A Victory in Disguise

I know that you were all on the edge of your seats wondering the fate of my dear Ngäbes in their battle to prevent the mine at Cerro Colorado from being exploited. Over the past several weeks, more protests were called and the highway was blocked for longer periods of time. Ngäbes and Bugle people demanded that the government revoke the mining reform law that instigated the whole problem and agree not to pursue any mineral projects on any protected lands designated for indigenous people.

And then the weirdest thing happened – they got exactly what they asked for.

The day before more protests were scheduled on Feb 15, President Ricardo Martinelli came on the radio to announce that the mine at Cerro Colorado would not be opened. Then he later added, that he guaranteed that the mine would not be opened during the term of his presidency, which ends in 2014. Well, that wasn’t good enough for the ambitious Ngäbes because they still took to the streets to demand that the whole mining law be revoked and that Martinelli himself come to the Comarca to negotiate the terms of reforming the reform and agree to sign a new law that prohibits foreign companies from pursuing any projects on land within any indigenous reservation. Well, the Martinelli government did not concede, and protests continued for the next couple of weeks.

Photo Caption: No a la mina – No to the Mine. Someone in Chichica was eager to let people know how they feel about the mine, anonymously, of course.

After blocking the Interamericana Highway from Vigui through San Lorenzo for three days straight on Feb 24, 25, and 26, and causing an estimated $8 million in lost economic activity, leadership from the national government signed an agreement with the protestors to renegotiate the details of the reform law. Negotiations took place starting on March 1, and then on March 2, Martinelli flew unannounced to the location of negotiations, declared that the law would be revoked and promised to make a law guaranteeing that no foreign projects in indigenous regions.

Whoa, whoa, this sounds too good to be true! A few months ago, Martinelli personally announced that he was prepared to accept contract proposals from international companies interested in pursuing mining operations. Fourteen companies submitted contracts and several started committing money to the affected communities (including bringing presents to kids during Christmas.) Why would this business-friendly president intentionally disregard the proposals from these multinationals?  This is a man that owns the largest grocery chain in the country, and didn’t give up his shares when he became president. This is a man that has produced TV commercials that advertise the national government that have an actual jingle – Vamos Bien! (We’re going good!) Why did he suddenly change his mind? I am afraid that we will never know. I suspect that he’ll announce the he is trying to run for president for life, or that he will go on some eco-friendly spending binge to improve Panama’s global reputation.

Lastly, why is no one questioning his executive power to eliminate a law passed in the legislature, and promise to write a new law based on executive order? I pointed this out to one of my favorite old campesinos, Venero, that I always talk politics with and he just looked at me like I was crazy, as if he wanted to say “it doesn’t matter that he is acting like a ludicrous dictator, we got exactly what we wanted.”

Venero’s got a point. After all, beggars can’t be choosers. I mean, what were they supposed to do? Take the street and demand that the law be revoked per the laws of the constitution? What a silly idea.