Our former Nobel Peace prize winning president, Oscar Arias, opened the recent TEDx Pura Vida event, with the following quip (and I translate), “I am here because the organizers of this event wanted to open it with the “nerdiest” person in Costa Rica, but Franklin Chang could not speak until 11:30 AM.”  Arias then went on to speak on a topic he has been vehemently advocating as of late, the need for Latin American countries to stop spending so much on their armies (See Recent Post on Arias speech of Latin American summit).  “Imagine,” Arias stated (reflections of John Lennon), “a world where we grant more power to designers and programmers and less to colonels and generals.”  “Where we dedicate more resources to buy books and computers, in place of missiles and tanks.”  During the last year, countries of the region directed some $60 billion to their armies.  Arias pointed out that in this region, the cost of just one military helicopter could school thousands of primary school children.  One military jet less could cover the cost of protecting 100’s of kilometers of forests.  One soldier’s salary less could pay the cost of a professor of English.  At the end of the talk Arias received a standing ovation.   I wonder if his words reached the ears of who most need to hear them, the authoritative “quasi-dictators” who spend the resources of their countries consolidating their military power rather than empowering their citizens.

Link to Tedx Pura Vida web site

Link to Article in La Nación

Oscar Arias spoke to leaders at the recent Cumbre de la Unidad de América Latina y el Caribe, imploring them to continue the fight to bring democracy to the region and to eliminate poverty.  He had admonishing words for so-called “gobernantes autoritarios” (or, authoritative governments).  He didn’t name names specifically, but surely Chavez was squirming a bit in his seat.  But, wait, I believe he had already stormed out after exchanging words with Colombia’s Uribe.  Well, if he wasn’t there to hear, I hope someone relays Arias’ words to him, or at least he reads the transcript.  One thing Arias said that was particularly tinged with wisdom, and which Arias has every right to say, is how can leaders of Latin America complain of poverty when their countries are spending some $60 billion on military might?  Good question.  And since Costa Rica eliminated its military more than half a century ago, it is a question coming from exactly the right source.  Costa Rica has taken that money and spent it in places that matter, like education and health care, and it has paid off as Costa Rica is a tiny country that nevertheless stands head and shoulders above many more powerful nations, like Venezuela, in terms of economic development and the general well-being of its people.  Arias stated the democracy is more than simply holding frequent elections.  I hope the Nicaragua’s Ortega heard that one as “elections” that have kept his Sandinista party in complete domination of that country have been nothing more than a farce.  Arias exits Costa Rica and leaves behind a legacy that will be very hard to live up to.  I have lived here the four years he has served and I have seen major progress on many fronts, especially in terms of the respect and admiration that Costa Rica has earned from the world as a country the can prosper economically and still do the right thing environmentally.  Laura Chinchilla will now have to live up to the legacy set by her confidant and mentor.  They are big shoes to fill, but I got a hunch that with this Cinderella, the shoe might just fit.

Link to Article in La Nación

The president of Costa Rica, Oscar Arias, plans to make a trip to the war torn Middle East in an attempt to convince the Palestinians to de-militarize, as Costa Rica chose to do in 1948.  Arias will first arrive in Turkey, where he hopes to develop some commercial links, then travel on to Israel where he will cross over into Palestinian territory.  Both Israel and Palestine are providing security for President Arias.  His destination will ultimately be Belén, where he will meet with Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.  Arias plans to relay to Fayyad the story of Costa Rica’s pathway to peace via disarmament with the suggestion that maybe Palestine could achieve similar results.  In an article in La Nación Arias states that what Israel demands, and demands justly, are guarantees of peace from Palestine and that a disarmed and demilitarized Palestine may just be the best guarantee.  There is a small brouhaha in Arias’ own country concerning the cost of the trip, estimated at $50,000.  Arias may indeed be seeking to confirm his place in Costa Rican, and even world, history in the concluding moments of his final term.  However, Arias has proven adept at peace negotiations in the past and if he can bring about even a subtle move in the direction of a peaceful resolution of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, it will have been well worth the cost and the effort.  And the stature of Costa Rica as a model of peaceful prosperity for the world certainly won’t be diminished either.

