Suitcases and things from home

We all have sovereign right to earn a living. However, Within this process of things there must be a minimum of dignity for it. Even those who devote themselves to tasks they consider unworthy have a certain degree of professional ethics. This is today’s preamble.

In this text, I will refer, among several topics, to those who trade on their ability to be good communicators or with their privileged situation within established media, and even within not so established platforms, not to call them pirates.

Freedom of the press is not a brand patent. It must bear legal and monetary consequences or, at least, moral responsibility. Dear readers, don’t get me wrong. Freedom of expression must be one of pillars of any institutional democracy, as long as it is consistent with taking serious responsibility for our actions when using it.

The simple fact that someone does not share the ideology of others or that we use the colloquial language, “because I don’t like someone”, does not give us the right to use that freedom to rantr against others whenever we feel like it. I currently live in Singapore, a truly modern country, where law and order is respected. I laugh every time someone mentions Panama as “Central American Singapore.” It is not the high relief of concrete and illuminated metal or your geographical position that only brings you to that position or even to the comparison with Asian people. There are a number of norms, principles and values ​​that are the basic condition for achieving that place within the international community. I do not lose hope that one day our isthmus will become that too.

When given the opportunity to approach an audience such as you, my esteemed readers, we must do so with a certain level of politeness and with the understanding that we are educating and informing at the same time. In many cases, we share knowledge and news that those who receive it interpret and take as true. By distorting the truth, we pollute the souls and minds of others. The power of communication is great. We only have to remember that Hitler’s leadership in Germany during part of the 1930s and 1940s was based on meticulous work and even ruthless to his Propaganda Minister, Joseph Goebbels.

The recent pandemic has shown us what the proliferation of opinions, without scientific support, on the same topic can do, creating confusion and often polarizing criteria. When the state and certain elements within the social communication apparatus of a country are used irresponsibly by revealing information, they can lead the entire community to chaos and despair. In the worst case, it can lead us to total anarchy where some want to impose their own criteria, ideas or positions to others and in a violent way.

In Panama, it is sad to observe how some communicators manipulate information in favor of the interests of those who provide them with financial support. In the process, reputation is destroyed and may even cause unnecessary unhappiness within the organization. home or bankruptcy of an individual or company.

We are on the cusp of an election period where both sides will take advantage of insulting the other, using electoral jurisdiction as a shield. It is much worse when these private individuals hide behind anonymity. How easy it is to disqualify candidates! This may be part of the political-electoral culture, but it also requires a degree of modesty. claims without any basis.

Why not turn the electoral process into a celebration of democracy? I remember when I was a child visiting my relatives in Costa Rica, during the election campaign and you could notice the popular celebration the right to choose our rulers. The Times are obviously changing, but it has to be for the better.

I use these last lines to appeal to all candidates, those I know personally and those I do not. You have a civic responsibility to respect the electoral process and thereby set an example for yourself fellow party members and sympathizers so that in the coming months they prevail harmony and respect. It is about the one who gets the trust and support of the majority. But don’t forget that we rule for everyone, not for a handful of those who supported us. Panama belongs to everyone, not one party.