Letters to the editor

As a two year resident of Panama City I am loving your paper. My Spanish is still too basic to fully understand the daily press, but I am learning more every day, so it is with great delight that I read your paper. I am starved for information. I like and want to know more about Panama. I believe information and being informed is vital to a healthy democracy and I think you are providing an important service. Until i stumbled onto The Panama News my only sources of info were guidebooks, and those hyped-up Internet sites. Thank you for opening my eyes to both the good and bad of Panama.

That said, I see you are seeking donations and I would like to help, but to be honest I also would like to help myself. do you have any internships available at

the paper --- perhaps in exchange for a donation? Or do you accept submissions from the unpublished? I am not seeking money but rather a way to gain experience and build a portfolio. Later I hope to support myself and help others with my writing. While I did not major in journalism at UMass Boston, i have studied writing in college. I can cobble together a story and I can think of stories I'd like to see written. For example, why are the students at the university NOT protesting all this injustice and corruption? They seem to protest just about everything else.

Anyway, if you have any interest please drop me a line. I would love to hear from you. and thanks again for The Panama News.

Editor's note: The reader raises many questions in one short letter. First, as a micro-enterprise that hangs on by the slenderest of financial threads, The Panama News would not exist were it not for the contributions of many people, donated for free or in exchange for advertising or for other non-monetery compensation.

And yes, over our nearly 11-year existence we have often had interns, usually on the editorial side but also occasionally on the business side of the publication. It has been some years since we have been able to pay any of these, but things written by unpaid interns have sometimes later resulted in paying jobs.

A few years ago there was a poll of US journalists about the 100 greatest works of American journalism in the 20th century. Only 14 of these were the work of journalism majors. Yes, the wretched so-called “Sindicato de Periodistas” --- a “union” that has never had a collective bargaining agreement to represent journalists before management --- and the University of Panama's Faculty of Social Communications insist that only journalism majors from their program are “qualified.” Yet the other day, listening to inane and ignorant questions to the FBI's director from allegedly well-qualified journalists, and remembering back to another time when one of the university's graduates covering a sterile screw worm fly production plant'sd progress didn't realize that flies go through an egg, larva, pupa and adult life cycle, I give you exhibits A and B of an endless list of why a narrow journalism education that excludes the arts, sciences, history, social sciences, religion and so on is an absurdity in this day and age and why I say that those who insist that one without this deficient training should not be allowed to work in Panama are lowlife jerks trying to carve out a cushy monopoly for themselves at the expense of the nation's culture and development.

That said, this editor with a bachelor's in history and political science and a doctorate in law, a few classes in journalism and decades of experience in the field says that indeed journalism is a craft that needs to be practiced to be perfected and The Panama News is committed to contributing toward this process. If the author of this letter or anyone else wants to submit an article or photo or cartoon to The Panama News, do so. Those who would like to be interns should contact me about it.

One thing that I won't do, however, is send someone who's not very conversant in Spanish to the University of Panama to talk to the student activists about the financial conflicts of interest that keep most of them silent in the face of rampant corruption there. Quite frankly, for such a person to do such a thing would be a good way to get accused of being some sort of spy and beaten up.

Just wanted to comment on the editorial and some of the articles October 25, 2005. I value and agree with the many issues of concern with President Bush's visit ( our government is not any better). I understand the Panamanians views as I to feel our country has been taken over by the monopoly of large companies, political scandals, and of course the wealthy. Canada lost many jobs and manufacturing plants due to free trade.

The majority of large businesses are United States owed. Yes, there are some benefits from this, but it has taken many jobs from Canadians and has made it very hard for small businesses to survive.

As I stated before I am an investor in the real estate market for students rentals

at the University of Western Ontario. I have been in this business for six years. It has proven to be a very lucrative business for small private investors. Now, however, the big cheeses have got wind of the monies that can be made and have crushed the market, overloading the housing rentals for students, making it much hard for individuals like myself to compete. Just like every corner has a Tim Horton's, there are no other coffee shops that can compete, let alone a small business own. This is happening all over. The thing that kills me is the big guy at the top of the corporate ladder does nothing and makes all the money. Well I hope you will enjoy reading my thoughts as I do enjoy reading yours. Keep informing your people and others. Thank you for providing The Panama News paper.

P.S. The States have lost many jobs as well due to free trade to China. Last year alone 38 manufacturing plants closed and 18,000.00 jobs were lost. Maybe they need to stop and think before they try to swallow the world.