Link to Article in La Nación

One of the hallmarks of any working constitutional government is the separation of powers, that is, executive, legislative and judicial powers, into three autonomous branches.  One cannot be “beholding” to another or the whole idea is just a “house of cards.”  That seems to be the case in Nicaragua.  Consider the recent case whereby the Supreme Court (the “judicial” branch) decided that it was constitutional for the president to run for consecutive terms, thereby potentially handing over continuous control of the executive power to Daniel Ortega.  Who happened to be in control of the judicial power when that decision was laid down?  Magistrates affiliated with the FSLN, Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional, Ortega’s party, that’s who.  The court tried to draw analogous comparisons to Costa Rica’s move in 2003 to allow its executive to be elected for more than a single term.  But Oscar Arias is having nothing of the analogy.  The difference is as clear a a drop of water is to a drop of oil, stated Arias in an article appearing in La Nación.  In the case of 2003, Arias says there was vigorous debate on the issue, whereas in Nicaragua, there was none.  The decision was taken at a time when the FSLN were the only magistrates present and able to vote the issue.  Also, Arias was not in power when the decision was taken, as in the case of Ortega, which is perhaps to me the clearest distinction.  Lately, there has been much brouhaha about Ortega’s two sons living in Costa Rica in the home of Roberto Rivas.  Rivas has a luxury home located in the Villa Real residential area in Santa Ana, one of San Jose most upscale sections.  The Ortega boys are both studying in a Costa Rican university.  Rivas happens to be the “Consejo Supremo Electoral,”  which means he is the person who oversees Nicaragua’s electoral processes.  Processes that in recent local elections were viewed by many as completely fraudulent in favor of the FSLN.  By all accounts it seems that Ortega is sowing his dictatorial seeds quite well in Nicaragua.

Link to Article in La Nación

The Río San Juan, that is.  That’s why the Canadian-owned Las Crucitas Mine Project wants to mine for gold there.  However, environmentalists aren’t so enthused about the idea.  Seems that in order to extract gold from the rock, the miners use a substance called “cyanide.” Yea, that’s the same stuff the double-naught spies use to “bite the bullet” when captured.  Even a grain of the stuff will kill a human in seconds.  The mine will store tons of it.  If there is a leak into the river, well, I guess you can get the picture.  The Río San Juan forms the northern border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua.  Nicaragua actually controls the river and it is a potential tourism hot spot abounding with stunning natural beauty and rich biodiversity.  The river itself is considered a clean body of water with contamination levels below international standards for domestic use.  So, Nicaragua is a little bit up in arms about the whole deal.  Oscar Arias on the other hand appears to be all for it.  The mine will actually be on Costa Rican soil and a while back Arias declared the mine project “of public interest,” which cleared the way for its construction and the destruction of trees in protected forests.  Environmentalists say that Costa Rica has not had a great track record when it comes to giving the green light for mining operations.  The Bellavista Mine in Miramar, Puntarenas, operated less than two years before it was closed in 2007 after a major landslide.  Mining of this nature is normally done in higher altitudes like the Andes region of South America.  Many claim that these mining companies don’t have the expertise to operate in low-lying jungle areas.  The Canadian firm behind the project, Infinito Gold LTD, was suspended from continuing construction due to legal challenges related to the clearing of 50 hectares of forested land.  In the next few weeks the court will issue another ruling that could give the company a green light to continue with construction.  In that case, the mine could be up and operating within 9 to 12 months.  The company claims that none of the forest on the 50 hectares is virgin, but secondary, and of the 1,500 hectares purchased, 1,200 will be protected or replanted forests.  Further, they claim that all environmental impact and feasibility studies were previously approved by Costa Rican authorities.  But my question is this…then why was it necessary for Arias to issue the controversial “of public interest” decree?  The controversy over the project has actually united Nicaraguan and Costa Rican youths that live along the border and who usually view each other with distrust and animosity.  They have instead come together to form coalitions against the mine project.  In my thinking, all the gold in the world could not pay for the stunning natural beauty and biological diversity of this area.  If there is even a potential threat, shut it down!  The economic benefit from tourism in the area can offset any benefit that the mine could possibly bring to the people that live here.  The only ones to really benefit are the fatcats who are financially backing the project.  In short, the reward is not worth the risk for Nicaragua, nor Costa Rica.

