Donald Trump’s vow to demand that control be returned to Washington has overshadowed the 25th anniversary of the United States’ transfer of control of Panama’s interoceanic canal, which is set for Tuesday.
The occasion falls two days after Jimmy Carter, the former US president who signed the canal accords that resulted in the transfer of the crucial waterway on December 31, 1999, passed away at the age of 100.
Trump, who will return to the White House on January 20, sparked anger among Panamanians by recently saying that Washington would demand the canal “be returned to us” if Panama could not ensure its “secure, efficient and reliable operation.”
The US president-elect slammed what he called “ridiculous” fees for US ships passing through the canal and even alleged, without evidence, that Chinese soldiers were “lovingly, but illegally, operating” the channel.
“There’s nothing that unites Panamanians more than the defense of the canal,” political scientist Sabrina Bacal said.
“But having a tense relationship with the superpower, the main trading partner and main user of the canal, is a very disadvantageous situation for a country like Panama,” she told AFP.
Francisco Cedeno, a 51-year-old graphic designer, described Trump’s threats as “completely nonsensical.”
“He should first try to resolve his country’s many problems and forget about the canal,” Cedeno said.
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