after the exercise of their public functions, I solemnly declare that I renounce the immunity that post you will give me on May 2 will give me, because I don’t need it now, nor will I need it in the exercise of my functions.

As a legislator I will not only respect the norms of transparency, but will strengthen present legislation, above all because I believe that corruption must be fought it all its aspects. Thus, upon the start of my period as director of the National Institute of Sports and upon its conclusion, I presented forthright sworn declarations of assets, as the law requires.

As a legislator, I will not rest until the National Institute of Sports has an adequate budget, which allows us to give stipends to those who excel in sports, specialized medical attention to our athletes, the reconditioning of our existing sports facilities and construction of new ones according to modern times, and the reassertion of the sporting glories of the past by training or inspiring new generations of sportsmen and sportswomen for Panama. For this, future president, we support your initiative to strengthen sports.

As legislator, I promise to watch over the stability of our social security system, supporting the proposal of our future president not to privatize the Social Security Fund.

We promise to fight unemployment and to guarantee the legal security of investments.

Maru, our kids and this servant didn’t move to this circuit in search of an opportunity. Here we have settled our family without thinking of politics and here I have always worked. I know my circuit and my people. I know their faces and their needs, and I only want to be the catalyst that turns their present hopes into real opportunities for work, education, health and happiness. This is my commitment. This is my task. And to fulfill it, I have more than enough will.

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Arango, Remarks at the start of a campaign

opinion

Remarks at the start of a legislative campaign

Remarks at the start of
a legislative campaign