Crime and poverty being reduced in Panama: Martinelli

(newsroompanama.com) Timing is everything. Hot on the heels of a World Bank study showing that the gap between Panama’s rich and poor has widened, President Ricardo Martinelli, told the United Nations Wednesday, (October 22) of the progress Panama has made in reducing extreme poverty in the country.

He told the General Assembly that the number of people living on $1 a day in Panama has dropped from 19.6 percent of the population in 1997 to 12.63 percent in 2008. That was the year of the World Bank study.

The president stressed the economic gains achieved by the country in recent years, and emphasized the programs created by the government to reduce extreme poverty.

Martinelli said that the country still has a number of challenges to overcome to eradicate extreme poverty in the country, but that measures are being taken to do that.

The President  also went on CNN Espanol to claim that the government is winning its battle against crime. He said that the levels of insecurity in the country have "lowered substantially" during his time in office and that the government is making headway against drug trafficking.

"We are working for a safer and more stable country," he said.

Martinelli made the statements while responding to questions about a report that listed Panama as a major route for the flow of illegal drugs into the United States.

Martinelli replied that combating drug trafficking has been a priority of his administration, including the purchase of radar and helicopters, and the establishment of naval bases.

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Original Source: newsroompanama.com
Date Retrieved: Septemeber 24, 2010.