politics

Social Fund spending criticized

la prensa

needy: Funding for the Social Investment Fund has been criticized as being politically motivated. 1110030

The government has approved an $8.8 million for the Ministerio de la Presidencia in order to strengthen the Social Investment Fund and for emergency work being carried out during the remaining two months of the year.

The decision has provoked criticism from leaders of the opposition because they think those funds may be used to benefit the ruling party in the upcoming presidential election.

“I will shut down the [fund] during election campaigns because it encourages cheap politicking and corruption," said the presidential candidate for the Cambio Democrático and Unión Patriótica parties, Ricardo Martinelli.

Meanwhile, presidential candidate of the Partido Panameñista and Molirena parties, Juan Carlos Varela, believes that these are funds will be used by the ruling party to consolidate its strategy.

“Government should commit, in black and white, that public funds will not be used to do any political campaigning in favor of the ruling party candidate,” said Varela as he urged the signing of an electoral ethics agreement. Meanwhile, the vice president of Vanguardia Moral de la Patria, Menalco Solis, said this spending calls attention to the fact that during these two very rainy months, the government intends to spend almost $9 million on construction projects.

“That must have another purpose,” said Solis. The $8.8 million that was approved is in addition to the $49 million already assigned for this purpose within the 2008 government budget. In April 2008, government also approved an additional credit for the fund of $12.9 million. In the draft of the country´s budget for the year 2009, fund officials have asked for nearly $49.5 million. This newspaper tried to consult the director of the fund, Francisco Rodríguez, on the list of projects that would be paid for with the additional money, but he did not respond to phone calls.