Ngäbe Buglé Congress rejects Barro Blanco Agreement

The Ngäbe Buglé General Congress has rejected the Barro Blanco hydroelectric project agreement, deciding not to ratify the agreement that was signed in August.  The Ngäbe Buglé General Congress held a secret vote this weekend which resulted in 76 members rejecting the agreement and 67 supporting the agreement.

These results lead to an announcement by Ngäbe Buglé Congress President, Demecio Cases, that the government should resume the dialogue over the future of the project. cacique Silvia Carrera, who lead the signing of the agreement last August, was not in attendance at the vote that took place in the community of Cerro Cotton.

Ngäbe Buglé community divided over the Barro Blanco agreement 

Many of the Ngäbe Buglé communities remain divided on the Barro Blanco agreement signed between the authorities of the indigenous region and the Government. While the agreement, among other things,  granted the community 15% of the gross income of the dam almost complete, some fear that the agreement will mean a loss greater than the potential income. 

Those who oppose the dam state that the agreement was approved by only a small group community’s leaders. While cacique Silvia Carrera, and other regional and local caciques approved the plan, the General Congress did not approve it. According to local authorities, the general congress is made up of 255 delegates, these delegates are the equivalent of the deputies in the National Assembly.

Those who supported the agreement indicated that it was an opportunity for the region to benefit from the project and support their community. They referred to the agreement as one that made them participants in the project and guaranteed better conditions for the indigenous area.

Jeremiah Montero, the regional chief who gave his approval for the agreement, said points of agreement that bring benefits to the region must be upheld. While, Ricardo Miranda, leader of the opposition to the agreement, states that a new agreement needs to be developed, one that is approved by the Ngäbe Bugle General Congress.

The Panamanian Government on the rejection of the Barro Blanco agreement 

Vice president and Chancellor, Isabel de Saint Malo de Alvarado, voiced the stance of the government in a statement from New York, explaining that the Government maintains its willingness to speak with the General Congress and other authorities, in order come to a solution and ensure the legality of the agreement. 

However, she also spoke to the small margin of votes (11 votes) and missing delegates. According to the statement, 300 delegates has the right vote in the Congress, but only 141 votes were cast. In her statement, Isabel de Saint Malo de Alvarado encouraged members of the Ngäbe Buglé comarca to continue to see the positives in the agreement and urged the community against the mixing of the Barro Blanco project with internal policies of the Ngäbe Buglé region.