San Jose Blog

Happy Costa Rican Mother’s Day

The streets filled with flowers, the supermarkets with chocolates, and the home appliance stores with SALE signs that tempted passersby as Costa Rican searched for a way to thank their madres (mothers) this last Saturday- Costa Rica’s Mother’s Day.

Though the date may sound off the mothers of other countries (most, including the United States, celebrate the second Sunday of May), August 15th is the official date set aside yearly to honor moms, celebrate motherhood, and recognize all those special contributions that mothers make to society.

While people from other countries may tend to think of Mother’s Day as a “Hallmark Holiday” (though none of us would dare mention this thought to our mothers!), Costa Ricans seem to truly respect and cherish this day; after all, where would any of us be without our mothers? Furthermore, Costa Rica is a society in which the woman act as very much as the foundation of the household (cleaning, cooking, ironing, sending their children to school and work with home-cooked hot lunches…. it’s no wonder so many adults still live at home here!). In fact, Mother’s Day is so special in Costa Rica that it is recognized as a national holiday. Furthermore, it marks the 2nd biggest day for sales among retailers (second only to the Christmas madness).

A typical Costa Rican Mother’s Day may be spent with several generations: children, parents and grandparents gather together at a family member’s home to exchange gifts and, more importantly, share some time together. Most families prepare a special lunch or share an afternoon “café” (a time for friends and family to drink coffee and enjoy pastries together. It is traditional for the host to provide the coffee and the visitors to contribute some type of bread or pastry). A typical gift may range anywhere from a homemade card or cake to a brand-new appliance found in one of the many Mother’s Day offers (these are often paid on lay-away). Some may have even given mom a lottery ticket (as stashed an extra one away for themselves), since the Mother’s Day lottery was a special event full of all sorts of winnings.

Well, for all those moms out there who carried us in their bellies for 9 months and who fed, clothed and raised us within the best of their capacities- here’s to you! We wish you many thanks and a Happy Costa Rican Mother’s Day.

Train to Heredia

Last week, on August 10, the streets of San José tremble under a new giant traveling across the city, making way trough the traffic of jammed streets, parting ways with old means of public transportation. Pedestrians wave and cars stopped as the first Apolo train departed at 5:30 a.m. from Estación del Pacífico, heading to Heredia. It will only take half an hour to arrive to its final destination. From that point, the train will pick up another group of passengers awaitng in “la ciudad de las flores” (city of flowers, as commonly called by costaricans) heading to San José: the train Heredia-San José is a reality, finally.

Ever since the train system in Costa Rica was closed in 1995, by the Figueres Olsen administration, that allegated it was causing a great deal of economical losses to the goverment, a lot of plans were proposed to develop a new railway system in Costa Rica, that would link Alajuela, San José and Cartago; none of this saw the light. Ironically, it was Jose María Figureres Olsen’s father, José Figueres Ferrer, the one who nationalize the train system in 1962, giving it back to the country. In 1985, the Instituto Costarricense de Ferrocarriles (INCOFER), was created as an autonomous instituion to rehabilitate and modernize the railway system in Costa Rica. Unfortunately, little was done within the next ten 10 years, and the modernization plans faliled to deliver. The passenger train between the Atlantic and the Pacific regions was not promoted and no real concessions were made for the freight train, leaving the transportation of cargo to the trucking companies. Therefore, with a great fleet of buses carrying people and trucks transporting cargo, streets became crowded as the railways began to show their first signs of rust. Given the situation, aside from some economic interests between the bus and the trucking companies, the train was closed 14 years ago. INCOFER remained active, keeping some railroad motorcars working as well as some locomotives, to pursue some minor goverment tasks with the freight train.

It was until 2005, forseeing the fossil fuel crisis that is in it’s hype right now, that the passenger train was reopened and that would travel from Pavas to San Pedro in San José. The system was slow in the beginning, with an old locomotive and poorly refurnished passanger cars. Youngsters used it just for the fun of it and old folks, for the nostalgia evoked from the soothing sound of those old railway lines. A strong campaing made by INCOFER, soon turn the folkroric train into a metroplolitan train system whithin the first three month, adding an Apolo train to their fleet, where at least 1000 people used the system daily to go to work, school or university. Another project, that it’s final resolution is still shrouded in mystery by our burocratic process, was proposed: TREM, that stands for Tren Eléctrico Metroplolitano, a new system taht would provide trasnportation services between San José, an its neighbour provinces: Heredia, Alajuela and Cartago. The development of this project is still in talks and American, European and Japanesse companies are interested in managing the development. We’ll se if the country won`t have top wait a lot for its proceeding like the 47 years spent in allowing permits to construct the new Costanera highway.

