About fifty American tourists observe a Danish container ship entering the Panama Canal, which, approaching its 25th year under Panamanian sovereignty, faces threats from the next president of the United States, Donald Trump. The sky is overcast, humidity is high, and rain threatens at the Agua Clara locks visitor center on the Atlantic entrance of the canal in Colón province.
The celebrations for the canal’s 25 years under Panamanian sovereignty are being overshadowed by Trump, who has suggested that the United States should retake control of this waterway if it doesn’t reduce the toll prices charged to American vessels. But tourists watching the Lars Maersk ship, 266 meters long, this weekend don’t share his opinion.
The canal “belongs to Panama, not to the United States,” said Natalia Glusack, a 47-year-old California accountant from Santa Barbara traveling with her mother. “Americans came and helped build it, not because they were asked to, but because they invited themselves, so I think it’s 100% Panama’s and that’s how it should remain,” says Glusack.
Trump is crazy
Most tourists take out their cell phones to immortalize the Danish ship’s passage. Glusack says her visit was a promise she made to her mother, who had been trying to visit the canal for years. Trump “is crazy,” Glusack says in rudimentary Spanish.
The 80-kilometer canal was built by the United States and inaugurated in 1914. For its control, Washington established an enclave where the American flag flew with its own military bases, police, and justice system. After a generational struggle, in 1977, Panamanian nationalist leader Omar Torrijos and U.S. President Jimmy Carter signed treaties that allowed the canal’s transfer to Panama.
But Trump wants to recover it because he finds the rates paid by American vessels “ridiculous”. “This complete scam against our country will cease immediately,” Trump stated, despite the fact that toll amounts are not determined by the vessel’s country of origin, but by its capacity and type of cargo.
The Republican also accuses China of illegally operating the interoceanic route, although it’s administered by an autonomous Panamanian authority.”Trump claims many things and that doesn’t make them true, we know that President Carter signed a treaty, and that treaty gave the canal to the Panamanians,” said Mindy Holland, a retiree from New York.
He only cares about money
The canal, through which 5% of international maritime trade passes, connects the Pacific Ocean with the Atlantic. The United States, with 74% of cargo, and China, with 21%, are its main users.
“In the United States, we’ve come to understand that his (Trump’s) policies aren’t based on facts or truth,” said Alan Miller from Washington DC. The alleged Chinese presence in the canal is an “invented” argument, he adds. Miller, who turned 75 last week, is retired but does finance consulting. He also visited the canal last year.
Since then, 52% of ships crossing this trade route had U.S. ports as origin or destination. Trump “is a businessman who only cares about money,” says Miller. His followers “are just going to say he’s defending us by trying to reduce our costs, because if shipping rates go down, then maybe things will cost less,” he adds.
Trump likes to make people angry
“It’s wonderful, maybe we helped build it, but it’s Panamanian,” says Ed Bein, 73. He visits the canal with his wife Paola Metzner, a former teacher, 74. Both are from New York. “I understand he’s concerned about prices, but if ships weren’t saving money paying the tolls, they wouldn’t come this way,” adds Bein.
It has started raining lightly in Agua Clara, while the Danish ship entered the canal heading to the port of Buenaventura, in Colombia’s Pacific coast. In the distance, other vessels can be seen waiting their turn to transit. Tourists seek shelter from the rain. “I think (Trump) likes to bring up dramatic things and make people angry,” laments Metzner.
