Government uses tricks to keep controlling the National Assembly

Actualizado 2016/05/24 10:51:39

Jason Morales Valdés/jmorales@epasa.com/@JasonMoralesV

The legislative organ became once again subject of criticism for not playing its auditing role and abiding by the instructions of the Executive, to the point of being granted jobs and administrative duties of the Government.

The interference of the Executive in the decisions of the National Assembly continues to generate tensions while it became known that this time it would be promoting the camouflaged change of political party affiliation of members (transfuguismo).

This concern occurs because from the top of the Government there have been negotiations directly with members of other political parties and dealing important matters.

Yesterday, lawyer and former Ambassador of Panama to the Organization of American States (OAS) Guillermo “Willy” Cochez denounced that President Juan Carlos Varela has supported the camouflaged change of political party affiliation of members.

Cochez revealed that there are contracts of helicopters to benefit Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) legislator Pedro Miguel Gonzalez to perform inspections of social projects, functions that correspond to the Ministers of State.

Pedro Miguel González in the past served as Prosecutor in the actions against high-ranking officials, such as former Court Supreme of Justice (CSJ) magistrate Alejandro Moncada Luna.

On this case, his political ally Zulay Rodríguez accused him, as a Prosecutor in this case, "of following instructions from the top", in reference to his intentions get the Presidency of the National Assembly.

Suscríbete al newsletter #AlDíaConPanamáAmérica

Las noticias que importan directo a tu inbox

However, lawyer Cochez also referred to the offer the Government made to Legislator Javier "Patacón" Ortega, after it was known that his wife is Ambassador of Panama to Belize.

Although legislator Ortega said that the fact that his wife is Ambassador to Belize, "is no problem and that those who attack him for having a wife as Ambassador is the product of envy, because she is a person who comes from very poor roots and who has been successful".

Former Ambassador William Cochez filed a request before the National Authority on Transparency and Access to Information (Antai) so that the contract and use of resources used by members of the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) who supported Rubén of León to the Presidency of this body of the State are investigated.

Cochez argued that he will also submit a complaint to the Office of the Comptroller-General for them to inform him about the amount of the resources of the State that have been used which the jurist qualifies as political patronage; he also filed a appeal of habeas data with the Supreme Court of Justice.

Re-election

About six PRD legislators drifted away from the political line to support the candidacy of Rubén De León, President of the National Assembly, which was questioned as a proof of the “transfuguismo” which in the past President Juan Carlos Varela questioned when he was in the opposition and was a firm critic.