In the central words of the commemoration, the head of State emphasized there are no other hands in the Canal.
“You can rest assured, it will remain in our hands forever,” he stressed, alluding without mentioning the threats launched by the president-elect in the United States, Donald Trump, who denounced Chinese interference and announced that, after his inauguration on January 20, he would resume control of the route built by his country in 1914.
In his words, Mulino stressed the importance of maintaining the progress achieved and facing the challenges that lie ahead, including ensuring sustainable management of water resources and the urgent need to move forward on key projects, such as the Rio Indio reservoir.
He also gave a historical account of the struggles for sovereignty of the river route and the nation, and pointed out as a key achievement the signing of the Treaties on September 7, 1977, in Washington, by Presidents James Carter (1977-1981) and Omar Torrijos (1979-1981), “who had the vision and nobility to follow the right path so that the Canal would have the nationality that corresponded to it, the Panamanian one,” he stressed.
In the appearance, Mulino indicated that in this quarter of a century in Panamanian hands, the Canal has not stopped growing and it is they who contribute greatly to international trade advancing along the path of progress, towards new levels of greatness.
This greatness impacted world trade, since many ports in the world have modified their structure to provide their economies with more advantages, with greater efficiency and competitiveness, he added.
“It is because of our neutral hands that nations do not fear that a strategic level Canal like the Panama Canal will be or take an active part in any conflict. Because we Panamanians are interested in a more connected world, with more open trade and greater exchange of goods between countries,” he stressed.
He also stressed the importance of young people knowing and keeping in mind the high cost of struggle and blood that was involved in raising this unique flag as an unequivocal sign of sovereignty.
In his opinion, all this history and others that he did not mention, he said, give the peace of mind that the Canal has a great future, “if we are together, uniting more than dividing, working ever harder,” he said.
He also urged people to celebrate these first 25 years working so that the Canal is better every day, thinking long-term and that the resources it generates boost social security and national development. At the event, the Minister for Canal Affairs, José Ramón Icaza, also pointed out that in these 25 years of Panamanian administration, more than 300 thousand ships have passed through the Canal, generating income of more than 28 billion dollars, which speaks of a safe and excellent service.
For his part, the administrator of the Panama Canal Authority, Ricaurte Vázquez, indicated that in the future they seek to diversify operations, having as a priority the need to guarantee the supply and responsible use of water, its most important natural resource.
During the commemoration, they recognized the work of the more than eight thousand collaborators of the Canal in the figure of Miguel Guerra, who has worked for 25 years in the information technology sector and was decorated with the Order of Vasco Núñez de Balboa, in his degree of Commander.
For the social organizations present at the event, even if the Canal provides double or triple what it currently provides, the problems will persist as long as the system and economic model that generates inequality, poverty and unemployment and that favors, coincidentally, the handful of families that control not only the Canal, but also the financial capital, parties and other political blocs, maintaining them.
This explains why 25 years after the Canal’s reversal, Panama is the fourth country in the world with the largest gap between rich and poor, according to a recent statement by the National Front for the Defense of Economic and Social Rights (Frenadeso).
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