It has been almost two years since I took the liberty of addressing you. My previous letters, as some of you will remember, created, in certain circles, some consternation and furor. There were, as to be expected, others who vehemently agreed with my views.

During that time, as you are aware, much has happened. Let me state that my silence was self imposed and done so by design. It was intended as a teaching strategy, I chose to stay “en las barreras” and watch the “corrida de toros” hoping that “experience” would be the better teacher. In retrospect that may not have been a good strategy. It may have been a better strategy to continue making noises hoping that like dripping drops of water on granite rock, in the end the water makes a dent!

Yet as I grow older, it is becoming increasingly clear that there are times that one must hold one’s council and permit others who may not have traveled the same path to make his or her own mistakes. Is this such a time? I am not certain. I must however confess that remaining silent was and is a very difficult position, at least for me, to take. Still, as I said, for almost two years I have kept my counsel and uttered very few comments on issues faced by our community. I have stayed back and unlike me, quietly observed the actions or inactions of those who now aspire for leadership. That silence has now ended!

This morning on my way home a Sudanese taxi driver engaged me in conversation. He said that I looked “Sudanese.” Midway in the voyage we became involved in a very “heated” but constructive exchange regarding the politics of the Sudan, racism, Islam and Christianity. Then, with a slight air of arrogance he said that he was an Arab and not an African. I was stunned! “Who is an Arab?” I asked. I was eager to understand just what did he --- a very Black man --- mean by the statement. He responded that an Arab is anyone who speaks Arabic as his or her “mother tongue.” The driver was black as the night is long! He then re-stated that he did not view himself as African but as an Arab.

I shuddered as I heard him speak! What a convoluted response was that! What confusion in self identification! That’s what I thought, that’s what I said to myself. I reminded him of the words of Chancellor Williams, who in his book The Destruction of Black Civilization wrote:

As I spoke with the driver the words of Bob Marley came to mind. In his “Redemption Song” Marley asks us to “emancipate ourselves from mental slavery.” He is absolutely correct. Here was a man born of indisputable African stock, on the African continent, choosing the language he spoke as the determining factor of his identity! WOW!

This letter to you, my paisanos and paisanas, was sparked by my conversation with the driver and by a very profound philosophical concept, at least in my view, made by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. prior to his statement against the war in Vietnam. He said that “there are times when silence is betrayal.” I agree with him and will no longer be silent! I will not betray what I believe to be the inescapable reality for the country of my birth: namely its radical reconstruction --- a fundamental change in the alignment and distribution of power! A distribution in which the poor and powerless will be poor and powerless no more! I believe that we must never be silent in the face of such an affront to the dignity of our people!

Aside from my conversation with the taxi driver, I choose this moment to speak again owing to a number of issues that have become blatant in our community. Issues which, as I look and read the responses to them, which created for me a sense of frustration if not anger and concern for it appears that many are behaving as if we, as a people, do not have a historical memory, or are unaware of the sacrifices that so many people before us made; people who understood that change in Panama is not ultimately dependent on the largesse of those who rule but by our willingness to challenge and confront them with truth, the strength of our convictions, objectivity, discipline and organization. It is imperative, as I see it, that we disavow and disregard the notion of “playing the game” by the existing rules. It is not a game! Too many people are unemployed, hungry, ill housed and undereducated, not by their choice, but by the policies imposed and practiced by past and present governments who have yet to include the interests and future of the Black, the Brown and the poor in the national equation.

One gets the sense, at least I do, that those who now profess to lead believe that what they advocate has never been advocated before, and, behave as if the country in which we were born was a paragon of justice and social and economic equality. It has never been, and is not so now!

Obviously, and thankfully, there are people and organizations in Panama that clearly understand this reality and have continued that fight. I mention only one of them: “El Comite Contra el Racismo.” In addition, there are individuals whose voices are loud and clear, and serve as the clarion call for social change. Sadly, they are not in the majority. Their voices are often lost muted in the cackle of those who appear to be so willing to accept the shackles of contemporary marginalization! The majority, as I said years ago and will here again repeat, are too busy trying to be “accepted” within the existing social fabric rather than attempting to change the system and seek power. Let me attempt to clarify.

