15
Feb 09President Arias, Genius or Machiavelli Extraordinaire?
We barely even see the guy on television, his brother and word-by-word austerity is what most of us probably will remember for the administration’s public side. Yet, of all presidential figures of the last 2 decades, perhaps none has been as active and controversial.
Of course the Peace Prize pretty much won him the edge he needed to score the presidency. Let’s not forget a huge portion of our country’s electorate – just like in the US- is built from sentimental and poorly educated provincial peoples, and unfortunately for the rest of us, they do care about the seniority hoopla of old political families and their past glories.
In all honesty, my view has always been that of: a liberal capitalist with some humanist balancing. I didn’t initially oppose the passing of the Trade Treaty with Uncle Sam, but in fact supported it, and my speech for the counterfeiting always was that of “I believe in the Impresario Community of Costa Rica, therefore, “que no panda el cunico”. Some of my closest friends hated me for my “fascist” approach and urged me to reconsider my position for the sake of the poor potato growers and disenfranchised underdogs. “Sorry” –I said; “the success or failure in a particular trade directly coincides with its goals, practices and technique”, and added: “If a particular is to die in view of such competition, it isn’t meant to live on anyhow”. HOW CRUEL WAS I, right?
Well, I am certain –in misplaced vanity- newly elected President Arias agreed with me, of course he’d never express himself in the same way, but it can be agreed by most this “prey and preying” mentality was also his own. The man is a financial mogul; his experience in handling of political groups is large and needless to mention his international prestige and pull. Just like Danny Devito said while remotely controlling the Batmovile in Batman Returns –and to Bruce Wayne’s posterior gain- “You’ve got to admit, I played this stinking city like a harp from hell!” . It seems, sometimes in order to run a country in the “effective” manner, certain draconian persona would be required; much more so where corruption had always been the rule of the day and undisciplined people controlled the public sector. Just like Chicago during the 1920’s, a rough kingpin is sometimes the needed fix. He has sharpened the bureaucratic sector, demanded proficiency by his levies, and played a “middleground” guy as is to be expected from the finest politicians. Again, niceness makes Ghandi, not Churchill.
The local media doesn’t quite like his snobby approach to communication, and much less does the quasi-Marxist public UCR entente. Swimming between two oceans is not ever an easy task and wishing to please all will gain all but pleasing anyone? Clear I wish to be in my narrative that, I do not defend, nor would put my hands on fire for such personality, the dark side will always be the dark side, regardless of final results. BUT, sentimentality being the rule of the Costarican common folk, must it really be endured and protected before anything?, is the soul of Costarican politics so fickle and changeable? Moral dexterity has never been a national asset; maybe we should give it a chance?