In the central words of the commemoration, the Head of State emphasised that there are no other hands in the Canal.
«You can rest assured, it will remain in our hands forever,» he remarked, without mentioning the threats made by the president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, who denounced Chinese interference and said that, after his inauguration on 20 January, he would take back control of the route built by his country in 1914.
In his remarks, Mulino stressed the importance of maintaining the progress made and facing the challenges that lie ahead, including ensuring sustainable management of water resources and the urgent need to make progress on key projects, such as the Indio River reservoir.
He also gave a historical account of the struggles for the sovereignty of the waterway and the nation, and pointed to the signing of the Treaties on September 7, 1977, in Washington, D.C., by Presidents James Carter (1977-1981) and Omar Torrijos (1979-1981), «who had the vision and nobility to take the right path so that the Canal would have the nationality it deserved, the Panamanian nationality,» he said.
In his speech, Mulino indicated that in this quarter of a century in Panamanian hands, the Canal has not stopped growing, and it is these that have contributed greatly to international trade advancing along the path of progress, towards new levels of greatness.
That greatness has had an impact on world trade, since many ports in the world have modified their structure to offer their economies more advantages, with greater efficiency and competitiveness, he added.
«It is because of our neutral hands that nations do not fear that a Canal of such a strategic level as the Panama Canal will be or take an active part in any conflict. Because we Panamanians are interested in a more connected world, with more open trade and greater exchange of goods between countries,» he remarked.
He also stressed the importance of young people knowing and keeping in mind the high cost of struggle and blood that was involved in raising this unique flag as an unmistakable sign of sovereignty.
In his opinion, all this history and others that he did not mention, he said, give peace of mind that the Canal has a great future, «if we are together, uniting rather than dividing, working harder and harder,» he said.
He also urged to celebrate these first 25 years by working to make the Canal better every day, thinking in the long term and that the resources it generates will enhance social security and national development.
At the ceremony, Canal Affairs Minister José Ramón Icaza also pointed out that in these 25 years of Panamanian administration, more than 300,000 ships have transited through the Canal, generating revenues in excess of 28 billion dollars, which speaks of a safe and excellent service.
For his part, Panama Canal Authority Administrator Ricaurte Vázquez said that in the future, the Canal Authority will seek to diversify its operations, with the need to guarantee the supply and responsible use of water, its most important natural resource, as a priority.
During the commemoration, the work of the Canal’s more than eight thousand employees was recognised in the figure of Miguel Guerra, who has worked for 25 years in the IT sector and was decorated with the Order of Vasco Núñez de Balboa, in the rank of Commander.
For the social organisations present at the event, even if the Canal contributes double or triple what it currently provides, the problems will persist as long as the system and economic model that generates inequality, poverty and unemployment and that favours, coincidentally, the handful of families that control not only the Canal, but also the financial capital, the parties and other political blocs, is maintained.
This explains why, 25 years after the Canal’s reversal, Panama is the fourth country in the world with the largest gap between rich and poor, according to a recent communiqué by the National Front for the Defence of Economic and Social Rights (Frenadeso).
