letters

Readers have mostly
local concerns this time

Show more respect for Brother Bosco Vallarino

Mr. Jackson Malo, I understand your article is not about Bosco Vallarino, but you do portray him as a pawn of Mr. Varela and also as a not-too-important possible candidate for the mayoral elections of Panama City. Well, I strongly disagree with you and I also wonder if you know who Mr. Bosco Vallarino is and his political and business background. Have you met him in person? Do you have a relationship with him? Or is this just another scheme to try to supposedly inform your point of view and at the same time favor your favorite candidate, Mr. Bernal?

Mr. Bosco Vallarino is more than a "song and dance man." If you did your research about his background and the capacity his persona has to attract voters, you will also find that he can offer more than the qualities this country and city are looking for in a mayor. He has no shady or doubtful past, he has demonstrated in the public and business arenas what he is capable of accomplishing and he represents hope, and a "non-personal-interest" politician that Panama so desperately needs. Bosco is still young, exuberant and has the determination that very few of the list of possible candidates have, most of them are hungry for power only, and very few want to really work for Panama.

When it comes to bringing about change, a majority of Panamanians know already he can do it. When it comes to charisma, honesty, dignity, I doubt that any of the other candidates can compare to him. Many of them have done things in their past that may come to haunt them if unveiled. Yes, Panama now has at least one candidate that is crystal clear, and that is Bosco Vallarino. And another thing to his advantage is that he CARES about Panama (as much as he did 20 years ago), and he will make sure to get things done for Panama. Bosco stands for democracy and freedom, (unlike other candidates that have not always stood for democracy) and is an icon of these virtues. He may have the Vallarino last name but he is a middle-class hard-working man that was never handed anything in a silver platter. He is good natured, wise and extremely intelligent. Powerful and much needed refreshing qualities after the constant web of lies we're used to listen to from politicians and hopeful candidates.

Mr. Bosco Vallarino may surprise you and all the the other hopeful candidates... just sit and watch. And please remind your other candidates that they may have been initially endorsed by many impressive and future presidential or legislative candidates or politicians but just like with the superdelegates in the United States, they can turn their backs on them, especially now that Bosco has jumped in the wagon. I can assure you that if Bosco wins the primaries in this mayoral race he will be taken seriously because he will draw more than enough capitalinos than any of the other candidates, and yes, it is to his advantage that on top of his great and multiple qualities he can also sing and dance.

I know him like I know myself, I also happen to be his sister!

Editor's note: Can Bosco Vallarino, whom I have yet to personally meet, and who was for many years a member of the conservative MOLIRENA party but hasn't been known to take public positions on political or social issues, convince the opposition in general that he's a serious and viable mayoral candidate? Possibly. He wouldn't be the first entertainer to have some success in politics. However, the norm with people like Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwartzenegger, Glenda Jackson and Melina Mercouri is that they were outspoken about public affairs well before they ran for office. It was also not my intention to dismiss him as pawn of Juan Carlos Varela --- I didn't say that and would expect that like most entertainers, he's an intellectual to whom creative control, in the politics as well as in the arts, is something that matters. But Varela is, after all, the presidential candidate on whose slate Bosco Vallarino is aligned.

Freedom of religion

I’m inclined to agree with almost all of your statements, and close to all on the “patio” politics. Regarding your article on the religious freedom in Panama, I think it is interesting to note that besides the many catholic churches and the protestant temples dotting the country, we have a number of synagogues (the fifth one in the city is being built in Punta Paitilla, expected to be the largest in Central America), a Bahai Temple, an Hindu temple, a Greek Orthodox church, several mosques, etc.

This not only shows the degree of the freedom of religion in this scarcely populated country but the extent of the economic resources of their practitioners, an indication of the economic success of the respective local followers. (The Bahai could be the exception; it was build –I understand- with Iranian funds during the Sha’s regime). Even more, the a-religious, i.e., the atheists, an infinitesimal part of the Panamanians, can “boast” of having once or twice a month the prime opinion space in the Sunday (the Day of the Lord!) newspaper (the one precisely reserved for its founder) with the largest circulation in this country, where they dutifully lavish their bitter mire.

Luis E. Varela C.

Obama and the Iraq War

I applaud Obama's anti-war stance ... before the war. But to make that the cornerstone of his campaign (the benchmark to be used as proof of his superior judgment) is a fatal flaw that is readily exposed when viewed under the microscope of truth. None of us are in favor of war, including Senator Clinton, but of course when you are at war, you back your troops with whatever is necessary, while at the same time seeking realistic solutions leading to peace; not self-serving sound bites. That being said, considering that at the time he wasn't even a US Senator, it is disingenuous, and frankly dishonest of Barack, to now criticize those real Senators who were called upon to make the hard decisions that Senators customarily have to make based on Senate briefings. I doubt that were Barack then in the same position as Senator Clinton, and the rest of the real Senators, he would have disagreed with or opposed General Powell and the Chiefs of Staff. To now say otherwise would add further question to his credibility or preparedness to govern, in that it would demonstrate that he does not respond to the counsel and consensus of more qualified and experienced professional advisers. The war started March 2003, Barack didn't become a US Senator until January 2005 --- 21 months later. It's a lot easier to make decisions when in effect you're standing on the sidelines and essentially playing monopoly; in this case with the free world's future at stake. Ask yourself: Can we afford to experiment again with a candidate that shoots from the lip, and then tries to hoodwink us with claims of infallibility?

Jonathan Freed

Editor's note: Is Senator Clinton, present tense, "in favor of war?" It's an interesting question. However, when the question is posed in the past tense she did, after all, vote to authorize the Iraq War.

Not satisfied with the local Transparency International chapter

As a concerned citizen, I have seen corruption grow without much help from the local chapter of Transparency International. I am searching for information on the whereabouts and the amounts of funds spent by the president on what is called "discretionary funds" handled and managed under the president of Panama. He promised to keep the public informed at its website on the handling of huge amounts of money.

Two previous presidents mishandled and misused funds for their own benefit resulting in a loss of money which is needed for schools, health and food programs.

The local chapter of Transparency International has not done its job for obvious reasons. The individuals don't seem to care being a sensitive issue and of course, the talk about transparency at this time is irrelevant. I have the feeling the Panama Chapter is merely a way to pressure certain political figures but not pursue its main role: to truly combat corruption.

Azucena Fillo Haro