In 2012, in the administration of Ricardo Martinelli, Panama received a donation from Taiwan of an airplane for the use of the Presidency of the Republic. The cost of the aircraft was $22 million and since then, the governments that have used it have had to make use of funds for its maintenance that until now total $6.4 million, the equivalent of 75% of the value of the aircraft. The $6.4 million maintenance includes a new $6.4 million contract that will cover the next five years. Under other circumstances, this contract would not be widely questioned, but Panama is going through difficult economic times, and having an airplane with these expenses –without counting fuel, use of airports, pilots, etc.– constitutes a luxury that is difficult to justify. Citizens are surprised, since there is not a single initiative in the Government to make savings, in contrast to the rest of the country, which has had to adjust its budget; Many others have seen their working hours reduced or have lost their jobs or sources of income, and many more have gone informal, with which debts accumulate, but that does not happen in the Government because it is simply disconnected from our reality. - LA PRENSA, Aug.15

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