politics

Torrijos threatens veto

Jorge Fernández/la prensa

undaunted: Legislators plan to vote on a land bill this month.1134612

Despite a warning by President Martín Torrijos that he would likely veto the bill that seeks to title beach front property, Legislator Pedro Miguel González said yesterday that he plans to continue the discussion of the proposal.

González created a subcommittee that will be responsible for collecting all the concerns and suggestions about the proposed bill. That will allow it to be brought up for preliminary approval next week.

“I pledge to bring the draft to a vote before Dec. 31,” González said.

The bill is opposed by many groups, who claim that the issue is too complicated to be addressed by legislation that is being rushed through the legislative process.

The Comptroller General of the Republic, Carlos Vallarino, and Minister of Economy and Finance Héctor Alexander have both spoken out against the proposal. It has also been heavily criticized by opposition party members, including the presidential candidates Juan Carlos Varela and Ricardo Martinelli, who have both claimed that it benefits members of the ruling government.

The bill calls for people who hold “rights of possession” for beach front property to be able to title the land at a minimal cost.

While this will benefit some of the country's poorer residents, it is also viewed by many as a way for developers to get ahold of some of the most valuable land in the country.

González, who chairs the National Assembly's finance committee, called on supporters of the proposed bill to speak in favor of it publicly, to counteract all the negative coverage that it has received in the media.

He also said that he is willing to “pay the political cost” of supporting the measure.

González said he plans to receive input from the National Coalition for Development, and hopes that he can gain its support for the proposal.

Abel Domínguez, a farmer in Azuero who would benefit from the bill, said that he is wary of it because he thinks it will allow people with political connections to crowd out other individuals, such as himself.