Indigenous People, the
Poorest in Panama
PANAMA - The Panamanian
indigenous people have
no reason to celebrate
their international day,
because they have the
worst poverty rates in
the country, according
to La Prensa daily.
The newspaper report
published this weekend
also said that since the
date established by the
United Nations in 1994
to draw attention to
aboriginal people,
sociologists and human
rights entities have
spoken in a pessimistic
tone about their
situation.
It has been estimated
that 300,000 people in
Panama belong to the
seven local ethnic
groups: the ng be,
bugle, bri bri and naso,
in the western region,
and kuna yala, embera
and wounaan, in the
eastern part of the
country.
All of them experience a
common reality: 98.5
percent live in poverty
and 89.7 percent in
abject poverty, said the
daily, which quoted the
Government Standard of
Living Survey, published
in 2005.
To Psychologist and
Panama's University
Professor Marcos
Gandasegui, the country
has taken a significant
step, regarding
recognition of the
indigenous people,
especially in the last
two years of the 20th
century.
Gandasegui referred to
the creation of regional
territories, which he
said have been good to
keep traditions and, at
the very best, their
languages, the newspaper
said.
However, those
territories they
obtained are now
transferred to
transnational companies
for hydroelectric,
mining or tourist
projects, he said.
Social Development
Ministry Social Policy
Director Rubiel Cajar
recognized that in the
regions a development
strategy that respects
these people's
idiosyncrasy was
necessary.
There is a whole
spectrum of activities
that can be developed in
the indigenous areas
that will not affect
necessarily the
environment or their
cultural
characteristics, he
said.
The government has
developed social
assistance programs I
those indigenous areas,
as Red de Opportunidades
(Network of
Opportunities), which
hands over $50 monthly
to the 56 poorest
families in the nation.
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