Friday
Friday 6th September 2024.
September 5, 2024
President José Raúl Mulino expressed his discontent with the group of deputies belonging to the Vamos coalition, due to the votes against the ratification of Dino Mon as the new director of the Social Security Fund (CSS) in the National Assembly on September 4. He called them “kids.”
“These kids, who were not even born in my time, are now coming up with these arguments. It seems that they are simply copying others,” the president commented.
“I am deeply saddened that a caucus of 20 members does not take advantage of its influence… Everyone is looking for a rope to hang themselves from.”
The leader of Vamos, Janine Prado, responded to the president from the plenary session of the National Assembly. She said that the President’s statements were disrespectful and false. “Panama deserves a president who accepts dissent,” she said.
Prado said she was not a “little girl” because she has an 18-year-old son and has led companies for more than 30 years. “But if they are going to call me a little girl for seeking consensus, peace, the best for Veraguas and for the country, well, I will be the best little girl in the world.”
The Veraguas representative concluded by saying that “the children are also Panamanians and the real childishness is to disrespect those who have a different opinion.”
Another MP who reacted to the President’s statements was MP Patsy Lee, who said that President Mulino must respect the separation of powers.
Lee believes that the appointment of the CSS director was also imposed by the Executive. “That is why I ask for respect for the entire Vamos bench, showing solidarity with you, because I think that you must demand respect in order to receive it.”
For her part, Yamirelis Cheng recalled that the independent bench was the one who supported the amount of $500 thousand to process the budget and travel expenses abroad.
Meanwhile, Lenin Ulate, a deputy for Vamos, said that they are a group that has always built bridges to generate consensus.
In a new chapter of the political exchange, the former deputy and leader of the coalition “Vamos”, Juan Diego Vázquez , has responded to the recent statements of President José Raúl Mulino . In his speech, Vázquez did not hesitate to refute the epithets and questions launched by the president towards the bench he represents.
Mulino, in a derogatory tone, had referred to the members of the “Vamos” bench as “kids,” a label that, according to Vázquez, has already been used in the past by other politicians such as Roberto Ábrego and Benicio Robinson .
“I think that he is the one who is copying,” said Vázquez, while stressing that there are no “kids” in his party, and that those who resort to insults to win a debate do so because they lack arguments.
In his statement, Juan Diego also questioned the legality of the vote in the National Assembly, suggesting that the session was reopened irregularly after it had been officially closed. “The vote is closed, the result is read, and it cannot be reopened for anything in the world,” he said, suggesting that the maneuver could have been a strategy to manipulate the result.
The former deputy also responded to President Mulino’s criticism of Vamos’ alleged refusal to support certain government initiatives, stating that the party has backed approximately 80% of the president’s proposals.
However, Vázquez defended the right of his party to oppose certain appointments that they considered controversial, such as the appointment of directors with conflicts of interest or managers who granted themselves questionable benefits.
Regarding communication between the Executive and the Assembly, Vázquez acknowledged the importance of a fluid dialogue, but criticized the way in which such communication has been attempted to be established, pointing out that the president of the bench never committed to supporting President Mulino’s requests.
Finally, Vázquez questioned the president’s attitude in insulting 20 deputies, asking rhetorically: “What kind of mediator is that?” According to the former deputy, this type of action reflects who is really acting immaturely in national politics.
With this response, Juan Diego Vázquez not only defends his party, but also launches a strong criticism of President Mulino’s political style, reaffirming his commitment to the principles that guide the “Vamos” coalition.
Panamanian soccer had a turning point on Wednesday, September 4, after charges were brought against former national team goalkeeper Oscar McFarlane and soccer players Lilio Mena and Rolando Gumbs for alleged crimes against economic order in the form of financial crimes, for being involved in match-fixing in the Panamanian Football League (LPF) and the Prom League .
Judge Sandra Castillo ordered McFarlane to be placed in preventive detention , while Mena and Gumbs were prohibited from leaving the country, signing in periodically on the 15th and 30th of each month, and were prohibited from speaking to witnesses.
Castillo made this decision after prosecutor Reinier Rivas managed to legalize the arrest and the filing of charges.
During the indictment, Rivas pointed to McFarlane as the person who contacted the players to offer them money, with the aim of interfering in the results of the matches.
McFarlane, 43, dressed in a teal sweater with Pablo Escobar’s face and the number 100 on it, listened as the prosecutor commented on the wiretaps and interviews of several players against him.
