The Panama News V.5:14 - Sensible Border Policies/Editl


Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit

source - pmanews@panama.c-com.net (Panama News)

The Panama News v. 5 # 14, editorial


Sensible border policies

One of the fun things in journalism is the riveting report that, using facts
rather than arguments, convincingly disproves a government official's public
pronouncements. Several newspapers and the Telemetro broadcast network
recently scored the reporters' equivalent of the slam dunk, at Government
and Justice Minister Mariela Sagel's expense, when they interviewed FARC
guerrillas in La Miel. Sagel, we may recall, had dismissed reports of armed
Colombian incursions into that part of Panama.

It has once again been established that the Pirez Balladares administration
is an unreliable source when it comes to the situation on our border with
Colombia, but that shouldn't end the debate. To the extent that the
politicians throw a smokescreen over the truth, it's because they don't want
to face up to reality's clear implications. In many cases that reticence, in
turn, is a reflection of public unwillingness to face the facts.

It's easy enough to dismiss die-hard American politicians who point to
Colombian rebels' cross-border escapades and tell Latin American countries
that what's needed is US military intervention in the region. That argument,
which often generates angry responses, does not reflect American public
opinion or official US policy.

However, just because one suggestion is unwise doesn't mean that nothing can
be done. The problem is that the things that should be done would be
unpopular.

After decades of military abuses that ended in a national disaster, we
abolished the army and passed a constitutional amendment mandating a
civilian militia under police command in the event that Panama must take up
arms to defend itself. However, few politicians are willing to risk public
disapproval by taking that defense system seriously and actually putting it
into effect.

The situation on the border is an irritant, especially for those who live
there, but it doesn't justify a war. The guerrillas and paramilitaries have
committed serious crimes on Panamanian soil, but neither seek to occupy any
part of Panama, nor do they aim to topple the government or attack the
canal. Our inability to control the situation, however, could invite more
serious threats.

To insure Panama's safety, we should implement our constitutionally mandated
defense system. That certainly requires the training of civilians who could
be called to serve in an emergency. It may require the creation of militia
units in communities near the frontier. Most of all, it requires honest
public discussion of the threats confronting us.
 
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nytcamer-06.19.99-17:13:27-14815