The new:

Panama celebrates its national holidays in November, mired in protests and strikes that have partially paralyzed the country… (bbc.com).

Comment:

Thousands of Panamanians took to the streets to protest. Protest what? Election results? This time, the elections or the economy have nothing to do with it, even if there is no shortage of protest banners, taking advantage of the trip, one might say. The truth is that the reason is now the rejection of the express approval of a contract between the state and a mining company for the exploitation of a large open-cast copper mine. Why are people upset? Does something smell bad in this contract?

It turns out that the contract concerns the copper mining concession to a Canadian mining company. At first glance, this doesn’t seem bad as similar conditions exist for mining in other parts of the world. The concession is for a period of 20 years with the possibility of renewal and the mining company will pay $375 million per year to the Panamanian state. It is also estimated that the mining company will generate around 8 thousand direct jobs and around 40 thousand indirect jobs. So where are the protests coming from?

First, Panamanians do not forget that for years they were occupied by the United States in the Canal Zone. There’s a feeling of, “We don’t want another foreign occupation,” even if it’s just an expansion of the mine. The copper comes from Panama and many people don’t see why it couldn’t be mined with national resources. Some banners said: “Sell Panama. Maximum betrayal.

Second, negotiations with the Canadian mining company began in January 2022 behind closed doors. They continued until March 2023, when the agreement was announced without citizen participation. Faced with rejection from the region’s population, the government accelerated approval of the contract during a brief session of Congress. Where have we seen something similar? The president sought to ease disagreements by proposing a vote to listen to the will of the people. This would take place in December, but many do not believe that it will take place due to the proximity of the 2024 elections, nor that it will be clean due to the alleged commitments already made by the government.

And third, environmental deterioration. The mine is in a protected area and, although the Canadians say they will use noble techniques for extraction, the Panamanians do not want to see damage to aquifers, vegetation or wildlife. A banner brandished by the demonstrators clearly states this: “Nito (nickname of the president who is called Laurentino Cortizo), the gold of Panama is green”. Ecological tourism is profitable in Panama. The citizens want this to continue like this and that is why they are on the streets.

In the coming days, we will see if “Nito” gives in to pressure from the population or looks for something to calm people down, such as promises of non-corruption or environmental deterioration. Leaders must listen to the people, but we must not forget that we are in Latin America.

Sergio Alonso Méndez holds a doctorate in international business from the University of Texas.

salonsomendez@gmail.com