Currently, there are 3,000 officials in the Assembly, in addition to the ones hired under the '20/20' scheme. 'We are passing a resolution that, due to the lack of clocks, time clocking is over. Those who don't clock in won't get paid. We have made this clear to the president of the Assembly (the Panameñist Jorge Herrera),' he stated. Flores said they have detected that about 1,000 people were hired under the '20/20' figure, and he also pointed out that he is in favor of eliminating it, as the State would save 2 million dollars a month in payroll. The Comptroller speaks of the '20/20', which, in his own words, are the 20 thousand dollars assigned to each deputy, who in turn can appoint 20 people within the National Assembly. 'The Assembly's payroll of $7.1 million must be reduced; I believe it should be $5 million,' Flores said. Flores assured on Monday morning on TVN that these same deputies are the ones 'who are eager to keep hiring people because they have political commitments and the Assembly is a political entity.' Why do the 71 deputies have 20/20? he questioned. However, the Comptroller said that the partying is over, as a resolution has been issued to put an end to signatures as a method of verifying attendance at the workday. Furthermore, Flores said he has the authority to stop waste in the Assembly, but he specified that it must be 'done carefully because it is a State Body and we must have a balance because I cannot fire anyone.' 'The new deputies, and we are going to talk specifically about the younger people who have never been in the Assembly, used to criticize the cars with drivers and bodyguards, and today they are all the same, they quickly learn how the issue works,' 'Bolo' shot off. Flores said that he expects that from January 1st, the number of appointments in the Assembly will begin to decrease, as it is non-permanent staff. There is a bit of everything there: lawyers, engineers, I think there are even astronauts. 'They learn quickly,' the Comptroller Anel Flores ironically stated when assuring that in the National Assembly there are deputies who, when they were candidates, criticized and questioned the assignment of cars and bodyguards, however, today it is they who have this benefit, including the '20/20'.
Panama's Comptroller Demands Reduction of Assembly Staff
Panama's Comptroller Anel Flores announced a resolution ending time-clocking for Assembly staff. He criticized the '20/20' scheme, allowing deputies to hire up to 20 employees at state expense, and called for reducing the Assembly's payroll by $2 million per month.
