letters

Readers ponder the big and small issues of our time

Contaminated medicine

Thank you for the timely reporting on the contaminated medicine scandal in Panama. It is dreadful how the CSS has been allowed to deteriorate. This institution is the only safety net many, many Panamanians have to maintain their health and here we have another scandal in this institution. Even if the responsible parties are found and brought to justice, the current environment that allowed this incident to take place will still remain. Tall glittering buildings cannot make up for the lack of strong institutions capable of minding the interest of the common folk. What else might be brewing in the background, yet to see the light of day? Trading competence for expediency is a recipe for disaster. I am afraid my country is heading in that direction.

Fred Braithwaite

Tampa, Florida

The country needs to clean up its act

You have got the best newspaper in the country. Keep it up.

I was reading the letter to Ruben Blades. All very well said. However the two other things in bad need of attention are the garbage and maintenance. We walk the Amador Causeway often and what a beautiful place it could be if it were properly maintained and clean. There is garbage everywhere on the Amador as well as in many towns and neighborhoods. How can we expect tourists to return when they see unsightly mess of trash and uncleanliness! Uncleanliness could constitute a transfer of illness or disease, or provide perfect condition for the dengue bearing mosquito to breed.

Instituting an education campaign would be good for Panamanians to learn cleanliness, and to stop throwing out garbage from bus and car windows. Start with the kids in school.

People become accustomed to seeing trash all over; change that "vision" to have a clean "slate" and clean up after themselves. There are so many campaigns around here to save lives, including breast cancer and children's diseases. Can we clean up this city, and, eventually, the country?

The smell from the bay in Panama City is a whole other issue to be dealt with, as that, also, will add to the disease breeders and tourist turn offs.

H.P.

Should the canal be expanded for post-Panamax ships?

In the near future, to see if the post-Panamax vessels will use the Panama Canal will be decided by the ship users (market forces) that will tend to pick the logistical shipping route with least resistance. So, the critical question is: Will the Panama Canal be able to compete against the Suez Canal for the market segment of post-Panamax ships?

In the other market segment of Panamax and smaller sized ships, although a high percentage of the vessels using the Panama Canal are ships coming from the Far East going to the East Coast of the USA via the Panama Canal, these ships could take an alternate route thru the Suez Canal because the distance from Hong Kong to New York via the Panama Canal is 11215 miles and via the Suez Canal is 11610 miles, a difference of only 395 miles. Before the advent of the global market, ships from the Far East would rather use the Panama Canal over the Suez Canal not only because the Panama route is slightly faster but also because this route has offered a wider variety of ship services to pick from, even though the Suez Canal tolls are lower.

But all of this trend may now be changing with the advent of the new global market.

For the Suez Canal to gain a competitive edge, over the Panama Canal, to transfer cargo with an economy of volume from the Far East to New York, larger post-Panamax ships can be used to gain with the economy of scale. This trend will become more attractive because:

1) The Suez Canal is a sea level canal, that is, less costly to expand and operate than the Panama Canal lock system located in a more difficult terrain (hard rocks at the Continental Divide near Corte de Culebra or Gaillard Cut) to excavate as opposed to sandy soil in the Suez, where a Canal expansion should be easier to do.

2) The Canal Water Time (CWT, average waiting plus processing time for ships using the Panama Canal) is growing as the capacity utilization of the Gatun Locks becomes saturated.

3) The Suez Canal is already highly expanded and can presently handle post-Panamax ships in a one way flowing traffic. When the expansion is finished, the Suez Canal will become a two way simultaneous flowing traffic.

4) Most of the Suez Canal expansion for post-Panamax ships is already paid off, allowing the Suez Canal the capability to drop tolls to help them to increase its market share.

5) The cost to expand the Panama Canal to handle post-Panamax ships, would be many times more expensive than to expand only for Panamax ships and smaller.

So, in order for the Panama Canal to compete in the market segment of post-Panamax ships that includes vessels arriving from the Far East going to the East Coast of the USA, not only would the lock system Panama Canal have to overcome the high cost of expansion that can push for the tolls to double and perhaps even quadruple, but also have to try to compete against the sea level Suez Canal that costs less to operate and expand than the Panama Canal.

Mac C

Questioning the Panama Canal new locks selection

During a public forum on the Panama Canal Modernization Plan held on Wednesday evening, October 4, 2006, at St. Mary’s Church in Balboa, I listened to the words of one of the ACP representatives explaining how the proposed locks with side tanks for the project were selected, the element I consider the key to the project.