It is my judgment, rightly or wrongly, that too many of us have defined ourselves by the language we speak and the place we were born as our “heritage” and of ourselves. It is an unfortunate choice. We have not been psychologically prepared to accept the fact that it was never really the language we spoke that kept us out of the citadels of power; IT WAS OUR RACE! WE WERE AND ARE BLACK! We are of an African origin!

Those who enslaved our forefathers and mothers never intended and do not intend now to include us within the circles of power; or to place us in control of positions where we can impact on the policies and programs that affect the entire nation. The existing alignment of power is not designed for us to share power. Why? Because “Power concedes nothing without a demand; it never has and it never will!” so wrote Frederick Douglass in 1852. He was right then and he is right now! Tragically, we have not as yet developed the mechanism or instrument to demand the change of which Mr. Douglass so eloquently spoke. It is a major flaw in our quest for the social, political and economic transformation of Panama --- the radical reconstruction of the nation. Douglass also told us that:

Obviously, there will be many who disagree with that quest. Many of them may well share the taxi driver’s view and as such do not see themselves as Africans. Language, religion and place of birth supersede, for them, their basic genealogical origin.

Let us also remember in this context that the Costeños are also of African ancestry, speak Spanish and not English; they were also born on the isthmus and they too are not and have never been, as a group, included within the controlling circles of power. Hence, it cannot be language or place of birth… it must be something else! Systemic racism and control of the reigns of power!

Let us also remember that the indigenous people of Panama --- those who inhabited the Isthmus prior to the arrival of the Europeans have also never been a part of the developing nation. They too have been marginalized. There are those who would argue that these indigenous “nations” have been more marginalized than the Africans, whether Caribbean or Costeño, and what they seek is different from the plight of those of African origin. There is, in my view, some truth in that assertion. However, it is a difference in degree and not in kind!

The truth is that all of us --- brown and black, and yes, the poor, have been excluded from the governing process of the nation while the Europeans and their progeny exploited and continues to exploit the resources of the nation primarily for themselves. In order to keep the “natives” happy and contented crumbs were and are offered; however, the control remains in the hands of the European.

If my description of the historical reality of our nation is accurate then to simply seek acceptance within the present framework will only contribute to our cultural and psychological demise and continued marginalization while assisting in the perpetuation of the control of the nation by those who have and presently, as a class, rule Panama. The need, as I see it, is to challenge the social order and change the frame of reference while offering meaningful, humanistic alternatives that are inclusive and predicated on the principles of Agape and Social and Economic Justice.

The following example of what we seemingly are doing may help to elucidate what I mean:

Consider a prison in which the prisoners demand, from a good and kind warden, better food; greater conjugal visits; the right to have uninterrupted visits by their Imams, Rabbis, Ministers, and Priests; unlimited access to the prison library; and to the Legal Aid Society and all of these are given. Guess what! They would still be prisoners, behind walls and still at the mercy of those who imprisoned them!

Forget for a moment the specious argument as to what was the reason for their imprisonment! The truth is that they are prisoners, and their objective should be “freedom” …. The above is but an example.

As African people we have committed no crimes yet, we are, believe or not, in a prison. We are prisoners --- in the larger sense --- people who are not in command or control of our destiny. We have little, if any, voice in the society in which we labor. Ask yourselves who are the people who inhabit the poorer communities of the nation? Who are the unemployed? Who will reside in those magnificent skyscrapers that overlook the beautiful Bay of Panama? Yes, I know there will be a few raisins in the sun but the crop will not be found therein.

We have the trappings of a voice but in the end the control remains in the hands of others who may or may not opt to listen to what we say. Why is this so? Because historically others have coveted our labor and owing to their greater military might, and yes, our naiveté, enslaved us --- physically then, psychologically! Now, we imitate our former slave masters and degrade, denigrate, and do not trust our own We fail to understand that our behavior is learned behavior foisted upon us by brilliant slave owners who mastered the techniques of psychological control. It is for these reasons, in my judgment, that we are where we are!

For those who may have some question as to the validity of the above conclusion I invite them to remember that when the Europeans came to Africa and the Americas with their rifles and their bibles, both the Africans and the indigenous Americans were in control of the land and its riches. Soon they were left with only the bible while the Europeans kept the land and its resources and ultimately sold us across the seas. In Africa the Muslims did the same thing. Yes, they could not have done so without the compliance and participation of some Africans; however, that fact only underscores the reality that there are those among us who are prepared to sacrifice many of their brothers and sisters for their perceived notion of self interests.

