PRE-ELECTION VIEWS FROM THE FIELD: NEW

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PANAMA 000914

SIPDIS


STATE FOR WHA/CEN/BRIGHAM


E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM PINR PM
SUBJECT: PRE-ELECTION VIEWS FROM THE FIELD: NEW
REPRESENTATIVES FOR THE POOREST OF THE POOR--PANAMA'S
INDIGENOUS

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SUMMARY
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1. (U) EmbOffs recently visited the western Panama
reservation (or Comarca) of the Ngobe-Bugl indigenous group
as part of our pre-election coverage. The Comarca will elect
three new representatives on May 2 to the 78-seat unicameral
Legislative Assembly. The new seats could provide some
important political clout for this largely forgotten and
impoverished people. Continuing lack of social services,
horrendous roads, and general malnutrition plague the area
and were evident on this trip. Indications point to a likely
sweep of all three legislative seats for the main opposition,
the center-left Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) -
Popular Party (PP) alliance. END SUMMARY.


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WHERE WE WENT AND WITH WHOM WE SPOKE
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2. (U) During April 13-15, EmbOffs visited election
officials and candidates from three of the major political
parties in and around the western Panama reservation (or
Comarca) of the Ngobe-Bugl indigenous group. EmbOffs
visited communities inside and outside the Comarca in
Veraquas and Chiriqui provinces and in two of three Comarca
electoral circuits. Meetings (both scheduled and ad-hoc)
were held with local Electoral Tribunal officials,
candidates, campaign managers, teachers, mayoral candidates,
students, and any Panamanian who wanted to share their
opinions with EmbOffs.


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THE COMARCA: POLITICAL HISTORY, POLITICAL PLAYER?
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3. (U) At about 6,944 square kilometers (9% of Panama's
area),the Comarca Ngobe-Bugl is slightly larger than the
state of Delaware. Created in 1997, the Comarca has an
estimated population of 120,000, over 95% of whom are from
the Ngobe and Bugl indigenous groups. (Note: The national
population of the Ngobe-Bugl, including those living outside
the comarca, is an estimated 180,000. End note.) The
Comarca comprises several hundred small and isolated towns
and villages, mostly reachable only on foot, sometimes hours
or days from any road, and only a handful have electricity.



4. (U) At its creation in 1997, the Ngobe-Bugl Comarca
gained three dedicated seats in the unicameral legislature.
Previously, Comarca residents voted as part of larger
electoral circuits and their interests received little
attention. All the candidates for the three new circuits
(12-1, 12-2 and 12-3) are Ngobes. If these new legislators
act in concert, by no means an easy assumption in Panama's
fractured political culture, they could become a political
force by serving as a key swing vote in the legislature.
This is especially true given Panama's history of closely
divided government. (Note: Current Ngobe-Bugl legislator,
Enrique Montezuma (PRD) is from the Comarca and the only
Ngobe representative. End note.) For the most part,
contacts said that the elections will be relatively fair and
clean, but some suggested the potential for isolated cases of
fraud in remote villages.


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PROBLEMS ABOUND, NGOBE-BUGLE ARE POOREST OF PANAMA'S POOR
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5. (SBU) The Comarca faces staggering problems. According
to the latest United Nations Development Program (UNDP)
survey, about 95% of the residents live at the poverty level
or below, and about 86% live in extreme poverty.
Unemployment, malnutrition, hunger, lack of roads, and
isolation plague the entire Comarca. EmbOffs were stunned by
the evident malnutrition and lack of physical development
among Ngobe children. The isolation further hampers
provision of social services - schools, clinics and economic
activity in general. Even with a 4WD vehicle, EmbOffs found
it challenging to reach those villages served by roads that
locals considered "good." Isolation has a multiplier effect
in that it represents lost opportunities in education, health
care, and economic activity.



6. (SBU) Many villages have a primary school, but further
schooling necessitates hours of travel by foot, or arranging
to live far away from family. Children drop out of school at
a young age to join their parents in the fields and have
children themselves, and the cycle of poverty continues.
Culturally, the Ngobe-Bugl confront the dilemma of
indigenous people all over the world. They face the tough
choice between continuing their difficult life, or accepting
modernity and losing more of their culture.


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OMAR TORRIJOS, PRD LEGACY LIVES ON
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7. (SBU) Virtually every person EmbOffs spoke with during
this pre-election tour pointed to a strong showing for the
center-left opposition alliance of the PRD-PP (Note: The
only area that the PRD won in 1999 elections was the
indigenous comarcas of Kuna Yala, End note.) Many people
fondly recalled current PRD presidential candidate Martin
Torrijos, father, former strongman and General Omar Torrijos
(1968-1981),as a politician who "helped" with schools,
roads, clinics and employment. They are hoping for the same
if the PRD-PP alliance wins.


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COMMENT
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8. (SBU) Despite the evident hardships, it is encouraging
to see "democracy in action" Most Comarca residents with
whom EmbOffs spoke are generally aware of the issues and
candidates. With luck, the Comarca might receive some badly
needed roads, jobs, social service projects, and increased
governmental attention. More attention could increase
political power, although the cultural bias against the
indigenous communities will remain an impediment to broader
influence. If the Ngobe win as a block (probably under the
PRD banner),it is possible the Ngobe-Bugl might generate as
much political clout as the Kuna tribe in northeast Panama,
who have aggressively harnessed their political power to
obtain schools, infrastructure, and jobs.


WATT