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New news from Panama and not the Canal [1]

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Date: 2023-10-31  

For those of you just joining us from all the other not happy news, a recap with a few more details.

On Friday 20 October, President Cortizo signed the new mine contract with First Quantum, a Canadian company. The current copper mine is huge and there are anecdotal stories that the current mine is causing health concerns for the residents in the vicinity. I have seen this happen in Arizona as some of the mines there contaminated the drinking water to the point that some communities in Arizona have had to bring in drinking water by truck. Such is not the case here in Panama.

Anyway, on Sunday 22 October, we started getting alerts that the public schools would be closed on Monday 23 October. They still are today. Teachers went and are on strike joining thousands of protestors against the new mine contract. This agreement is causing anger for many reasons. Environmental concerns of course. But also indigenous people and their lands and the fact that it seems to be a 40 year long contract. Some interpret the contract to mean that First Quantum will/would be able to look around all over the country for more treasure. And of course the general corruption and wage disagreements for the miners.

Protests began on Monday 23 October. These are sometimes organized marches to government buildings. They are also groups blocking streets and roads with their presence and/or burning tires and the like. President Cortizo spoke to the country on Tuesday 24 October and basically said get over it. The contract is signed and nothing more can be done. Protests continued and got stronger, and of course, violence ensued as well. Vandalism and looting. Tear gas every night in Panama City. Government buildings vandalized and looting of private business. Doctors and dentists joined in the strikes. Businesses have closed out of fear or the fact that employers can not get to work. Many are boarded up. My grocery store has armed security guards now.

On Friday 27 October President Cortizo again spoke to the country for five whole minutes. He said that no more new mine concessions will be made but anything from the current mining contract will remain in place. This seems to be a bit of a capitulation but my Panamanian friends and neighbors believed this was rather without meaning. The President did sign a document right there on TV, but it was thought to be not much as he could sign any other paper to negate that one.

Then on Sunday 29 October President Cortizo spoke again, for about minute and a half. He said that he will request that the Electoral Court call a popular vote for Sunday 17 December for the citizens of Panama to decide if the mining contract should be repealed or not. This will be only the fourth public referendum in Panama in the last 30 years. But, the department of organizing elections/votes is already getting their act together for the regular elections for May 2024. Now generate a brand new vote in six weeks? Maybe, maybe not. There are also cases in front of the Supreme Court but as we all know, those take time.

And here we are today. After a week and a day of protests all across the country many towns are reporting running low on food and completely out of fuel. Holiday parades scheduled for November 3, 4, and 5 have been suspended. I have heard that one mayor of one town has suspended alcohol sales. Nurses will probably join the strike this Thursday. I have heard stories of some “protestors” allow driving through for some money as some of the road blockages have been 24/7. Yesterday the road to Tocumen International Airport was blocked. Some hospitals are getting closer to low supplies of oxygen. The refugees/immigrants coming across through the Darien Gap have not stopped but are probably stopped right in the Darien Province as the one and only road there has been blocked. Yet the Canal is still open albeit far fewer ships. I am only seeing about five a day go through.

My sources are igopanama.com , friends, neighbors, local TV news, and eyesight. (Sometimes I have not been able to get to the grocery store because of people and burning tires. And my Spanish is not what it should be so the local TV news is a bit limited for my understanding.) Many of the working class do not have refrigerators so the food part of this is becoming more than just a problem. The calls for humanitarian routes opening up have been ignored. And yes the irony does not escape me regarding I/P.

So now you know.

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