Between this process, the metroplitan train included a new route this year, traveling from San José to Heredia. This project was proposed two years ago, and it was until las year, that itr was given green light. INCOFER bought 4 Apolo diesel powered trains to Feve, a Spanish railway company.

The train from San José to Heredia will cover 12 km in half an hour. Traveling from San José to Heredia or viceversa, takes approximately one hour, a little more during rush hour, so the train users will save o lot of time, fuel andd money. The pass costs 350 colones, one trip.

Right now, the system seems about right, carrying between 3000 and 4000 users per day. We’ll have to see if the rate of users increases, actions taken by the goverment and the institutions in charge of approving the TREM, which is said that it would take 19 minutes to go from San José to Heredia, and will cover other porvinces and places in San José, will take place. As for now, the people are responding to a new mean in public transportation that lifts up the weight of long hours awaitng stuck in traffic jam in San José. It’s up to the goverment to take this response to a much higher level and determine the future of trasportation in a country that experiments a major increase in population each year, and a major decrease in it’s streets capacity each day.

One drop of niceness: ID for ticket price is now a reality for the Elderly.

While some bus companies had begun using the electronic ID check devise to replace the transportation cost for the aged citizens it had not become fully a reality just until now. The CCSS has stopped the issuing of tickets and discounts destined to the elderly in view of complications the process raises in administration burdens and as it extends over an area of responsabilities which by law do not pertain to the institution.

The application of the special law for the elder person now sees fulfilled one of its most pressing goals: guaranteeing free public transportation to all cirizens over the age of 65. As it is disposed, the one thing required from them would be to hand their identification cards to the bus driver so they can swipe it through an electronic device cancelling thus the prevoious and ancient requirement of an specific toll.

While many companies still have not adhered to the new normative, the CCSS and the National Chamber of Transportation are eyeing possibilities to safeguard and maintain the right of the elderly to travel freely, among them is the chance of actually exercising the usage of over 250,000 tickers that had been issued already for the same means. Other options are also beeing considered without much detail on them having been released to the press.

The application of this law has been received joyfully by most of the regular users over 65, declaring the sparing of transportation costs does little to alter the difficult financial situation that affects many of them, however dignifies their position as appreciated group within our society. Remains to be seen if similar measures will be taken for the protection of the physically challenged.

MICHELETTI, ARIAS AND ZELAYA: IN THE MIDDLE OF A PUBLICITY STUNT.

One month ago, as announced by the United States Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, the president of Costa Rica, Óscar Arias Sánchez, was appointed as a mediator in a dialogue between the interim de facto President of Honduras Roberto Micheletti and the deposed Honduran president, removed form the power by what most of the international community considers a coup d’état, Manuel Zelaya. Negotiations were going take place at San José between four delegates representing Micheletti’s interim goverment and a commission sent by Zelaya. Even though, that fisrt round of negotiations didn’t draw an outcome fot the political crisis at Honduras, it did put Costa Rica in the headlines of main news around the globe. But here lies a question: Why choosing such a country and it’s president to lead the agreements between both parts?

First of all, Costa Rica is well known for being a neutral country. Ever since the abolition of the army by Jose Figueres Ferrer in 1948 and consecrated in the Constituion of 1949, Costa Rica, not only has gained a well-known name for becoming the first country around the world to, constitutionally, abolish its army, but for establishing a policy of neutrality among international incidents that includes acts of belligerence.

Óscar Arias’ name appear in this peace equation during his first term as president (1986-1990). It was in that time, that he contributed to solve the political conflicts in Central America which invloved the United States using Honduras as a military base for its armed forces to support a rebel group named the Contras which were fighting against the Sandinista goverment in Nicaragua. The U.S. was also aiding the goverments of El Salvador and Guatemala that, at the time, were enduring left-wind guerrilla attacks. Panama didn’t escape this chaotic political enviroment, as it was facing the military dictatorship of Manuel Antonio Noriega. In the middle of all this, Costa Rica’s name rise as president Arias earned the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in the Esquipulas II Agreement which developed a plan in Central America for promoting democracy with free elections and the disbandment of paramilitary forces that receives aid from other groups or countries.

A lot has been said about Arias’ work during the Esquipulas II Agreement. Some opinions favorable, some discouraging. Mostly because some might consider, Arias used his political power to gain a title he didn’t deserved and left unwatch his political duties as president in his own country.

