Panama has officially its very own Ministry of Public Security, created by the Ricardo Martinelli’s government, making good on a campaign promise to re-think the country’s security issues .
The new ministry is directly related to U.S. policy to control drug trafficking between Colombia and the U.S. Shakira’s homeland is now the largest producer and exporter of cocaine in the world. U.S., in turn, consumes more than 50 percent of all drugs produced worldwide.
The new ministry will also have responsibility to facilitate data transmission and operational support to the US security forces in Colombia.
The new ministry will control all the repressive forces of the Panamanian State. To that effect it’ll combine the activities of the National Police, Special forces of the Presidency, Air Force and Navy, the Judicial Investigation Directorate (Panama’s FBI), as well as, Immigration and Border Forces. Some U.S. advisers suggested that the Attorney General’s Office be put to the new ministry.
The new entity, which is part of the Cabinet of President Martinelli, replaces the old Defense Forces (FDP) created by Noriega in an effort to concentrate all the repressive law enforcement institutions, back in 1983 .
The centralization of Panamanian law enforcement, allows the U.S. to keep tighter control on the activities of government. Today, Panama allows a total of 11 naval bases on both the Atlantic and Pacific to be used by small patrol boats and U.S. warships. It also draws funds, technology and advice from the U.S. to patrol the border with Colombia.
The new ministry is headed by Jose Raul Mulino, president of the small party the Patriotic Union, a member of the governing alliance. In the new arrangement the former Ministry of Government and Justice, which led the fight against crime rise in Panama, merges with the Ministry of Interior. Everything indicates that this new branch will engage social input by means of community boards, firefighters and the Banda Republicana.
While the U.S. has very clear security goals in Panama, the government of President Martinelli has not decided its policies yet. To date, after 10 months in the presidency, it has managed to keep a high profile favored in the polls. However, it has not really dealt with any public safety issues.
The recent collapse of the garbage collection system is a small indication of the problems the current government faces. Environmental policies, mining and tourism tend to accumulate contradictions that can explode at any moment. Martinelli seems more interested in turning the country into a dubious investment center.
In this context, his government has faced workers and the middle class and more recently questioned the legitimacy of organizations formed in the 1990s. popular subsidy programs the partly inherited from the previous government, have allowed it to retain some credibility. But it appears that the Ministry of Public Security will bring into question the legitimacy of the occupants of the Palacio De Garzas (Panama’s White House).
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