THE PANAMA CANAL

Online Special: The Panama Canal. Browse the NewsHour's coverage of Latin America     The Panama Canal Commission The U.S. State Department

The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour -- December 18, 1992 PANAMA AFTER NORIEGA Though the handover process was placing increased authority over the canal into Panama's hands, the rest of Panama was still reeling from the U.S. invasion that ousted president Manuel Noriega. The gap between the rich and poor continued to widen, as opposition to Panama's government grew. Mayin Correa, Panama City's mayor, was one Panamanian critical of the national government. "I think this is the government that has the worst communication system with their people," she said. "They don't know how to communicate." Presidential Chief of Staff Julio Harris said the government hadn't had the time to revamp the system Noriega left behind. "The expectation of the people is very, very high because of the 21 years of disasterous government mismanagement," he said. "We have problems with water ... we have problems with schools, we have problems with hospitals, and that cannot be fixed in two and a half years."

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