The President of the Republic, José Raúl Mulino, made it clear this Wednesday that he will not make a hasty decision about the future of the copper mine and assured that, when there is a final determination, he will be the one to announce it to the country.
After receiving the report prepared by the interministerial commission in charge of analyzing the situation at the mining site, Mulino indicated that he will study the document together with his Cabinet and his lawyers before defining the next steps.
“I am going to study this report with my Cabinet, with my lawyers and with the time that a document of this magnitude requires. I am not going to repeat the mistake of deciding in four days on an issue that this country is going to burden for decades,” he stated.
The president also warned that any decision he adopts will be communicated directly by him and ruled out that a determination of this magnitude will be known in advance through unofficial versions.
“When I have a decision, I, no one else, will announce it to the entire country, head-on and with its foundations in front of me. It will not be known through a leak, nor through a version, nor through a hallway comment. Whatever I decide about this site, you will hear from me.”he emphasized.
“This report is not a decision”
Mulino insisted on differentiating the recommendations he received this Wednesday from a final decision on the future of the project.
“This report is not a decision, it is a study and a recommendation,” accurate.
The interministerial commission was created to collect information, analyze the different dimensions of the problem and present to the Executive options that allow a determination to be made considering its environmental, economic and social effects.
The president recalled that he requested this analysis precisely to avoid making a decision based solely on opinions.
As explained, the ruling of the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) of November 27, 2023, which declared the mining contract unconstitutional, will be fully respected and “is not under discussion in any line of this process.”
However, he maintained that the ruling resolved the legal situation of the contract, but did not determine what should be done subsequently with the facilities.
“That ruling closed a contract, it did not resolve what to do with the site,” he stated.
Mulino recalled that in the area there remain facilities for the management of tailings, open pits, a power plant and a port, which require management regardless of the legal status of the project.
“When this administration took office, that site had been stopped for months, not closed, stopped. And I was not willing to decide on it with opinions. I wanted data, studies, expert analysis,” he pointed out.
Six conditions that “are not negotiated”
Although he has not yet adopted a final decision, Mulino did endorse the six criteria proposed by the commission to evaluate any alternative related to the mining site.
These contemplate full compliance with the decisions of the Supreme Court of Justice, the stewardship of the State and ownership of the nation over the deposit, the absence of fiscal cost for Panamanians, verifiable transparency, priority for the communities and sectors affected by the closure and independent supervision under international standards.
“Those six are not negotiated,” he sentenced.
The president also established as a condition that any solution related to the site does not represent a disbursement for the General State Budget.
“If there is a fix for this site, it finances itself. Or there is no solution or agreement,” he warned.
Report will be public
Mulino assured that the document received will be public so that it can be reviewed and discussed by citizens, journalists, universities and organizations.
While this analysis is developed, he asked to distinguish between the recommendations received and a determination by the Executive.
“Until then, let it be clear what there is and what there is not. There is a study delivered, public and verifiable. There are six criteria that I have just made my own and that are not negotiated. And there is a president who is going to read the entire report before signing anything,” express.
Mulino maintained that Panama faces a discussion that has been going on for almost three years and that any determination will have consequences for decades.
For this reason, he insisted that the future of the site must be resolved with technical information, respecting judicial decisions and considering the communities directly affected.
When will Mulino announce a decision on the copper mine?
President José Raúl Mulino assured that he will first study the report of the interministerial commission together with his Cabinet and lawyers. Once he makes a decision, he stated that he himself will announce it publicly and explain its rationale.
