Reaction To Time Magazine Article About Ricardo Martinelli

(Panama-Guide) - La Prensa - An article published on Saturday in the weekly magazine Time in the United States suggested Panamanian president Ricardo Martinelli is playing at being a "strong man." Although the article did not contain a direct reference to the former military dictator Manuel A. Noriega, they article used the same terms to describe Martinelli as were applied to Noriega. The Time magazine article cited opposition and professors from foreign universities, who said Martinelli is running the country as if it were one of his companies. The article outlined the events that have happened during Martinelli's administration, such as the crisis in Bocas del Toro and attacks on journalists. It concludes that the Panamanians people seem to have less tolerance for Martinelli's "policy of madness." Foreign Minister Juan Carlos Varela came out to defend the criticism from politicians, analysts and civil society representatives. He argued that the comparison between Noriega and Martinelli is unfair, and said democracy is strong in Panama.

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Original Source: Panama-Guide

Date Retrieved: October 26, 2010.