Monday
Monday 7th April 2025.
April 6, 2025
A presidential invitation, which culminated in a luncheon on Saturday, April 5, has placed several deputies from the Vamos coalition and the Movimiento Otro Camino (Moca) party under public scrutiny. The meeting, organized by President José Raúl Mulino , was attended by some members of both political groups, although not all attended. This nuance has created an internal rift.
On the one hand, there are those who were invited and attended, while on the other, there are those who received the invitation but decided not to attend. Then there are those who weren’t even considered. In these three groups, some decided to speak to this media outlet, each presenting their version of events, while others chose to ignore the messages and calls.
In the case of Vamos, the head of the party , Janine Prado , was consulted , and she emphasized that, for the moment, no formal meeting has been called to discuss the issue, although she left open the possibility that one could happen.
“A new week begins tomorrow, and then, well, we’ll evaluate,” he explained. “I think it would be important for each of them to exhaust the arguments for why they made or didn’t make their decision,” he added.
For Vamos, Betserai Richards, Jhonathan Vega, Manuel Samaniego, Augusto Tuto Palacios, Carlos Saldaña, Jorge Bloise, and Manuel Cheng participated in the luncheon . Others, such as Paulette Thomas, Neftalí Zamora, and Roberto Zúñiga , received invitations but did not attend.
Speculation about a possible expulsion of those attending the meeting with Mulino was categorically denied. “That is completely false. No one has been told this anywhere,” Prado emphasized. “I think you can see what I have said clearly,” he insisted.
What bothered the party leader most wasn’t the meeting itself, but the context in which it took place. “I didn’t think it was appropriate to attend a meeting that was being biased, limited only to the representatives who voted in favor of the Social Security Fund law,” she argued.
When asked whether the deputies had the green light to attend, the response was diplomatic but direct. “They are free to do whatever they want with their time. The position of both myself as leader of this group and the coalition itself is clear in the Vamos statement and in my own words,” she emphasized.
When asked about the internal climate within Vamos, Prado downplayed the tensions: “This is part of any democracy. There are different opinions in every group. And dissent is valid in a democracy, especially among independent representatives.”
La Prensa contacted the seven Vamos representatives who attended the president’s lunch, but only Richards commented on the matter. The others remained silent. According to Richards, his position has always been to work with the 71 representatives to solve the country’s problems. “And it’s not just with the representatives, but with the executive branch, so that the country can move forward. It was a cordial meeting with the representatives and the president,” he said.
In his opinion, in order to move forward, the country must avoid sectarian themes in politics. “Panamanians have high expectations for the new Assembly and the Executive Branch, but unfortunately, the population is not satisfied. To move forward, we must put aside political affiliations. Colleagues are free to express their opinions on the meeting, but it was not a secret, nor were political issues discussed,” he added.
So, time will tell whether this luncheon will become a turning point or just another episode in the turbulent national politics. What is evident, however, are the tensions that exist between the Vamos and Moca representatives.
First from the Presidency, then from the Foreign Ministry. Panama has signaled its distancing from China following complaints from the United States (US), which has accused the Asian power of exerting influence over the isthmus and its Canal.
President José Raúl Mulino directly stated that “there are no talks, nor will there be, with Beijing to resume the Belt and Road Initiative, also known as the Silk Road . In the same tone, he described the agreement as “a problem” from which the country has distanced itself. The abandonment of the initiative was announced after a visit by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio last February.
Although for China the initiative represented a strategic way to expand its commercial presence in Latin America, the US has perceived it as a threat to its hegemony in the region . The same logic has been applied to the ports of Balboa and Cristóbal, concessioned to the Hong Kong-based company CK Hutchison (CKH) and located at the ends of the Panama Canal.
Then, the geopolitical scene began to move . CKH was scheduled to sell up to 90% of its shares to a conglomerate led by the US investment firm BlackRock. But the agreement was not signed on the agreed date , following an alleged blockade attempt by Beijing. In the struggle between the powers, Panamanian ports were caught in the middle.
However, Mulino has not ruled out the transaction going through , as he also said that his team of advisors “is exploring different possibilities” for the completion of the transaction and CKH’s exit from the country. At the same time, he acknowledged that he has little documentation on the purchase and sale process, but explained that the Panamanian government maintains a line of communication with all parties involved.
