Dear A-Letter Reader:
In 1979, I first paid an official visit to Panama, shortly after President Jimmy Carter signed the Torrijos-Carter treaties that promised the eventual handover of the Canal to Panama in 1999. Although I opposed the treaties and viewed them as a wrongful surrender of the Canal to the unstable and unfriendly Omar Torrijos government, our House subcommittee had the role of drafting the implementing legislation required to carry out the treaty provisions. Naturally, I tried to make the law as beneficial to the United States as possible, while recognizing the rights of Panama.
From the very first I was impressed with the people of Panama.
Years of contention over control of the Canal with the United States made nationalism a major theme in politics here. Much of the time this meant whipping up emotions against the Yankee gringos. Based on my long years of association with them, at every social level, I can assure you that you’ll find most to be friendly, open and hospitable, even to strangers, and especially to foreigners. Panamanians are used to foreigners, many who just come for a visit, and a good many that stay. And you’ll learn that Panamanians may drive a hard bargain, but they learned that from a century of dealing with Americans.
And Panamanians are a patriotic people. In 2003, they celebrated noisily the centennial of their independence from neighboring Colombia. While the United States was instrumental in achieving that independence, for its own ends, Panama had long chafed in its status as a rural outpost of an unresponsive government in far away Bogotá. Several uprisings and revolts aimed at independence had failed over the years before independence finally was achieved in 1903.
It was no doubt a disappointment to Panama’s early leaders that, after gaining independence from Colombia, they were forced into near total dependence on the District of Columbia — Washington, D.C. that is. After the long association with and domination by Americans, the reclaiming of the Canal from US control finally truly liberated Panama as a nation, and Panamanians as a people. That long sought action affirmed both the peoples’ pride and their national identity.
But a 2004 report in the Los Angeles Times accurately described the attitudes of Panamanians today: “Four years after the last US troops pulled out and Panamanians gained control of the canal that is their most important national asset, the Yankee footprint here remains deep and surprisingly welcome. Although anti-Americanism is on the rise in much of Latin America, Panamanians heartily embrace their onetime occupiers’ values and symbols, from language to music and fashion — and the almighty dollar.” “The motto here today is ‘Gringo come back,’” said Tomas Cabal, a TV commentator and English professor. “Panamanians would like to see American troops come back and build a base on the Colombian border.”
Much of these good feelings are the result of extensive intermarriage and dual citizenship during the US control of the Canal Zone. A rotating group of more than 10,000 US troops and civilian contractors lived in the Zone until the waterway was handed over, and children born here to US citizens had the right to Panamanian citizenship after the US withdrawals. Hundreds of ex-Zonians have stayed on, strengthening the bonds between the two nations.
When you come here, either for a visit or a longer stay, I predict you’re going to fall in love with Panama and its people. They are proud of their rich cultural heritage and they are glad to be free from US colonial domination. But contrary to what history might suggest, Panamanians are used to Americans in particular, and foreigners in general — and, if you’re a decent human being, they’ll welcome you and make you feel right at home. The local joke is that more people here speak English here than they do in Miami.
This is a country where folks are friendly and laid back, willing to live and let live. Life does move at a slower pace than frantic American gringos are used to up north. The humid, tropical weather alone has a tendency to lull you into slower acting, even slower thinking. And that’s not all bad.
I hope to see you May 17-20 in Panama at our annual Sovereign Society Total Wealth Symposium. Use the LINK below to register.
That’s the way that it looks from here,
BOB BAUMAN, Editor
Editor’s Note: Still interested in attending The Sovereign Society’s Total Wealth Symposium? Click here to learn how you can save $100 just for signing up early! But hurry – this “early bird” discount expires TOMORROW!