By Sanxuan
At the weekend just passed, a shocking incident occurred in the Western Hemisphere.
At 9 p.m. local time on Saturday, the city government of Alajuela in Panama, without the consent of the relevant parties, secretly demolished the China-Panama Park located in the area, including the monument commemorating the 150th anniversary of Chinese immigrants arriving in Panama.
The monument was violently demolished
In 1854, hundreds of Chinese laborers crossed the ocean to Panama to build the Panama Canal Railway, making an indelible contribution to the local infrastructure construction and industrial development.
This was also the first recorded group of Chinese people in Panama's history. Most of them later remained in Panama, married locals, and had descendants, thus forming the Chinese community in Panama.
Considering the friendship between China and Panama and the contributions of the Chinese people to Panama, the Panamanian government established "Chinese Day" in 2004. That same year, the Chinese community in Panama, with the support of the Chinese government, built the China-Panama Park and the monument, symbolizing the long-standing friendship between the two countries.
The operating rights of the monument expired last year. Before that, the Chinese Association repeatedly applied to the local city government, hoping to renovate the park and the monument and complete the renewal.
Construction site
However, the mayor of Alajuela, Peñaranda, insisted that the observation deck at the Americas Bridge where the monument is located has been in disrepair for years, and its main structure has shown obvious damage. According to technical and safety standards, it is necessary to remove it promptly.
This reason is not entirely unreasonable. However, the Chinese Association had already considered this issue, which is why they proposed to fund the renovation to avoid safety risks and accidents. The city government, however, did not respond, but instead unilaterally demolished it without public announcement, which is clearly unreasonable.
The Chinese Embassy in Panama issued a solemn statement, pointing out that the action by the Alajuela city government hurt the China-Panama friendship and trampled on the feelings of the Chinese community in Panama. This is not only a material wealth of Panama, but also a common spiritual wealth of the Chinese and Panamanian people. China expressed strong indignation and urged the Panamanian side to quickly give an explanation and solution.
The Chinese statement caused great concern from the Panamanian side. The Panamanian government immediately issued a statement clearly opposing the unreasonable action of the Alajuela city government and requiring immediate reconstruction and restoration at the original site.
Mayor of Alajuela, Peñaranda
In addition to the President of Panama, Múller, the country's Ministry of Engineering, the Ministry of Canal Affairs, and other departments have each issued statements strongly condemning the irresponsible actions of the Alajuela city government, calling it an "unforgivable" mistake.
The Minister of Canal Affairs, Icaza, pointed out that demolishing the monument at 9 p.m. on Saturday night was a naked criminal act. It is difficult to fabricate a reasonable explanation. No one would specially go to the park for construction during the late night on the weekend.
Former Presidents of Panama, Torrijos and Balaguer, also made severe statements, calling the act of removing the monument at night "the abnormal behavior of a madman," which is unforgivable and erases the contributions of the Chinese people to Panama.
Leaders of major opposition parties in Panama have also spoken out, accusing the Alajuela city government of being irresponsible and trying to alter history, and demanding that the error be corrected as soon as possible.
Sino-Panamanian friendship is under test
It is evident how unpopular the actions of the Alajuela city government are, as the government and opposition in Panama have aligned on this issue. Although Peñaranda has repeatedly defended her decision, stating it was not politically motivated, she happened to target the China-Panama Park, making it hard not to associate it with the Sino-US rivalry.
After all, pro-American politicians in Latin American countries often have no bottom line when trying to please the United States.
Original: toutiao.com/article/7589172411979891240/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author