But the Chinese embassy in Panama has accused Washington of sowing discord in bilateral relations with the isthmus. Furthermore, despite Mulino’s optimism regarding the port transaction, the Chinese diplomatic mission has warned that “China has always categorically opposed practices that use economic coercion and hegemonic abuse to harm the legitimate interests and rights of other countries.”
The reference to the transaction also comes within a global context where the US has attacked global trade. Washington imposed tariffs of 34% on Chinese products , a measure that Beijing denounced before the World Trade Organization (WTO). Panama has also not escaped the tariff distribution, which was set at 10% for its products.
Amid Washington’s reluctant measures against the globe, Panama awaits a visit from U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on April 7.
These days, naval, air, and land exercises with the U.S. armed forces are also being carried out in Panama, in what has been dubbed Operation Panamax 2025 , to design strategies to address potential threats to the Canal’s security . These actions will place Panama in Washington’s orbit and further distance it from Beijing.
The Social Security Fund (CSS) described as “irresponsible” a comment published by former Attorney General and former Congresswoman Ana Matilde Gómez on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
Gómez’s statement referred to alleged information shared with him, according to which the Revenue Service had received instructions to issue clearances to a significant number of “delinquent business owners.”
César Herrera, national executive director of Finance for the CSS, responded in an official statement: “It is irresponsible for a lawyer who served as Attorney General to spread opinions based on rumors shared with her by others . ”
The statement emphasizes that the Social Security Administration is willing to support any complaint filed with the competent authorities , provided it is supported by evidence.
The CSS also warned that unfounded comments spread on social media undermine public confidence in efforts to make institutional management transparent .
Ana Matilde Gómez, in addition to having served as Attorney General and Congresswoman, was an independent presidential candidate in the 2019 general elections.
The Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Panama (CCIAP) harshly criticized the sectors that have called for a new strike in the education sector after Easter.
“How long are we going to continue gambling with the future of our young people? It’s simply unacceptable that students continue to miss classes due to union decisions. Education can no longer be held hostage by private interests,” the union said in a statement released on Sunday, April 6.
According to the CCIAP, a country’s development is built on the foundation of continuous, quality education adapted to the times.
However, the reality facing Panama reveals a system with profound flaws, both in infrastructure and curriculum content.
“It’s not just about having schools open; it’s about having decent classrooms, with resources, with trained and committed teachers, and with a curriculum that prepares students for the challenges of the modern world,” he noted.
The teachers’ unions, meeting in a national assembly on Saturday, agreed to an indefinite strike starting next Wednesday, April 23, three days after Easter.
The measure, indicated the teachers’ leaders, is in rejection of Law 462, reforming the Social Security Fund (CSS) .
The National Council of Private Enterprise (CONEP) also recently criticized the disruptions to classes by public sector educators.
“The strikes promoted by education unions have no basis whatsoever,” he said.
On the other hand, the CCIAP emphasized that, despite the current difficulties facing the public education sector, there are efforts worth highlighting. Such is the case of the work being carried out by the Specialized Higher Technical Institute (ITSE) .
Recently, ITSE’s Educational Management presented to the CCIAP Board of Directors and its members the progress made in implementing its short-cycle higher education model, with a “clear vision of connecting academia with the productive sector.”
“Thanks to the Academia-Industry Collaborative Training agreement, signed in 2021, ITSE students in their final year of training do internships in private companies, offering them experiential laboratories where they can apply their knowledge in real-life scenarios. Eight out of ten students leave with jobs, one continues their training, and the other starts a business. So, this is a ten-out-of-ten result,” the union stated.
The Panama Canal is going through a favorable period thanks to a combination of sporadic rainfall during the first three months of the year and efficient management of the water resources collected in the reservoirs .
Currently, the level of Gatun Lake—the main source of freshwater for the Canal’s operations —is at its highest point in recent history, a contrast to the difficult situation experienced a year ago, when drought forced a reduction in draft and a restriction on the number of daily vessel transits through the waterway.
According to Ayax Murillo Burgos , Hydrology Manager of the Panama Canal Authority (ACP), Gatun Lake is at 86.50 feet, compared to the 80.35 feet recorded for this same date in 2024. This increase of more than six feet represents a volume of water equivalent to the Alajuela reservoir in its entirety, and translates into an additional reserve key to maintaining the continuity of service.
The Panama Canal is the only waterway in the world that operates with fresh water for navigation, making its conservation and management strategy even more relevant.