This brings me back to the issues confronting our community and our varied responses to those issues. It is my view that we, collectively speaking, have not placed Panama within the context of history. We have romanticized this small nation, and like the taxi driver believe that we are “Panamanians” owing to our birthplace and the language we speak. I believe that I have made the case that functionally, and from the position of power, we are not! We sit at the table, but as Malcolm X reminded us “we are not diners.” We are people of African ancestry born and bred in Panama but who, owing to that ancestry and the greed and avarice of Europeans “sit but do not partake in the sumptuous meal from the table.” The dining room must be refurbished and reset. We must not simply be those who plant and prepare the food while others dine!

Here are, in my view, some specific examples of our contemporary collective naiveté and, ignorance --- meaning lack of knowledge and of history. I offer them as seeds for thought, and in some cases, enlightenment!

1. When President Martín Torrijos came to Brooklyn last September to meet and greet the community, we were not prepared, as a collective community, with the kind of organization, nor political position that would or could --- from a locus and perspective of power --- make the necessary demands of our country of birth represented that night, in our midst, by the President of the nation.

Many of the present leaders perhaps never knew of the demands that were made to President Aristides Royo back in the Seventies. Had they, perhaps they would have learned from the mistakes that were made then, and build upon what was then demanded. For example, the question of the Comité de Enlace con ubicación en la Presidencia” was argued for way back then. Nothing ever came from it! It was completely ignored! We, as a community, were did not possess the necessary political means to support our demands! At the time we did not have in place the necessary organizational political machinery to protect our collective demands and interests! There was a rudimentary one --- meaning in formation --- but that was sabotaged by forces within and outside of our community --- at home and abroad.

We, as a community, were also saddled with the ill-perceived self interest of some of our own who, because they saw themselves “close” to the party in power, minimized the importance of the proposal that was presented to those who governed the nation. They feared that were the proposal to be implemented they would no longer be the HNICs of Panama. They would not be the ones to whom the slave master turned to when he wanted information about his “darkies.”

In Panama there were also some of our own who questioned then, as some do now, the involvement of those “expatriates who ran away from Panama and know nothing of what is really happening there!” Those who took that position knew nothing of the every day involvement of Panamanians residing in this country and who predated many of those Panamanians in Panama --- especially my sisters and brothers --- in the struggle for the Torrijos-Carter Treaty.

The truth is that those Panamanians who left the country did not do so because Panama “loved them” or America beckoned them to her shores; they left because there was no espacio político, social, ni económico available to them. These Panamanians do not have a thing apologize for! So many of them have done so well, academically, socially and economically, that were they to chose, based solely on personal self interest, never to look back at Panama they could do so without any regret. The Panamanian constitution of 1941 had defined them as personas de imigración prohibida. Yet, so many of them, like Ricardo Miró, still sadly and softly sob: “Quizás nunca supiera que te quería tanto si el hado no dispone que atravesara el mar.” As such, and as constant as the rising sun, they return to Panama to spend millions of dollars in a nation that continues to marginalize them.

As I read of some of the responses to the quest for the “voto en el exterior” and heard echoes of yesterday, I could not help but wonder where have those people, those of us, not the others, who question the quest for the “voto en el exterior” been? Under what rock have they been hiding? What have they read? What have they done? What do they really know, not imagine or think? Were these people to ask any of those “Panamanian officials” --- those who fought for the Torrijos-Carter Treaties, they would hear very vociferously just how valiantly the Panamanians here in the US, living in the belly of the beast, stood up and placed their bodies, their pocket books, and their voices in harm’s way.

So many of those who remained in Panama, including many of my brothers and sisters, like many of the others, voted against the treaties, believing that it was an idle dream or quest. For them, the United States would never relinquish the Panama Canal Zone. Remember?

2. The president’s recent visit also highlighted, in my judgment, our collective political ignorance, and placed someone who we say we care for in political jeopardy. It is another examples of the old adage “the road to hell is paved with good intentions.” Had organizers fully understood that political decisions, like the selection of a consul general, are rarely, if ever, made in a public forum they would not have included that as an agenda item. Ambassadors, and consuls general, etc., are often political rewards --- as I previously stated --- for major financial contribution to the victorious party. This is true not only for Panama but for all countries. It is the “plum” that is offered as a means of inveigling others, with deep pockets, to contribute. Most of those who get these positions often recoup, in a short spell, their “investment.” It is for this reason that the consul general of New York is one of the most prized, coveted and fought for political positions.