Affirming Costa Rica’s status as a world leader in the fight against global warming, President Oscar Arias has been invited as one of the five heads of state to meet in New York to participate in the Summit on Global Climate Change.  Others who will participate include Barack Obama of the U.S. and Hu Jintao of China.  Also included will be heads of poor countries and also island nations whose very existence is threatened by the increase in ocean levels that scientists warn will be a result of global warming.  Arias will be there to represent middle income countries (or, paises de renta media).  Arias will be accompanied by Bruno Stagno, Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores, and Jorge Rodríguez, Ministro del Ambiente.  The Summit is set to take place this September the 21st.  Just two days later, Arias will again participate in a meeting with Obama and Hu, but this time the topic will be limiting the proliferation of nuclear arms.

Link to Article in La Nación

One thing that has been less than painfully evident during the administration of Oscar Arias is that Costa Rica’s road are really getting better.  A major case in point is the new stretch from Orotina to Caldera.  I can remember the days when those 24 kilometers could take up to one hour to traverse.  Now, at 100 kilometers per hour, you can make it in about 15 minutes.  The road was also once littered with axle breaking potholes as if the place had been air-bombed or meteor-showered.  Now it appears as slick as a U.S. engineered highway.  One thing that does rain on your parade is the toll-fare one has to pay to enjoy the ride….480 colones, or around $0.80 to be exact.  That makes it one of the most expensive tolls in the country.  But, I guess that’s the price of progress.  The 24 kilometer stretch is part of the new highway from San Jose to Caldera, that has been in the works, and which now really is “in the works,” for the last 30 some years.  The highway also features very useful aspects such as places where buses can actually exit the highway to pick up and drop off passengers, rather than just stopping in the road….as is the case with most of Costa Rica’s highways.  The company that was granted the concession to build the highway, Autopistas del Sol, is responsible to fix any fissures or holes that appear within 24 hours.  For folks that live in the area, it is planned to construct roads that allow easy entrance and exit and that avoid the “peajes” or tolls, so folks can take advantage of the new road without having to pay almost a buck each time they do so.  All in all, I give Oscar Arias an A+ for his stewardship of Costa Rica infrastructure during his four-year watch.  I can remember the days of the Pacheco administration when one literally took his life into his hands while traversing stretches of road like this one.  Pura Vida Don Oscar!

Link to Article in La Nación

Costa Rica will go to the polls to decide who will lead the country for the next four years in February of 2010.  The field has now narrowed as the two main political parties, the PLN (Partido Liberación Nacional) and the PAC (Partido Accion Ciudadana) have both held their primaries and chosen their candidates.  For the PLN, the party of current president Oscar Arias, it will be Laura Chinchilla.  For the PAC, Ottón Solís will again seek the county’s highest political office.  Chinchilla has served as one of Arias’ vice-presidents and also as the Administration’s Minister of Justice.  She will have the full support of a popular president, and that alone makes her a favorite in the race.  However, who can forget how close Solís came to defeating Arias in the election of 2006, when it was necessary to hold a recount (ala Bush versus Gore) to break a virtual tie.  However, Solís had the momentum of opposition to the TLC, or Central American Free Trade Agreement, which was a hotly debated issue in that election.  That is now history, as the trade agreement ultimately passed, with Arias’ support, via nationwide referendum.  However, much remains to be implemented and you can bet that will be a major issue with the Solís’ campaign.  Solís is the architect of TLC opposition and stands in direct contrast to Chinchilla who is an Arias’ champion of the trade accord.  To liken these candidates to U.S. politics, I guess you would have to call Chinchilla a “progressive conservative” (ala Colon Powell) and Solís a pretty far-left liberal, especially where economic matters are concerned.  There is another wild-card, however, and that is Harvard educated Otto Guevara, the libertarian candidate and head of Partido Movimiento Libertario.  In the 2006 election, Guevara captured almost 10% of the popular vote, a record for a libertarian.  Since I am not a resident of the country, I am not even legally allowed to express my own opinion on these candidates.  I only present this information for consideration of the potential impact of the election on whatever plans readers might have for Costa Rica.  Costa Rica holds its presidential elections once every four years.  The elected president is now allowed to run for two terms as a result of a constitutional change in 2003.

