national

Debate rages in Comarca

The Ngöbe Buglé’s top political leaders are divided on the issue of mining and hydro.

The dispute has prompted protests from residents of the Comarca on both sides of the issue.

LA PRENSA

at odds:While some Ngöbe Buglé residents want to preserve the environment, others say that proposed mining and hydroelectric projects will drag the area out of poverty.1047271

In the Comarca Ngöbe Buglé, proposed hydroelectric and mining projects have divided many communities.

While some tout the economic benefits these projects could bring to impoverished areas, opponents maintain that allowing them to move forward would cause irreparable harm to the environment and ruin the potential for economic growth through tourism.

The divide goes right to the top of the Comarca's political structure. The chief leader of the Ngöbe Buglé, Máximo Saldaña, is in favor of such projects provided that certain conditions are met on caring for the environment, while the president of the Congreso General, Pedro Rodríguez, is against them under any conditions.

The situation has the two men trying to undermine each other to gain the upper hand in determining the fate of the projects.

Saldaña has argued that Rodríguez should not be in his position because his election, which took place on March 11, 2006, has been annulled.

Rodríguez, for his part, points to a resolution passed by the Congreso General which rejects any mining and hydropower projects in the region. That resolution also states that Saldaña does not have any authority over such projects, a stance rejected by Saldaña.

The dispute has turned violent at times, with a number of protests by people on both sides of the issue.

Bernardo Jiménez, human rights commissioner of the Congreso General, notes that none of the projects proposed for the district have received the necessary approval to move ahead. Moreover, Rodríguez is maintaining that the only way such projects can be approved is through a public referendum, so the people, and not the politicians, can decide the future economic development of the region.

There has been an ongoing debate about the future of several proposed hydroelectric projects in various parts of the country. While opponents point to the environmental and social damage these projects will cause, proponents say that the country needs access to the inexpensive electricity these projects provide to continue to grow economically.

Mining projects have also prompted a large amount of opposition from environmentalists and others who oppose them. Opponents have been calling for a moratorium on mining projects for the entire country, but the government has not acted on that proposal.