One of the highest public spending items is that of the payroll of state officials, and this has not changed despite the circumstances. Since the beginning of the health crisis, while hundreds of thousands of Panamanians suffered significant cutbacks, the suspension of their contracts or the loss of their jobs, the remuneration of public servants remains intact. This imbalance with the rest of society has been resolved in other countries with significant voluntary contributions from civil servants, or by means of legal norms that established salary discounts for the best paid. In Panama, it was not until four months after the crisis began that the Executive Branch presented a bill before the National Assembly, proposing salary cuts for senior officials for six months. Logic and decency indicated that this project should be a priority in the discussions of the deputies; however, they have postponed it with trivial excuses. Ethics and solidarity demand that these men and women in the seats of the Assembly act. Inaction only punishes those most in need. -LA PRENSA, Aug. 8