Protest in Panama against a controversial contract to a Canadian mining company. Photo: Roberto Cisneros/AFP.
Panama is facing a wave of protests as the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) of Panama analyzes the constitutionality of the controversial contract between the Panamanian State and a Canadian mining company. The protests are the largest in decades and they have already caused millions of dollars of economic losses.
For days, groups of demonstrators have been camping out in front of the CSJ to pressure the magistrates to rule in favor of society and end the crisis.
Los centros regionales y las extensiones de la Universidad de Panamá manifestaron su desacuerdo con el contrato minero.
Al igual que la marcha universitaria del miércoles en la capital, le exigen a la Corte Suprema de Justicia, un pronto fallo de inconstitucionalidad. pic.twitter.com/Y5oPyzfJxZ— Eduardo Flores C. (@eflorescastro) November 24, 2023
On October 20, the government of President Laurentino Cortizo signed Law 406, which renewed for 20 years the contract between the Panamanian State and Minera Panamá, a subsidiary of the Canadian mining company First Quantum Minerals, permitting the company to exploit an open-pit copper mine in the Donoso forest, in the province of Colón.
The measure has been widely condemned by Panama society. Protesters consider it a threat to the country’s biodiversity and point out that Law 106 does not overcome the flaws that motivated the Supreme Court of Justice, in 2017, to declare a previous initiative unconstitutional.
In the midst of the protests, Minera Panamá, which announced on Monday possible temporary suspension of its operations, asked the Court to dismiss the appeals, claiming that the contract is not unconstitutional. It also claimed that there is “political pressure [on the court] to rule in favor of the plaintiffs.”
The contract is about “selling the country”
The protesters consider that the contract is unconstitutional. They allege that it is about “selling the country,” that it threatens sovereign interests and endangers the tropical forests.
The protests—where tempers flared after the murder of two demonstrators by a US national—are keeping the country semi-paralyzed. Labor consultant René Quevedo said in an interview that 70% of the jobs in the country require physical presence of the workers, and therefore mobility restrictions caused by the protests may lead to unemployment.
According to Quevedo, in November “micro, small, and medium-sized companies have lost 10% of their production, and 15,000 temporary jobs in shopping malls have been terminated,” so he estimates that 50,000 jobs will be lost if uncertainties continue.
(RT)
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/DZ/BLA