Can anyone really think that such a position would be offered to a Black woman with a limited pocketbook irrespective of how smart or organizationally knowledgeable and community affable she is?” If you do, I have a bridge for sale. I would add that by publicly demanding that the president offer her that position they could have jeopardized her present status. No president, Panamanian or other, appreciates being placed on the carpet in a public setting by his “people.” This is especially if those who are making the demands lack the power to support their demand! Another president could have interpreted that demand as self motivated and ungrateful especially if they saw it as coming from someone they placed in power. What would be done is to immediately replace them! That would have been considered acceptable “hardball politics.” Fortunately, the president, on this occasion, was a rather astute politician and brilliantly finessed the demand. Hopefully, we will learn from this “mistake.”

3. Including in the issues that are presently impacting on our community is the article that appeared in “La Prensa” called “La otra cara del sueño” and written by Shamar Vasquez Sween. If one accepts, and one need not, the premise which I have attempted to make of the historical continuity of the struggle for change in the Panamanian body politic, it is a fact that here in the US Panamanians of African ancestry --- and make no mistake about it, have been at the forefront of that struggle. The initial push came from Black Panamanian leadership here in the US and specifically her in New York. Let us not forger that many of the “Latinos” who at that time, were living here in the US were adamantly against the right of Panamanians to vote and of the Torrijos regime. They reasoned that numerically they, the “Latinos” were in the minority and, knowing that their allegiance, generally speaking, was not to the “process” since their historical ties were with the old “oligarchy,” the “voto en el exterior” was not politically viable or beneficial to them. Our vote, as they saw and as they projected to the opposition parties in Panama, would be for the PRD.

With the untimely demise of Torrijos --- some say assassination --- (for more on this see the Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins) --- who without a doubt championed the cause, the voto en el exterior has continued to face real and imagined obstacles. Even President Martín Torrijos appeared uninformed as to the history of the proposed vote. He spoke of the need to meet with the “legislators” who are presently working on the issue. Let me remind you that there was a delegation of Panamanians that spoke to the Panamanian legislature on the issues. If my memory is correct Dr. Waldaba Stewart, Mr. Humberto Brown, our present Vice Council Ms. Cynthia Brown Franklyn were among the group that spoke.

Two years ago former President Mireya Moscoso said, in a letter addressed to me, that the only reason the “voto en el exterior” had not been implemented, since the Panamanian legislature had, in committee, approved the concept, was due to the fact that there was not enough money in the budget to support it. If this is accurate, then why should we begin the process anew? Why is there not money placed to make it happen. It is for reasons of this nature that I have attempted to make the point of “historical ignorance” hoping that once we understand the past we will not make the same mistakes.

It is my view, that the “La Prensa” article is nothing more than an attempt to denigrate Panamanians in New York City and which generally means --- Brooklyn. Let us be honest: Brooklyn is perceived as the home of Panamanians of African ancestry. There is much truth to that notion! Brooklyn of course is not solely Franklin Avenue.

Let us also remember that the bulk of “Latinos” generally live in Manhattan and Queens. Thus, the strategy of the author of the “La Prensa” article in my view was designed to describe and define Panamanians in the US using New York as an example as such they are unsuited for the vote. Of course this is not stated outright, but as I used to tell my nightly listeners o “Thinking It Through” one should read the text and the subtext. Ask yourself the question, Why such an article at this time? Why place --- wrongly --- emphasis on the ostensible lack of academic formation of the Panamanians who must work two jobs etc. --- if not for the purpose that I suggest. Had she been willing to look at the entire community she would have offered a more precise picture.

Dr. George Priestley’s electronic commentary was, in my view, on target and described and defined with precision the picture of just where Panamanians fit within the economic and academic the socio-political reality of immigrants in New York.

Please also remember that “La Prensa” has been the voice of the disenfranchised oligarchy --- those who formerly controlled the politics and the economy to the nation and who now attempting to rewrite history by calling the Torrijos years “La dictadura militar.” As to be expected they are now seemingly suffering from selective amnesia not mentioning how they, as a class, remained as economic partners with that regime. They also fail to mention that prior to the “Proceso Torrijista” we had in Panama what, for all political purposes, what one could call La Dictadura de la Oligarquia panameña. Check the family ties of those who governed then and those who govern now. Read Marco Gandásegui's book about the families that govern Panama and you will get a better picture of the country we care for.

