As the U.S. Prepares to Hand Over the Canal, Uncertain Panamanians Find Themselves . . .; WADING INTO MURKY WATERS
Taped to the side of Jose Gabriel Gonzalez's snack cart is a handwritten note asking, "WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE CANAL NOW?" The question testifies to his anxiety about what will happen after Dec. 31, when the United States pulls out the last of its troops and the Panama Canal comes under full Panamanian control.</br></br>"I have great worries," said Gonzalez, whose cart occupies a busy street corner here. "I have lost my sense of security. I have never known Panama without the Americans being here."</br></br>Judging from numerous interviews, many Panamanians share his concern about the departure of the Americans, whose presence in Panama dates to its creation in 1903 after it broke from Colombia. In particular, they fear that entrenched political corruption and incompetence in the government will affect the administration and financial stability of the canal, which links the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. They also worry about the economic costs of the U.S. troop pullout as well as potential harm to the investment climate.</br></br>Such reservations are not without irony. The treaties that set the stage for the canal handover and troop withdrawal were negotiated by Panama's then-leader, Gen. Omar Torrijos, and President Jimmy Carter and approved overwhelmingly by Panamanian voters in 1977. The signing of the accords was seen as a powerful assertion of national sovereignty and catapulted Torrijos to the status of national hero.</br></br>In recent years, however, newspaper polls have indicated that between 50 and 70 percent of Panamanians queried support a continued U.S. military presence beyond 2000, particularly when the issue is framed in economic terms. About 36 percent of Panama's 2.8 million people live in poverty, and unemployment hovers near 13 percent. Some polls have even found that a majority of Panamanians would like the United States to retain control of the 50-mile-long canal, or, at least, operate it in partnership with Panama similar to the current arrangement.