BRIEFS. history

11 de octubre coup observed without much ado

David Mesa/la prensa

muted memorial: Supporters of President Arnulfo Arias held a vigil yesterday on the 40th anniversary of the 1968 military coup.1102444

The fortieth anniversary of the military coup that toppled three-time Panamanian President Arnulfo Arias Madrid in 1968 was observed yesterday without much fanfare.

Unlike past years, the ruling Partido Revolucionario Demócratico (PRD) chose not to organize activities to memorialize the event that eventually led to the party’s founding.

In fact, the only mention of the coup was entrepreneur Javier Martínez-Acha’s revolutionary greeting, published by the newspaper El Siglo.

A group of PRD members, that included presidential candidate Balbina Herrera Araúz, did however, travel to New York to attend celebrations for the Día de Hispanidad, or Columbus Day.

Meanwhile, the Partido Arnulfista held its annual vigil in remembrance of the coup that would send their leader into exile in the United States, ushering in a new chapter in Panamanian history.

Carlos Duque Jaén, honorary president of the PRD party, defended the military coup as a successful attempt to do away with entrenched corruption associated with the traditional ruling class.

He maintained that, despite the political mistakes of Omar Torrijos’ subsequent dictatorship, his administration made valuable contributions that helped to nudge the country into modernity.