Few can deny that it was the Torrijos “process” that opened the doors for the Black, the Brown and the poor. Fewer still can deny the fact that for the first time, in a serious manner, women of all colors began to have political space. Neither can they deny that all across the nation new institutions that catered to the needs of the masses were developed. Neither can WE deny that there were some excesses committed by a few of those who held power. However, had there been no Omar and no “proceso” and no involvement of a nationalist fervor, who knows, we may still be a colony of the United States.

It is my sense, not knowledge, but a sensibility honed in past political behavior of those who control, that the author and “La Prensa” editorial board are desirous of creating doubt and confusion and in so doing derail the implementation of the “voto en el exterior.” I believe that it is fair to ask the question ‘why would a “reputable” newspaper print an article by someone who it is clear “had not done her journalistic homework?” Further, if one reads the author’s response to Mr. Phillips it becomes very obvious that she “cannot write.” Hence, the editors had to have done some serious “editing.” If you doubt that statement then I suggest that you re-read her letter to Mr. Phillips. She should have used a “spell check” What is even more opprobrious and telling is her attempt at logic. That piece should be ignored and the author cast aside as a poor example of investigative reporting and writing, one that is devoid of any redeeming value.

4. In reading Mr. Phillips’s attempted response to Mr. Barrow --- who did not, in my view --- attack or question Mr. Phillips but “sin comentario” passed the article unto to us --- I was dismayed. I felt sorry that the young man had taken that tack. It was an uncalled for “response” to a non-attack, and did not in any way deal with the true merits or demerits of the question that arose from the article in “La Prensa.” Mr. Phillips apparently felt aggrieved by the dissemination of the article and felt that he was placed under fire and his “integrity” questioned; hence, he found it necessary to demonstrate his credentials and patriotic political involvement. Never once did he identify with his “Blackness.”

What he did, in my judgment, was to show his lack of knowledge of the sociopolitical history of our community and of the kind of politics played here in the US which, whether he believes it or not, is much different from that which is practiced in Panama. For example, he spent time stating that he was “Secretario de Prensa” for, I believe, the “Colegio Jose Dolores Moscote.” Please! No matter how brilliant he may have been, “Moscote” is a “high school” not a “college”. And, were it a “college” as we understand it here in the US that would still be the “minor league” of journalism. Few university student organizations in the US can compete with the “regular press” much less a “high school.” As to the involvement in Panamanian politics well now, here in the US there have been a number of Panamanians who have actively participated and held elective and appointed offices. Here in New York former Senator Waldaba Stewart and Assemblyman Edward Griffith to name but two have both served with distinction. The head of the Manhattan Democratic machine, Assemblyman Herman “Danny” Farrell, claims both his Panamanian and Jamaican connections. Councilwoman Yvette Clark claims her Panamanian father. Thus, in my view, to mention one’s political past when no such thing was called for, is an indication of political immaturity.

Had he responded by stating that the statements attributed to him by the author were taken out of context or that he had never made them, would have been for me, if true, a much better and palatable response! I believe that he may have unwittingly played into her hands and was used by her. That I offer as a thought and not as a fact. Hopefully he has learned from this experience and will do some homework as to who comprise the Panamanian community in New York. This way, he will not be used again!

5. Another issue that has hit the email circuit is an article that extols the virtue of the “chinitos” as stated in the article. I am almost certain that the author may not have been knowledgeable that the use of the word “Chinito” is really deprecatory. There are those who say that they use it as when one says “chombito,” however, I would ask them to rethink the usage. Why the diminutives form? That notwithstanding however, the article is being offered as a lesson for us. It suggests that were we to “get educated” --- the “we”, as I understand it, and I could be wrong, refers to Panamanians in New York --- and follow the Chinese model and not challenge the social order then we would be successful. That was my “reading” of the article. If my understanding of the article is accurate then once more we have an author who is ignorant. First the Chinese have over 5,000 years of sharing a common culture, they know precisely just who they are, they do not depend on any other nationality to define them, and they have their own language and constitute a powerful nation on the planet. So much so that the United States is forced to respect them. The Chinese in Panama have not “made it” in Panama as the article suggests. They are not a part of the inner structure. They do not make any policies or decisions that affect the nation. They are viewed, even those who have money, as “los chinitos” with all of the racist overtones. Secondly, they do not depend on Panama for economic support. Their money and support generally come from Hong Kong, Taiwan, or mainland China. Panama constitutes a market for their products and a place for investment.