Those in favor of that last opinion, say that more than 20 years later, Arias,  running his second term as president, onces again seizes the opportunity to rise his name among the international comunnity, to back up the prize he earned two decades go. In a different enviroment, dealing with goverments that stand behind economical policies, leaving behind ideologies, facing a powerful movement like the one Hugo Chavez, in South America and Nicaragua, is devoloping masked as the A.L.B.A., leaving unwatched a country which isn’t as economically or socially stable as in the mid-eighties, Arias’ new San José Agreement, that deals with a 12-step program to achieve national reconciliation and strengthen democracy in Honduras, has not been as welcomed as he expected, rejected by Zelaya’s Commission and leading the path to failure in giving resolution to the crisis.

Nevertheless, the intention to display a publicity stunt by the mandatary, achieve its goal as he, once again, gained international recognition. At this point in which some say Arias use his political influence and power for his name to achieve this recognition, it is necessary to question those remarks that see these as a negative point for Costa Rica. The repercutions in internal policies for a country  that his president delivers most of his efforts to an international event, are not questionable, but the fact that it is not only his name that’s been used fot “publicity” matters, but the country itself, quite says a lot of the way of its internal policies work and way of thinking of the people. A president that stands behind such peace policies, only is representing a country and a population that believe in those policies and that have forged a country that stands for non-belligerence toward other states and furthermore, that promotes a democratic system that doesn’t rely on the power of armed forces displayed by the military. Whether for personal interests or not by Arias, that’s the kind of publicity no other country can afford.

ELECTIONS AND TRIALS: A THIN LINE BETWEEN BECOMING A PRESIDENT AND A BECOMING A CONVICT.

Two weeks ago, Juan Carlos Cubillo’s voice, one of the attorneys for the Ministerio Público, was heard through the courtroom as his words were delivered toward former president and current candidate representing Partido Unidad Social Cristiana for the 2010 presidential elections, Rafael Ángel Calderón Fournier, at the final statements in the long awaited sentence to the Caja-Fischel Trial.

Caderon´s being accused by the prosecution, with two charges of embezzlement and two more of corruption related to the purchase of obsolete medical equipment for the Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social (C.C.S.S.), the department in charge of social security and healthcare in Costa Rica. The purchase was made possible by a given loan from the goverment of Finland.

The Fiscalía (prosecution) asked 24 years of prison for Calderon Fournier to the Tribunal Penal de Goicoechea for the alleged indicments. At the same time, seven other people are being indicted as well, for participating in the Finnish loan made possible by Corporación Fischel, a group that tied all of the accused .

Last Friday, the legal adviser for C.C.S.S., also demanded a total of $46 million to be payed to the institution in compensatory damages by the eight people involve in the accusations.

As for today, recognized in the past as one of Costa Rica`s biggest political parties, in a mostly two-party system that saw its collpase 10 years ago, Partido Unidad Social Crsitiana, is at stake once again, awaiting for the final resolution as Calderon Fournier, one of the most representative member in its lines, faces these charges.

Calderón Fournier served as president from 1990 to 1994. His father, Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia, who also served as president from 1940 to 1944, was one of Costa Ricas’ leading figures in politics in the mid-twentieth century. During his term, he founded the Universidad de Costa Rica, the most prestigious university in Costa Rica and one of the top-ranked universities among Latin America; promoted the Labor Code; developed a series of reforms called the Social Guarantees, which lead the path to social security with the creation of the C.C.S.S. Coincidentially, the current trial lead agaisnt Calderón Fournier and the other people accused, involves the C.C.S.S. in a way that it was used as a decoy to make the loan possible. The institution not only suffered in the healthcare department that covers all costaricans, but was affected in their retirmement plans that includes half of the population, 2 million people approximately. Therefore, if found guilty, not only the political party will be damaged, but the Calderon family name in a way that an institution his father created to play such a big role in the development of the country, was used by a group of people, including his son, to play a out major act of corruption.

The final sentence that will be pronounced by the Trinbunal de Goicoechea, could determine, not only 2010 elections, but the way a new political system will arise within PLN (Partido Liberación nacional) and PAC (Partido Acción Ciudadana), the other two major parties at Costa Rica, that will endure, not only a tougher battle for the presidential elections, but for the number of seats at the Asamblea Legislativa, the Congress. Therefore, the closure of the trial, whatever the decission made by the judges, brings light in the horizon of Costa Rica’s legislation in terms of investigating possible acts of corruption made by public figures and servants as well as going to the top of government hierarchy. In that sense, more than a public embarassment as seen by some political analysts, the Caja-Fischel Trial brings out, not only the worst in human condition by means of acts of corruption, but the best of the social condition of a country that stands against anything that damages the public interest.