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In an interview broadcast on KW Continente radio Monsignior José Dimas Cedeño, the Catholic archbishop of Panama, criticized “crude and vulgar” campaign rhetoric by unnamed candidates for political office and warned that “violent, defamatory and disrespectful” campaign messages could lead to a constitutional crisis like that which led to the chaos in 1968 and ended in a coup. He called for the campaigns to stick to positive messages about ideas and issues. However, the archbishop’s plea was itself criticized by Jacobo Salas, the Arnulfista president of the Legislative Assembly, who argued that the comparison with 1968 is far-fetched, and by former Comptroller General Rubén Carles, who is supporting the Endara campaign and argued that criticism of the ideas and records in public office of opponents is proper during an election campaign. Sending corrupt politicians to jail has emerged as a key theme in Endara’s appeal to the voters, while the Mireyistas are trying to convince that part of the electorate that dislikes the PRD that José Miguel Alemán rather than Guillermo Endara is the best option.

As a vice-presidential candidate in a Martín Torrijos campaign that has often been big on vague slogans and short on specific proposals, businessman Samuel Lewis Navarro spoke at a recent environmental forum about some of the things that a Torrijos administration would like to do. Pointing to specific disagreements with the Moscoso administration, he promised that an administration he serves would rescind Mireya’s decree to allow the construction of a road through Volcan Baru National Park and change Panama’s vote in the International Whaling Commission to one of opposition to the hunting of whales. He proffered private sector solutions to many environmental problems, including incentives for small and medium-sized businesses to get into recycling and wastewater treatment services. He said that there would be more emphasis on law enforcement, including the appointment of more cops and prosecutors to deal with environmental offenses and the establishment of special tribunals to deal with such cases.

Supermarket baron and dark horse presidential candidate has charged attorney and former Christian Democrat legislator Willy Cochez with calumnia e injuria (criminal defamation). Cochez accused Martinelli of violating election laws when early in the Moscoso administration the IDAAN water and sewer utility was a fiefdom granted by Mireya to Martinelli’s Cambio Democratico party and its then-director instituted an illegal party dues payroll deduction plan for IDAAN employees. Martinelli, who created and has always run Cambio Democratico, says he didn’t know about the payroll deduction scheme. Martinelli has a history of bringing quixotic defamation suits, such as when he sued Guillermo Endara’s wife, Ana Mae Díaz de Endara, who when 11 kidney dialysis patients died during or shortly after treatment on one machine at Seguro Social while Martinelli was in charge of that institution --- a case that remains unresolved --- said that it was a management failure. Martinelli lost that case, but when he brought it Ana Mae’s husband called Martinelli a “maricon” --- a slur for homosexual, and Martinelli charged the former president with calumnia e injuria for that and won. Endara was subsequently pardoned. In the current war of words with Cochez, Martinelli seems to be making an argument that cast doubts on his attempts to portray himself as a management expert, by claiming not to have known about the dues collection policies of the political party that he was running.

Guillermo Ford, who served as second vice-president in the Endara administration and is running with Endara for first vice-president, has published “Valió la Pena” --- It Was Worth It --- an autobiography about the period in his life between his election in May of 1989 and his leaving of office in 1994. It includes the tale of his being beaten up by Noriega’s goons, the December 1989 US invasion that allowed him to take office and the controversies surrounding the restoration of Panamanian democracy.



Also in this section:
Panama News Briefs
Back to school
On the campaign trail
Corruption in Honduras
Slavery and rape in the Sudan
Cops and prosecutors haul Eisenmann in for interrogation

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