Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - June 13, 1974, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press. Thursday june 13, 1974 participation Isle note for panamanian a. Of film in Dill i in will full of Tea ill i do Messuro Oil him to i Cut by Flikki Shaw Panama City tons at first glance Gen. Omar Torrijos Panama s Duel of slate looks like a latin american military strongman in the traditional Mold. Standing at Parade dres Acu in carefully tailored and pressed fatigues he receives delegations peasants with an almost regal air. But the first impression is superficial. Gen. Tov Jos policies and style of governing Are closer to those of Cuba s Fidel Castro or maybe Louisiana s Huey Long than any other latin Ameri can military Leader present. Travelling to the remotest parts of the country in a Heli copter the 45-year-old general spends hours meeting with the peasants workers local. 01 facials indians and students. Participation is the keynote of Torrijos government. Under a new Constitution approved in 1972, elected leaders of Small local districts participate in decision making on the local provincial and National Levels or the country which has a popu lation of 1.5 million. But while he gets much of his Energy and inspiration from dose Contact with the people it is still Gen. Torn Jos who runs the dictatorial Powers he assumed in a coup in 1968 which were approved by the voters in the 1972 election. In the More than five years he has ruled Gen. Torrijos has radically changed the govern ment s priorities. He has made heavy investments in Socia programs and Rural develop intent without altering Panama s Trade and business oriented Economy. On the emotional Issue of the Panama canal Gen. Torrijos has managed to gain the sup port of virtually All panamanians and has conducted negotiations with the United states hat appear to be leading to Jve Lual agreement on a new anal treaty. Gen. Torrijos sees himself As of a new Breed if military ruler. The image of the stupid general is disappearing in Atin he said in an Etc View at his modest Beach Louse at the former . Mill Ary base at Rio Halo 60 Miles Outh West of Panama City. At the base Gen. Terri Jos has set up a. Basic training Camp for the National which serves As Panama s army Navy air Foice and poke As Well As a military Ligh school for Bright youths class rom lower and Middle families. The purpose of the school is to capture the general said. The Man who wears a uniform must have Talent. Unlike some countries where it is forbidden to think i m looking or people who do students at the High school Are trained in practical Fields agronomy and Engineer our education has been based on humanistic principles far too Gen. Torrijos said. Humanism never fed Spond to their complaints. The first Stop was the head quarters of the banana workers Union a Frame build ing with a screened meeting room to let in the Ocean Breeze. For More than four hours Gen. Torrijos and his ministers listened to reports on the run Ning of a Small banana Planta Tion that had been taken Over by the government. They also heard about the construction of new schools plans for a work study program at p local High school and problems of sewage disposal and Road construction. At the same time Gen. Toi Rijos Secretary handed my let ters and requests for personal favors from people in the Hall. The Secretary said later that in most cases the general granted the request on the spot sometimes sending a Telegram to Panama City to enforce the Gen. Torrijos Mobile popu 1st form of government has r o u g h t Many important changes to Panama according to panamanian and foreign sources Here and in washing Ion. The government has enacted a labor code constructed schools and health centres in Remote areas built Low income housing in the cities Panama reportedly e n o r c e s its tax Isis More efficiently now than most other latin american countries. The Economy has grown an average of eight per cent annually in the past decade. Gen. Torrijos has not changed the past governments policy of taking full advantage of the country s strategic location for International Trade. He has enacted Laws to encourage the establishment of iteration Al Banks Here like ing. Anybody or developed a to demonstrate the importance of our dialogue with the Gen. Torrijos recently invited a group of touring . Newspaper editors to go with him to the banana port of puerto Armuelles on the Pacific coast near the Border with Costa Kica. He took few body guards along because he said if there arc too Many soldiers along the people Are afraid to talk. Instead Gen. Torrijos was accompanied by several of. The Bright Young civilian technocrats who make up his Ca Binet to hear what the banana workers had to say twelve years ago there were six. Now there arts 58. peaceful Resolution appears be largely social with Darker skinned Middle and lower class panamanians moving into the Posi tins of Power formerly held by a few Rich families of euro Pean descent. Gen. Torrijos appears to have effectively neutralized potential opposition from the left. While political parties have been declared the communist and Christian democratic parties function As organizations without participating in elections. Revolution minded students Are sent to the Countryside to teach the peasants. We find that most of them Are Good at ideals but not so Good at said Panama s pres ident Demetrio lakas a. Large affable Texas educated Man who is a close Friend of Gen Torrijos. The general Haft not found it quite so easy to weaken his opponents on the right the Rich businessmen whose families ruled Panama since it became Independent in 1903. The businessmen Are reluctant to make specific criticisms of the government saying they fear their holdings will be nationalized or they will be forced into exile. They Point out that the government has forced one news paper to change editors and prohibited the establishment of a new one. Some charge that opponents of the government have been jailed. Can t you see we Are afraid to said a Law professor at a Lun Cheon of the National Council of private Enterprise when asked about his specific complaints against the government. Other observers say the Council is still a powerful Niza Tion. It complains that the government docs not consult it in making economic policy but a new housing Law was revised recently after the Council objected to parts of it. Flying Back from puerto a much los Gen. Torrijos ridiculed this businessmen s com plaints. When they ruled we never had Freedom of expression he said. Now they have Freedom of opinion but no Freedom to defend their vested grabbing a reporters notebook he carefully printed what is Good for the oligarchy never is Good for the while the guests at his Beach House drank Beer and swatted Sand flies Gen. Torrijos made phone Calls from a Hammock quizzed an officer about the Progress of the military High school and warned of increasing pressure on him to reach a settlement with the United states on the future of the Panama canal. I m sitting on a powder he said. There s tremendous pressure to liberate the canal. There Are very Radi Cal forces among the youth. They know Panama cannot kick out the gringos by Force but the radicals could make life very difficult for he noted that there has never been an act of sabotage against the canal by a Pana Manian but added i m in a very difficult situation. Gen. Torrijos said he hoped u settlement on a new treaty could be reaching during the first half of next year. It will be submitted to a plebiscite of people Over he said expressing Confidence that the voters would approve it. Order. As paper cups with ice Ginger ale and a Little scotch were passed around Gen. Tor Rijos questioned the men and women in the room seeking facts and figures on banana production the Cost of a new Rice Mill and the primary school building program. A seven year old boy named Gio Vanni Gomez approached the general while one of the local leaders spoke. Puffing on a cuban Cigar Gen. Torrijos talked to the boy then stood up and announced my minister of health tells me that every child in Panama has been this boy says he was Turping to the minister of health he asked what do you have to subsequent discussion revealed that 95 per cent of the children in that District had not been Vacin Natch prompting Gen. 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