Costa Rica was described as “corrupt and democratic banana republic” by the host and guest analylist of the Manahattan Connection television program by Brazil’s Globo News. Produced in New York for broadcast on Brazil’s pay channel Globosat, the signal reaches a global audience.
The program last Sunday opened with an introduction by host Lucas Mendes and a video portraying Costa Rica as a banana republic, followed by a panel discussion with analysts in the Globo News studios in Brazil on the presidential elections in Costa Rica and El Salvador the week before.
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Click here to see the video.
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In response to the question put by Mendes of what is happening in Costa Rica, “formerly considered model country in Latin America”, international affairs analyst, Ciao Blinder, responded by saying that “in Costa Rica the rise of Luis Guillermo Solis (PAC candidate) is due to government corruption (by Laura Chinchilla).”
Blinder added that our country – unlike Nicaragua, where recent constitutional reforms extended presidential terms – has solid institutions, but is a “normal country: corrupt and democratic.”
Costa Rica’s communication minister, Carlos Roverssi, says the Brazilian program shows ignorance and lack of professionalism and research in branding the country (Costa Rica) as a “banana republic”.
The minister added describing the relationship between democracy and corruption “as normal” makes you think that the program is one of leftist groups, whose intention is powered by local groups in Costa Rica who oppose the Chinchilla administration who constantly publish critical reviews.
Roverssi says it is a result of a campaign over the last several years of sectors who want to destabilize democracy in Costa Rica.
The minister emphasized that the government will be seeking from the producers of the Manhattan Connection a right of reply.
On Feb. 2, 2014, the Spanish daily El Mundo published a tough criticism of Chinchilla, describing her as “the woman who failed governing Costa Rica”.
He was half right – we do export Bananas (but our number one export is microprocessors, I believe), and we are a republic. As for corruption, while it certainly is not unheard of in Costa Rica, this country has a much better ranking on corruption and democracy in the World Democracy Audit than does Brazil. This is just another TV commentator talking out of his arse. This program wasn’t affiliated with Fox News, was it?
Costa Rica is a corrupt country the goverment and is a dangerous place to live just gogle Costa Rica no longer safe wikileaks, what they are great at is lying and fixing the stats to get more tourist in the country the worst part is they act like they are the leaders in Latin American in transperacy and human rights anyone that has lived there long enough know that is not true, is an expensive country people live in fear because of the crime and the minority that control Costa Rica have a established a corrupt goverment all they do is steal for every $1 that comes in they steal .95 cents and invest .05 cents San Jose is a sewer of a city