As a civil engineer and research scientist with 30 years experience internationally in major offshore oil-related projects, I feel I must share my conclusions regarding that selection.

To kick off the forum, Mr. Fernando Manfredo, ex-administrator of the canal, recalled how the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) had announced that plan with major elements already defined. He emphasized that setting major or critical elements for a project of this magnitude without an open call for proposals was without precedent.

My father, now deceased (founder of the Institute of GeoSciences here), and I had those very same thoughts when, at the end of 2002, the intention to expand the canal was announced in Panama. Seeing the Discovery Channel’s Extreme Engineering program about the project a scant couple of months later magnified and deepened our concern. Along with showing an animation of how the proposed lock concept with side tanks would operate in the Panama Canal, that program declared that mechanical ship lifts were “beyond extreme engineering,” something we saw as a challenge to the engineering profession.

The program also gave us the impression that the process of selecting the locks had concluded; something that we considered unacceptable.

The locks or the ship lifting device are the key and crucial element of the project, given that all that follows depends on what is chosen. Be it the use of water, including future expansion of the watershed, the definition of the optimum size of ship chambers that must be established with the help of the canal operators and shipping companies, the details of the cut and channel deepening, the process and cost of construction, the financing, the impact on future tolls, the methods for controlling saltwater intrusion, the impacts to Gatun Lake and to both oceans, other impacts to the environment, etc. --- all are connected to that selection.

Why, for a project of such magnitude and costs, was the crucial step of a call for proposals skipped?

The purpose of an open call for proposals from the world community of engineers and scientist is precisely to improve the chances of success of the project. There is no way to know what company today has the most capable and creative human resources based on their past projects. To choose a company for design is not at all the same as choosing one for construction. As history demonstrates, Roosevelt and Stevens already knew who was going to build the canal, that we have today, but they searched for experts --- around the world --- to participate in its design.

The Panama Canal and the future of this nation have always been a part of my life and a subject of conversation at our family home in Panama City. My father and I, both engineers with a deep interest in the on-goings of the canal and with a lifetime of relevant experiences, often discussed at length and in great detail the best ways to expand and modernize the canal. The suddenness and manner in which the lock selection was made worried us so much that we decided to finalize the most promising idea for lifting ships non-hydraulically/without water dependence that we had discussed, even though already in 2003 the “de facto” perception that it was “too late” had been established.

I sincerely wish to solve the challenges of today’s canal --- some of which have been with us since the beginning of the last century and the early years of the canal --- and, driven by that interest, from that moment I focused myself. I invented a system considering the specific challenges of the canal to be overcome. To confirm my design I made scale models and conferred with experienced colleagues, I filed for patents, and my concept has raised interest here in Panama and internationally. Even though there had not been a call for proposals, I requested a meeting with the ACP and presented the concept to them. At the conclusion of my presentation they thanked me for the visit, but informed me that, sadly, the concept arrived too late for consideration and, besides, by virtue of it being mechanical, it was excluded from consideration anyway.

There has been a perception from the beginning that alternatives designed to resolve the specific challenges of the Panama Canal were not adequately sought for this project. Canal specifications for new alternatives were not publicly issued, yet some nonetheless presented new concepts --- after the 2002 announcement where the key element of the canal was already defined in advance --- and were dismissed for being too late. What’s more, an entire category of alternatives was eliminated because EXISTING mechanical ship lifts could not meet the requirements of the Panama Canal. That is exactly why previous administrations recommended finding NEW alternatives. They already knew that existing alternatives, both hydraulic and mechanical, would not be adequate.

It is logical then, that despite the years dedicated to that crucial element, the locks with side tanks concept continues to be a “concept”, suggesting that there are significant details yet to be confirmed. Furthermore, it is not definite that the concept will in fact be feasible. There are several examples of issues that show that, due to the size of the system, the concept as applied in this case is experimental, which implies there are technological and operating risks. It remains to be seen what problems can be satisfactorily overcome.

The situation reminds me of a time I picked an orange from a tree in Boquete. When I peeled it, I found it full of worms. I had no option but to toss it and pick another… but that one I chose inspecting it much more closely. Stevens had to redesign the original canal. He set aside what was intended to be built, and while Gorgas sanitized the Isthmus of Panama, Stevens created a new solution that resolved the challenges they were faced with in those times.

