PANAMA. We are only nine days away from the seating of our new president, Ricardo Martinelli.
One presumes that his ears have been, and are being bent back by suggestions, imprecations , advice and lobbying pleas (for jobs, pay back recognition and more).
Some he will hear, others will be put in the pending file for another five years. But the populace at large, without access to either the president or his gaggle of advisers voted for CHANGE and will welcome some early signs that the man who runs a business empire has some thoughts of his own upon which he will act and lead by example.
He might start by informing the mass of “public servants” that they too must set an example, both in the way they serve their customers (that’s the voting public) and the way they behave on the road.
Arrogance. We hope there will be a reduction in the arrogance of the drivers of the oversize vehicles that ferry ministers, and the president around town. No more jumping red lights, or pushing other motorists into the path of speeding traffic.
This could be followed by an executive order that ALL drivers of government and public vehicles will drive in a manner indicating that they earned, not bought, their driving licenses. This includes police, the Electoral Tribunal, PR flacks advising the president, the CSS, the Contraloria, and deputies.
Some simple guidelines: A Una Via street (One way) means that, not “my way” as taken by a close adviser to the current president when leaving a well known restaurant on Avenida Balboa.
Parking on spots reserved for disabled drivers should lead to the driver of the public vehicle paying the fine out of his or her own pocket, along with a warning that a repeat offence will earn an exit pass from the job.
Recent examples of those hogging the places designated for the disabled: a police car outside a fast food restaurant; an INAC vehicle (National Cultural Institute), parked for days on a reserved spot outside of the Institute’s HQ in Casco Viejo; police vehicles on the designated spot outside of the nearby police station.
Do the perpetrators believe they are the law, rather than upholders of the law?
Parking illegally Regular offenders: Contraloria drivers who visit Riba Smith in Bella Vista where there are two lanes in one direction, one in the other. They regularly park, in the other, forcing drivers into a lane with oncoming traffic.
Signal lights. All public vehicle drivers should be given a “crash” course on where the signal switch is located (Most vehicles have one) and told to use it or face fines (out of their own pocket). Watch the accident rate and insurance premiums fall.
Other violations by public v ehicles and witnessed daily: moving into intersections when the exit is not clear. See the jams this creates on Calle 50; via España, Avenida Balboa and elsewhere.
Public servants should learn to show courtesy to other drivers. A few days ago a driver of a CSS (Social Security) passenger van on the street in front of La Estrella ( one lane each way) pulled around the line of vehicles waiting to enter Transistmica.
When he reached the junction, he faced a car coming the other way, waved his fist at the driver and edged his way into the waiting lane, forcing another driver onto the sidewalk.
He too got a snarl and waved fist from the CSS public servant. The vehicle was painted with a sign: “ Public Relations.” Better to hide your light under a bushel.
And then there is the misuse of vehicles for other than public service, ranging from picking up the kids from school, to partying in the Marbella pink zone around Calle Uruguay, or letting spouses and other family members use the vehicles for shopping and socializing.
The most public of vehicles, the diablos rojos and taxis need a special watchdog team, handing out punitive tickets daily.
The WHO recently reported that the 5th biggest cause of premature death in the world is traffic accidents, with pedestrians, and cyclists heading the casualty lists, Our diablos rojos contribute heavily to those statistics. Over 80 countries have no proper rules in place, or when they do, don’t enforce them.
Now that rings a bell.
Panama was not singled out for special mention, but lack of enforcement is a big challenge.
Will any of this CHANGE in the next five years?
