(QCOSTARICA) Costa Rica’s President, Carlos Alvarado, accused the press on Thursday of “using him” to talk about boring things and, therefore, he cannot concentrate, according to him, on dealing with the health crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
This is how the President responded to go off on a tangent to questions from members of the press who pointed out to him on Thursday that since the end of last year the means to consult him on different topics have been reduced.
Since the end of last year, Alvarado put aside his weekly attention to the press and the President only answers questions that are preselected by his advisers and journalists from the Casa Presidencial, mostly from media related to or aligned with his administration.
From Monday to Friday, the press is permitted to ask questions in person before the cameras to the government panel. However, if you watch enough of these pressers, you will notice a recurring pattern: the same faces day and day out, and questions only related to topics discussed prior to the questioning.
The Q, for example, has repeatedly asked for a personal presence at a press conference, although no denial has been given, no invitation has been extended either.
Another example, the President has been for months without referring to the concerns of the business and economic sector because they do not see that his government has a clear route in economic matters, to the high unemployment rate that reached 15.7%, and above all from the opposition’s demand that his administration make efficient use of public spending and make budget cuts.
“I want to focus more on responding to the press and I do not hide the fact that I like to talk about these underlying issues, but I also often find myself talking about issues like the ones I criticized yesterday and I think that is not constructive. I say this frankly, sometimes I feel like they use me to talk about things that are insipid. If the questions are deep and we are going to build on things very well, but if it is to build an agenda that is not in the best interest of Costa Rica, I see a rivalry in my time, I have a lot to do,” said Alvarado.
A year ago Alvarado, a writer, journalist and political scientist, also questioned the press about his news agenda.
At that time he complained about having to answer questions about a reality that he considered “bizarre.”