Panamanians in the US do not have the luxury of 5,000 years of “civilization” and culture like the Chinese. A Chinaman or woman can generally identify the region of province from which he came. Not so the Panamanian of African descent. Perhaps with the new technology of DNA we will be able to identify precisely from what part of Africa we came. They, the Chinaman or woman, are rooted in a past that they understand and know. They do not need to speak Spanish or to be born in Panama to have an identity. That has not been true for the misinformed Panamanian of African ancestry.

It is for these reasons that we --- those of us of African ancestry --- must learn of the importance of the ancient African Civilizations and of the Nile Valley in particular and of their contemporary relevance. If we were steeped in this knowledge we too would have no need to depend on language or place of birth to define just who we are. We would know and be proud that we are an African people. This, as Carter G. Woodson wrote in his seminal work in the 1930’s The mis-education of the Negro, has in my view been a part of our “mis-education.” While it is true that he was writing about the African American the lessons he taught are applicable to the African Panamanian.

6. Speaking of “respect” here is something I urge you to consider and ask yourself. Just how should the people of Panama respond to the projected visit of George W. Bush? How does a nation, victim of an unjustified invasion, one where hundreds of our brothers and sisters were killed, respond to the visit of the leader of the country that invaded it? Should the government rescind the in invitation, that is, if one was forwarded? Are the students right in demanding that he not come and that the Government not receive him? Let us make no mistake: “THE INVASION OF PANAMA WAS TOTALLY UNJUSTIFIED AND ILLEGAL.” Panama was never at war with the US If you doubt me then ask Congressman Charles Rangel who, if the democrats were to win the congress next year, would become Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee which is one of the most powerful committees in the US Congress, what he thinks. Back in 1989, on Like it Is --- a television program here in New York --- he said that had Panama been at war with the US he and the other congressmen who were on their way to Colombia would have been arrested and placed in jail immediately upon their arrival at Panama’s Tocumen Airport.

In many ways the Government of Panama is caught in the proverbial “trick bag.” Martín Torrijos has already visited Bush here in the US hence the reciprocal protocol, on the international level is in order. However, how the people of the nation respond is another matter. I believe that they should let their displeasure known; that this should be done in an orderly and disciplined manner; no stones, no burning of effigies, but a mammoth demonstration with the masses physically turning their backs on the man who ordered the killing of their loved ones whenever he appears, if he does, in public.

It is also my view that the Government of Panama should not play a part in Mr. Bush’s attempt to forestall the Bolivarian movement that is beginning to take shape in Latin America and the Caribbean. We should not participate in our own demise. Our responsibility, it seems to me, as a country is to remain firm to the views of Simón Bolívar who envisioned a configuration of Latin American countries with Panama as its capital. Bolívar, with great foresight, excluded the US from that union.

Neither should there be any discussion regarding the return of the US bases to Panama. Let us not, once again, invite a “Mangoose” into the chicken coop!

One final thought, change will never come by simply talking or sending e-mails. If we are serious and desirous of lasting and meaningful change we must develop and keep the mechanism through which we can exert power and influence. That mechanism is a social and political movement. It is one predicated on high moral and political standards. It is one that speaks of the collective or community empowerment and not of individual material aggrandizement. This is not to suggest that individuals will not reap benefits from their participation, not at all, they will --- no one works without pay. The movement for the radical reconstruction of Panama will see to it that the collective community will benefit from its work since it is predicated on Agape and Social Justice which are the pillars of the new egalitarian society. If one existed we would not now be seeking the acceptance of those who historically have despised us.

I am aware that I have written a lot and taken much of your time and I sincerely thank you for your indulgence. However, as I said at the outset, I will continue to speak and not remain silent. Whether what I say is accepted or not is not the question. While that is indeed important, it is not my primary motivation for writing. What, for me is of paramount importance, is that what I say creates an avenue for thought and of alternative ways of viewing what is being offered to us as the proper way of seeking our liberation. I believe that the information that too many of us receive comes from our former enslavers and is designed to keep us in a state of contemporary subservience. If my views force thought --- whether those who read my views agree with me or not --- then I have succeeded.

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