All indications are that there is a need for a pause to reflect and discuss the issues in order to truly decide the future needs of the canal --- and of the country of Panama --- and how to proceed. It is known that the canal needs certain improvements. Those can be carried out, while the necessary time is invested in evaluating new options, identifying the real risks of each one, along with their benefits. Then, as a society, Panamanians can decide what is truly in their best interests. It is not too late for the ACP --- with significant resources and many experts at their disposal --- to fully evaluate other ship-lifting options that could come as a result of an open call for proposals to the world engineering and scientific community.

Taking advantage of these kinds of efforts, as is done in first world countries, Panama could use the opportunity to involve universities with grants for studies in which students investigate different aspects of the various options. In that way, men and women of the country would be trained, graduating with state-of-the-art knowledge with which they could compete in the world market. Panama and its population --- in addition to the canal --- would benefit from the deep and personal commitment of professionals that are created in this way. Such opportunities are lost when those investigations are relegated to others.

Everyone in Panama wants the best for the country and their vote is their opportunity to participate in what will affect their personal and their nation’s future. The question is not if the canal should, or should not, be modernized. The question is if the solution is acceptable.

Bert G. Shelton

Research scientist & engineer

 “Yes” campaign mudslinging

In an investigation about the history of the transition of the canal, which was done in 2002 at the ACP, I learned that engineer Tomás Drohan lost his job at the canal after a heated argument with administrator Alberto Alemán Zubieta. The content of that discussion was basically that engineer Drohan woudn’t accept the authority of the Panamanian administration. Engineer Drohan left the administrator’s office with threats that he would dedicate himself to discrediting the Alemán canal administration in the media. Evidently he kept his promise!

Ana Elena Porras

Editor’s note: Whether the content of this letter are true or not, one of the reasons why The Panama News endorsed a “no” vote is precisely this sort of snotty personal attack that was dished up in great quantities to the Panamanian people in lieu of any reasoned defense of the Torrijos - Alemán Zubieta Plan when it was criticized by people who do know what they’re talking about. Drohan was consulted about this letter and he replied: “Dear Mr. Jackson, Thank you for your courtesy. I am getting used to these inaccurate and unfounded personal attacks. My only comment is VOTE NO el 22 de octubre. Best regards, Tomás Drohan Ruiz, Ciudadano Panameño con  Cédula 8-99-875”

The bagel shop

I am writing from the united State, my name is Yamileth Smith, and I read  the Panamanian news every because I want to keep in touch with my roots.  It  is sad sometimes to read bad news, but it is worse to read comments about  Americans moving to Panama and opening new businesses to help the economy. Why not start a Panamanian business? Why bagels? Not even in the USA does everybody like bagels, unless you are from up north. The writer of the article talks about the salt, and goes on talking about things that are not part of the Panamanian cultural. I know he can write about things that he might think are worth  the time of the readers, but the truth is he just wants to advertise his friend’s business, and my question is: Why not advertise a regular own Panamanian business if you want to support the economy of the country? When you move to a new place you try to get used to it and NOT change it. BAGELS --- please, tell you friend to open an OJALDA shop, and I guarantee he will stay in business.

Editor’s note: One well established aspect of life in Panama City is that the culture is very international. Looking at my waistline I probably shouldn’t do it, but breakfast for me often includes the fried bread and other frituras that are typically part of our cuisine. But I like all sorts of other things as well, and will not restrict the dining section coverage to just a narrow slice of our rich culinary culture. I am glad to sell bakeries or most other business advertising, but the dining section articles are not paid ads. If I run an ad that takes on something appearing to be the format of an article, it will always be clearly identified as an ad because that is one of the ethical policies of this publication. Those establishments that get reviewed in the dining section of The Panama News are the ones that catch my interest and upon further investigation offer something worthy to write about. If I try a place and find nothing to recommend it then I just don’t review it. And by the way, New York Bagels did find a supply of the right kind of salt, so you can now get salt bagels there too. Eric Jackson, cédula 3-721-1318.

About a story we didn’t cover

I received some requests for information and a query about why I have not covered the presence in Panama of Jenna Bush, the daughter of the US president. One of the local daily newspapers caught her with a zoom lens and it was reported in various media that she’s doing an internship with UNICEF that takes her here and to other Latin American countries.

Had these facts not been reported elsewhere and I learned them exclusively for The Panama News I would not have reported them. Jenna Bush is not a public figure. She’s not running for public office, nor has she called a press conference or otherwise sought publicity for herself while in Panama. As a matter of editorial policy The Panama News believes that public figures have the right to private lives into which the news media ought not to intrude, and that the children of public figures ought to be allowed to go about their lives in peace and privacy.