38 i. Statement of Guillermo Alfredo Ford-Boyd, Vice President of the Republic of Panama during the government of President Guillermo Endara-Galimany Beginning in the early morning of December 20, 1989, and as a consequence of the invasion by the United States of America, they took over the constitutional power, since they won the elections in the Republic of Panama. At that time his country was in a chaotic situation as a result of the extended crisis, and what was most important was to consolidate democracy and defend it according to what was established by the Constitution of the Republic of Panama. The Legislative Assembly was established since the month of March 1990. One of the most difficult situations that they had to face was the creation of a new public force capable of restoring order in the Republic of Panama, since they could not improvise new officers that would join it, and they totally and absolutely mistrusted the former members of the military who had just been defeated. During the initial stage colonel Herrera-Hassán earned the respect of President Guillermo Endara-Galimany. However, since very early they started to suspect that he wanted to emulate certain figures of the previous dictatorship by making room within the national scene and even wanting to demand that the Government respect such space of his as a member of the Public Force. As a result of the dismissal of colonel Herrera-Hassán as the head of such Force, they started to notice certain acts of rebellion on his part. He was later tried, convicted, and apprehended. The purpose of the movement led by colonel Herrera-Hassán pointed to the overthrowing of President Endara-Galimany, the alteration of the constitutional order, and the suppression of all the democratic institutions of the country. In mid 1990, labour union groups organised themselves in the form of a national co-ordinating organisation that included the most important labour sectors of the State apparatus, submitted a petition that was preposterous given the historical moment that the country was going through. Several months before December, in his capacity as Vice President of the Republic and Minister of Planning, he expressed publicly to the employees that they were exposing themselves to the risk of being dismissed, since they were, through such petition, setting a stumbling block to the return to democracy. Everything seemed to indicate the construction of a movement that would progress in crescendo to accomplish an objective then unknown to them. After the submission of the petition, the workers unions announced a great national march that was a success. Everything continued to coincide with the information they were receiving about colonel Herrera-Hassán. Pressure built up among the population and other labour union groups gradually joined the movement. Their attention was very much drawn to the fact that they announced so much in advance a general work stoppage for December 5, 1990, precisely the day on which the military uprising occurred, with the escape of colonel Herrera-Hassán. On December 4, 1990, the latter took the main fort at Ancón after being rescued by helicopter, such actions being witnessed by members of the National Police in total passiveness. The connection between the labour movement and the military uprising was evident. He had no doubt that it was a perfectly clear and premeditated act, since the following day, after colonel Herrera-Hassán’s attempt had already failed at nine thirty in the morning, the stoppage started to subside. The specific evidence that the Government had of the connection between colonel Herrera-Hassán’s action and the march and strike of December 4 and 5, 1990, were the telephone calls where certain leaders were asked whether the labour union movement accompanied colonel Herrera-Hassán in his coup d’état attempt. The Government knew that the march and the stoppage were going to take place, but it did not take steps to stop them, because this would have been a typical dictatorial behaviour. His Government did not repress marches, but instead it