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https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/mar/21/panama-elections-environment-young-voters-corruption-prd-moca--politics>
"In October, seven months before Panama’s general election, thousands of young
environmentalists marched through the streets of Panama City demanding the
closure of an open-pit copper mine, one of the largest in the Americas. They
chanted “Panama’s gold is green” and “PRD trash” – a reference to the governing
Partido Revolucionario Democrático (Democratic Revolutionary party), which
has long dominated politics in the country.
Soon, they were joined by others from across Panamanian society: Indigenous
people, workers, students and Instagram influencers.
What began as environmental protests against the deal with a local subsidiary
of the Canadian conglomerate First Quantum Minerals became a mass rejection of
the government and institutional corruption.
With the country gridlocked and the economy crippled, the government panicked
and expedited a supreme court decision that ruled the mine was
unconstitutional, shutting it down for good. The closure took with it 5% of
GDP, as well as thousands of jobs and 70-80% of exports.
But the young conservationists who forced the closure see it as just the first
step towards a new Panama that embraces the country’s national parks, jungles
and beaches and its potential as a tourism destination and green energy hub.
On 5 May, election day, they hope to begin building that future."
Via
Positive.News
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