Among these footballers were Carlos Escobar , Camilo Villegas and Jean Montenegro .
The prosecutor explained that Escobar opposed the offer because of McFarlane’s background.
Villegas reportedly told him that he was contacted by McFarlane to ask him to allow him to score two goals in the first half of a match in exchange for $10,000.
During the arraignment, McFarlane and Mena expressed interest in a plea agreement and cooperation with the Prosecutor’s Office Against Organized Crime, but after two recesses granted by Judge Castillo, the parties were unable to reach an agreement.
Gerardo Payares , Mcfarlane’s lawyer, suggested paying $400, at a rate of $2.00 for 200 days, but the proposal was not accepted by the prosecutor.
McFarlane earns between $150 and $200 a week as an Uber driver, according to his lawyer. The goalkeeper has been in his ninth year and has three children.
Gumbs said he earns between $300 and $400 a month, lives with his mother, and studied until the tenth grade; while Mena went to the eleventh grade of school and earns $600 a month.
As Judge Sandra Castillo delivered her decision , McFarlane leaned his head on the table three times and put his hands to his face. He moved from side to side. He looked restless.
Castillo made the decision to provisionally detain McFarlane because he had previously been prosecuted for possession of weapons and drugs, and because he had been “given the opportunity to do community service.”
As for Mena and Gumbs , the judge considered that it was sufficient that they report and sign on the 15th and 30th of each month, since the prosecution was unable to support the charges.
Mena and Gumbs ‘ expressions changed immediately. They smiled when they learned that they were free, but only with the restriction of leaving the country. They are also not allowed to have contact with witnesses.
Payares, representing McFarlane, appealed the judge’s decision.
The complainant, Eduardo Guevara , representative of the LPF, appealed the measure granted to Gumbs .
This hearing is scheduled for September 19, at the Superior Court of Appeals , in Plaza Fortuna.
Former deputy and one of the managers of the independent movement Vamos , Juan Diego Vásquez , launched harsh criticism of the president of the National Assembly , Dana Castañeda, for not publishing the list of that State Body.
According to Vásquez, the president speaks of “a new Assembly” but to date has not provided the July and August 2024 payroll to the Transparency and Access to Information Authority (Antai) .
“What is the president hiding? Have you already broken the bottles as you promised? Or are you just removing people to bring in the new ones?” wrote Vásquez on the social network X.
The former deputy urged the new director of Antai, Sheyla Castillo, to put the spotlight on this issue, as he considers her a “professional and serious woman.”
“How long are we going to allow the National Assembly to violate the law and hide its misuse of money?” asked Vásquez.
Roberto Zúñiga, a deputy from the Vamos party, recalled that he sent formal notes to the president of the Assembly on two occasions to inform her about the management of the payroll in this new administration. In addition, in various interventions during the plenary session he has requested transparency in the hiring of personnel.
“He has not given me any answers,” the deputy said on Thursday, September 5.
At the beginning of his administration, Castañeda announced the removal of more than 300 “bottles” and the elimination of the controversial 172, which included some 2,500 people.
After that, the Assembly was left with 2,799 officials last August. However, on the list are people who arrived with the new administration and others who have been connected to the Justo Arosemena palace for decades.
Panama will become part of Mercosur as an associate state at the next Summit of Presidents of this bloc of countries.
This was reported by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in a statement, which indicates that the commitment was reaffirmed during the strategic tour of the Panamanian delegation to Brazil, which was headed by Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha , together with Ministers Julio Moltó and Roberto Linares , and the president of the Foreign Relations Commission of the National Assembly, Joan Manuel Guevara .
President José Raúl Mulino announced on Thursday his intention to “accelerate” the process for Panama to become a “partner” of the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) in December.
” We are going to step on the accelerator so that Panama will be part of it in December. I hope and trust that with the support of friendly countries and under the leadership of Brazil, which has opened that door and extended a helping hand, we will be partners of Mercosur and that will greatly enhance the scale of our country, because those are other leagues,” he said in his weekly appearance.
As part of the process, Panama must first finalize a trade agreement and formalize it before the Latin American Integration Association (Aladi), no later than December 2024.
“Since Panama and all Mercosur countries are members of ALADI, the signing of a framework Economic Complementation Agreement is being considered. This agreement will focus on promoting economic and trade cooperation, with emphasis on areas such as services and investments, which will allow for gradual and beneficial integration for all parties involved,” said the MICI.