By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - I caught up with the Mayor of Panama City Juan Carlos Navarro this morning at the Ministry of Government and Justice and was able to ask him a few questions about the Pedro Miguel Gonzalez situation. First of all, he (kinda) confirmed my suspicions with regard to the influence and meddling of Ernesto "El Toro" Perez Balladares in this whole mess. "Yes, there is some of that," he said. But even more interesting, he indicated that Pedro Miguel Gonzalez would be resigning before next week. (more)
Indications, Nothing Solid: Politicians are good at talking to journalists, especially long time veterans who know the ropes and know how things work. When I asked Juan Carlos Navarro if he thought Pedro Miguel Gonzalez would resign either for the good of the Partido Revolucionario Democratico (PRD), the nation, or to save the Free Trade Agreement, he said "we came into this week with one situation, and by the time we are starting next week the situation will have changed." Hmmm. Isn't that always the case? Anyway, I took that to mean the Mayor is trying to indicate that at the very least he thinks Pedro Miguel Gonzalez will have resigned before next Monday.The Threesome: I also asked the Mayor about his alliance with Balbina Herrera and Martin Torrijos. He said that he is working together with them and is aspiring to the First Vice Presidency of the PRD, together with Martin Torrijos and Balbina Herrera. Several months ago it became apparent that the three of them have joined forces and for a long time I wondered why. Then, it hit me. Check this out...No Reelection for the Prez: If you're a sitting President of the Republic of Panama you are prohibited by the constitution from running for reelection. You have to sit out two terms in order to be able to take another shot, and that's why Ernesto "El Toro" Perez Balladares is trying to make a comeback now - he's done his mandatory ten years on the sidelines.Balbina For Mayor: As part of this threesome, Balbina runs for the Mayor of Panama City in 2009, and puts off her run for the Presidency until 2014. And as a matter of fact she told me that was her plan herself. When I asked Juan Carlos Navarro is going to be doing for the 2009 elections, he told me that "I'm going to be running for President." So, in effect if you have three young, powerful, and popular PRD politicians, and if you can keep rotating between the three, you can hold onto all of the key positions of power virtually forever or until something stupid happens.Juan Carlos, Balbina, and Martin: Let's see, if Juan Carlos Navarro wins in 2009, and Balbina Herrera wins in 2014, then by 2019 Martin Torrijos would be ready for another go-around. And, between the three of them, they can maintain control of the Secretary General position of the PRD (Martin this time), the President of the PRD (Balbina Herrera this time) and the Vice President of the PRD (Juan Carlos Navarro this time.) Slick. Now, I wonder if that's their plan. It sure looks like it.No Room For Bull: Of course, then we are back to the big, fat, stinking fart in church - what about Ernesto "El Toro" Balladares? This plan leaves him out in the cold, doesn't it? Yup, it sure does. and that's exactly why he's tossing all of the grenades he has in his bag right now, because if this comes together then there really is no more "next time" for El Toro, and he can just go out to pasture to munch on some grass or something. And his biggest grenade is named Pedro Miguel Gonzalez. Stumping for Tourist Visa Reform: Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Mayor Juan Carlos Navarro also spent about five minutes in front of the microphones talking about how Panama needs to change the immigration law regarding tourist visas for people from the United States, Canada, and Europe, and that the change to the law limiting tourist visas to 90 days max was ill advised. He said that if Panama was smart they would make it easier for North Americans to come here and invest, and require strict visa controlled access for Colombians and people from other countries that traditionally bring problems here. He also specifically mentioned the Prima Panama study and applauded it, and recommended that the National Assembly immediately take up this issue to correct the situation regarding tourist visas.And That's Why You Can't Just Bang Your Head: You have to know what the political tea leaves are saying before you go shooting off at the mouth. Sam and Paul and the Prima Panama guys took their report over to the National Assembly and had a sit-down meeting with a "bright young" Deputy named Pedro Miguel Gonzalez. This was a few months ago, and of course Sam and Paul were completely clueless as to the history and background of Pedro Miguel Gonzalez. Now, the tourist visa issue is going to be used as a political hand grenade between the two warring factions of the PRD. Wonderful.Samuel Lewis Navarro, and then Martinelli: If you'll remember, Sam and Paul took their report to Panama's First Vice President and Chancellor Samuel Lewis Navarro in the morning, and in the afternoon they were in the office of (perpetual antagonist) opposition politician Ricardo Martinelli. And then, rather predictably, Martinelli almost tripped over this shoelaces trying to get to a set of television cameras to just slam the current government over the tourist visa issue. The lesson here is if you have a cause and you want help from politicians, then you have to be selective. Denials, All Around: Smooth political move on the part of the threesome, actually. They will just let Pedro Miguel Gonzalez take all of the heat, and in the meantime get anything they want through the National Assembly at light speed. If Pedro Miguel Gonzalez doesn't resign and the Free Trade Agreement falls apart, then he takes all the blame. They can slide some of that off onto Ernesto Perez Balladares through guilt by association - he was in charge when Pedro Miguel Gonzalez was "acquitted." So, the threesome takes the moral high-ground, makes friends with everyone, and lets the other side look like rabid dogs who are barking at the moon or the ghosts of Gringos past. Slick.Copyright 2007 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.
