Varela to clean the Assembly

PANAMA. The National Assembly president, Jose Luis “Popi” Varela decided yesterday morning to check the carnets of all employees that working in the Legislative Assembly building, before allowing them to enter.

Legislators and employees became angry, when security guards permitted only the entrance of people, whose name a peered on a list.

Two National Assembly employees, Crispiano Adames and Hernan Delgado told to TVN-2 that they had heard rumors of massive layoffs and were demanding an explanation.

The assembly president said that he only wants the people who work in the National Assembly to enter the building, because currently the Legislative Palace is full of “loiterers” that get in the way of employees.

“We need bring order, for the good of the institution. If the National Assembly continues to lose prestige as in the past, Panamanian democracy is going to be in danger,” said Varela.

“We ask our colleagues of the Revolutionary Democratic Party, who stopped the name verification, to cooperate with the administration of the National Assembly.”

“We have not fired anybody who is part of the administrative career and we are talking to the workers union about it,” said Varela.

“Those employees who do not have the proper certificates to do work are going to be sacked, because we need qualified personnel,” said Varela.