Fisher, Now comes the hard part for Martín Torrijos

Many repeat the same old song: "We all won these past elections, for democracy was strengthened." And indeed we all did win, literally. The darnedest thing about hitting rock bottom with this government is that every change, whether preceded by welcome mat or a keep out sign, comes at least a breathing spell before worst case scenarios come back to haunt us with strangling (and startling) realities.

Torrijos won and now all the fuss is about his cabinet. Many yelped when they saw Luis Blanco, a former high level technocrat and adviser, accompanying the president-elect to his first presidential get-together. To many, Blanco represented a foreseen PRD continuity, to others --- the grim and pessimistic --- an ominous sign.

I'll come clean: I voted for the guy. His last speech got to me, but even when I cast my vote I was fully aware that he was going to get people with prior governmental experience. It would have been naïve to think otherwise. I for one don't know the insider's scoop on Blanco. People tell me he's one of the PRD brainacs. And by golly we will need a lot of brains if we want to get things done.

Why? Because besides the obvious sore electoral losers, like soon-to-be former legislator Francisco Reyes, people in general are going to be very sore with the new government if it doesn't solve pressing social situations in a consensual, humane and reasonable manner. For examples, the Social Security dilemma, the continuing pauperization of the masses despite recovering economic indicators, etc., etc.... People trust that Torrijos is up to the job --- that's the reason why he was voted into office with overwhelming support. What really got to the people weren't his professional references, or Rubén Blades's patriotic promos --- in the end people voted for Torrimos because he seemed to be a jolly (yet serious) good fellow. Former President Endara, being a jolly and amusing jack-in-a-box, also attracted attention.

Conclusion? People want rulers who empathize with their plight (or at least convincingly seem to do so), hence the electoral successes of Endara and Torrijos. Theories are for bookworms. Reality's hardships --- single mothers, hungry kids --- those are the Real McCoy. Torrijos must appoint people with warm hearts to the cold exercise of power. And the warnings are ominous: This might be the political establishment's last stand.

The masses are even worse sore losers than former HL "Panchito" Reyes who, when he heard that he lost his legislative seat to his party arch-rival Sergio Gálvez, decided to post on his office door a sign that read something like: "My dear constituents, ungrateful bastards, if you want help, go see 'Chello' Gálvez." Erratic like Reyes, what masses give with tender affection, they can violently take away.

When I heard the latest buzz about future cabinet notables, I couldn't believe that the media included one of my favorite right-wing buddies, Carlos Ernesto González Ramírez, a very competent professional indeed, but to my intellectual dislike, a guy who talks about poverty relief with the same macabre approach that one might take when buying a meat freezer.

I hope it's all an unfounded media buzz. But even if this rumor is only lightly sprinkled with fact, if Torrijos is indeed considering people who are oblivious to the feelings of the public, we'll be in serious trouble sooner rather than later.

Worse than traditional politicians are untraditional ones from the far right or the far left. I see them brooding, lurking in the shadows, waiting for the right time to make their charismatic appearance with doomsday precision.

Taking González Ramírez as an hypothetical (I hope) example: a guy who has never hidden his desire to see Social Security privatized despite what may ensue. If he is appointed and gets to carry out this idea, people are going to be angry. A recent survey by the United Nations Development Program shows how unpopular privatization would be, and if that's what they get after a campaign in which the subject wasn't much discussed, the masses will consider themselves duped.

The system doesn't give a rat's behind about the hopes and desires of the sore losers. But far scarier than a sore loser is a sore winner with a taste for vengeance.

E. A. Fisher is a Panamanian writer and columnist, author of three books; his most recent work, "Diario en Verso" is a poetry collection; his work was recently included in the poetic anthology "Construyamos un Puente: 31 poetas nacidos entre 1957 y 1983" and his newspaper articles appear frequently in Panama's daily newspapers. You can read his his Spanish column, "Una esquina no tan neutral" once a month at Expresiones magazine (http://www.expresionesamp.net)

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Leis, From the democratic observatory
US Embassy, Congratulations for a clean election
Fisher, Now comes the hard part
Gutman, America's man in Baghdad
Weisbrot, Torture's another good reason to get out of Iraq
Silié, Importance of trade within the Caribbean region
Reporters Without Borders, Report on Panama
Jackson, If they think Panama's campaign was vicious...

opinion

Who are and who might be the sore losers?