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Indications, Nothing Solid: Politicians are good at talking to journalists, especially long time veterans who know the ropes and know how things work. When I asked Juan Carlos Navarro if he thought Pedro Miguel Gonzalez would resign either for the good of the Partido Revolucionario Democratico (PRD), the nation, or to save the Free Trade Agreement, he said "we came into this week with one situation, and by the time we are starting next week the situation will have changed." Hmmm. Isn't that always the case? Anyway, I took that to mean the Mayor is trying to indicate that at the very least he thinks Pedro Miguel Gonzalez will have resigned before next Monday.The Threesome: I also asked the Mayor about his alliance with Balbina Herrera and Martin Torrijos. He said that he is working together with them and is aspiring to the First Vice Presidency of the PRD, together with Martin Torrijos and Balbina Herrera. Several months ago it became apparent that the three of them have joined forces and for a long time I wondered why. Then, it hit me. Check this out...No Reelection for the Prez: If you're a sitting President of the Republic of Panama you are prohibited by the constitution from running for reelection. You have to sit out two terms in order to be able to take another shot, and that's why Ernesto "El Toro" Perez Balladares is trying to make a comeback now - he's done his mandatory ten years on the sidelines.Balbina For Mayor: As part of this threesome, Balbina runs for the Mayor of Panama City in 2009, and puts off her run for the Presidency until 2014. And as a matter of fact she told me that was her plan herself. When I asked Juan Carlos Navarro is going to be doing for the 2009 elections, he told me that "I'm going to be running for President." So, in effect if you have three young, powerful, and popular PRD politicians, and if you can keep rotating between the three, you can hold onto all of the key positions of power virtually forever or until something stupid happens.Juan Carlos, Balbina, and Martin: Let's see, if Juan Carlos Navarro wins in 2009, and Balbina Herrera wins in 2014, then by 2019 Martin Torrijos would be ready for another go-around. And, between the three of them, they can maintain control of the Secretary General position of the PRD (Martin this time), the President of the PRD (Balbina Herrera this time) and the Vice President of the PRD (Juan Carlos Navarro this time.) Slick. Now, I wonder if that's their plan. It sure looks like it.No Room For Bull: Of course, then we are back to the big, fat, stinking fart in church - what about Ernesto "El Toro" Balladares? This plan leaves him out in the cold, doesn't it? Yup, it sure does. and that's exactly why he's tossing all of the grenades he has in his bag right now, because if this comes together then there really is no more "next time" for El Toro, and he can just go out to pasture to munch on some grass or something. And his biggest grenade is named Pedro Miguel Gonzalez. Stumping for Tourist Visa Reform: Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Mayor Juan Carlos Navarro also spent about five minutes in front of the microphones talking about how Panama needs to change the immigration law regarding tourist visas for people from the United States, Canada, and Europe, and that the change to the law limiting tourist visas to 90 days max was ill advised. He said that if Panama was smart they would make it easier for North Americans to come here and invest, and require strict visa controlled access for Colombians and people from other countries that traditionally bring problems here. He also specifically mentioned the Prima Panama study and applauded it, and recommended that the National Assembly immediately take up this issue to correct the situation regarding tourist visas.And That's Why You Can't Just Bang Your Head: You have to know what the political tea leaves are saying before you go shooting off at the mouth. Sam and Paul and the Prima Panama guys took their report over to the National Assembly and had a sit-down meeting with a "bright young" Deputy named Pedro Miguel Gonzalez. This was a few months ago, and of course Sam and Paul were completely clueless as to the history and background of Pedro Miguel Gonzalez. Now, the tourist visa issue is going to be used as a political hand grenade between the two warring factions of the PRD. Wonderful.Samuel Lewis Navarro, and then Martinelli: If you'll remember, Sam and Paul took their report to Panama's First Vice President and Chancellor Samuel Lewis Navarro in the morning, and in the afternoon they were in the office of (perpetual antagonist) opposition politician Ricardo Martinelli. And then, rather predictably, Martinelli almost tripped over this shoelaces trying to get to a set of television cameras to just slam the current government over the tourist visa issue. The lesson here is if you have a cause and you want help from politicians, then you have to be selective. Denials, All Around: Smooth political move on the part of the threesome, actually. They will just let Pedro Miguel Gonzalez take all of the heat, and in the meantime get anything they want through the National Assembly at light speed. If Pedro Miguel Gonzalez doesn't resign and the Free Trade Agreement falls apart, then he takes all the blame. They can slide some of that off onto Ernesto Perez Balladares through guilt by association - he was in charge when Pedro Miguel Gonzalez was "acquitted." So, the threesome takes the moral high-ground, makes friends with everyone, and lets the other side look like rabid dogs who are barking at the moon or the ghosts of Gringos past. Slick.Copyright 2007 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.
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