I read in La Nación the other day that Costa Rica’s President Oscar Arias arrived to Trinidad y Tobago for the La Cumbre meeting of leaders of each country in the Americas flying commercially, via COPA.  Heck I fly COPA.  Can’t the President afford a little better than that?  Isn’t there someone out there who could at least offer him a private jet, a prop plane, an air balloon, something?  Arias arrived to the Hotel Hyatt and immediately came face to face with another leader, U.S. President Barack Obama, who I believe I am safe to say did not arrive on a commercial jetliner.  I wonder if Arias got to fly first class?  Many of the Latin American leaders are pleading with Barack Obama to end the U.S. embargo against Cuba, which has been in place since the 60’s.  Another leader making a big splash was Hugo Chavez, who arrived amidst much fanfare and security risk.  When Chavez arrived by car to the door of the hotel, he was swamped by reporters and photographers.  Security was absolutely helpless to do anything.  What a ham!

I am a little confused about this whole mess concerning Roberto Dobles, who just stepped down as the head of MINAET, Costa Rica’s Environment, Energy and Telecommunications Ministry.  He is also a second-cousin to Costa Rica’s president, Oscar Arias.  Okay according to reports in La Nación and The Tico Times, Dobles and his family are shareholders and/or officers of various corporations that own a corporation that owns a corporation that requested a concession to draw water from the Aranjuez River.  Well this corporation, called Agricultura Mecanizada Chapernal, S.A., withdrew its request and instead joined with other corporations, all of whom had an interest in diverting water from the river to various agricultural and sugar mill operations, to form a corporation called Sociedad de Usuarios de Agua Rio Aranjuez (which means Rio Aranjuez Water Users Corporation).  This corporation was granted the concession in 2003. Well recently it has been determined by MINAET that actions by these entites under this concession have caused irreversible damage to the river and biodiversity in the area.  The report used very strong language stating that “disastrous harm” and a “serious crime against an important ecosystem” had occurred.  Dobles may be in serious legal trouble as his actions may have run afoul of Costa Rica’s anti-corruption law, as well as an ethics decree signed by Arias when he took office.  So now Dobles has resigned, but claims he did nothing “illegal.”  Turns out that Oscar Arias himself may not be entirely clean in the matter either as he and his family also have ties to this web of corporations.  I guess a really good question to ask Dobles is, “if you did nothing wrong, why did you resign?”  It is deeply troubling that the Arias administration is implicated in these environmental problems.  I have in the past written favourably about Costa Rica’s president and former Nobel Peace Price winner.  Under his watch I have seen dramatic improvements in the country’s infrastructure, which had been allowed to deteriorate to intolerable levels under the previous Pacheco administration. Arias talks a pretty good environmental talk, but actions speak louder than words.  Problems such as the granting of “national convenience” decrees giving green lights to environmentally questionable projects like the Las Crucitas mine and Steve Case’s Punta Cacique development keep cropping up.  And now this far more serious and potentially criminal matter.  It is a “black eye” on the environmental record of this administration that probably won’t heal any time soon.  Costa Rica cannot afford this type of nepotism and political corruption, especially concerning the most precious resource it has.  Dobles should resign and if he ran afoul of any law with respect to this concession, he should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.  And as for Arias, I can only hope that his decision to appoint his second-cousin to the important role as chief environmental watchdog doesn’t in the end turn and bite him in the $%#.