Rodolfo Hernández is a medical doctor who wanted to be president. But like former president Dr. Abel Pacheco, he found that politics has nothing to do about integrity, honesty and doing something for the country.
The good doctor found himself against the wall, feeling betrayed and angry, mostly from what I can gather at himself for listening to those who hedged him into politics.
For 150 days Dr.Hernández put his personal life aside with the ideal to correct some of the many problems facing the country and its people.
What the doctor found, however, and his words “betrayal, intrigue, selfisheness and disappointment” .
Today, as he goes back to his work as a doctor at the Sick Children’s hospital in downtown San José, I could see a hint of bitterness and anger when he spoke to the television cameras.
The doctor threw in the towel on Thursday afternoon, leaving the PUSC political party with only 14 days to find a suitable candidate. This, a party that alternated (with the PLN) ruling the country for decades.
Perhaps Dr. Hernández, like Dr. Pacheco, thought he didn’t have to play politics to be in politics.
As Rick Philps write in his comments on my story, “the problem is that their medical training is all based on obtaining concrete results for third parties; an objective totally contrary to politicians“.
With 150 days of politicking under his belt, perhaps Dr. Hernández realized is naivity or saw that he could not continue to be honest if wanted to win the elections.
Just my opinion.
I stand by my previous comments, that Dr. Hernandez is guilty of naivety in believing in his altruistic political platforms, such as helping the poor. In Costa Rican Society, if not Latin Society as a whole, the “pecking order” of financially benefiting others as a politician goes in the order of family, friends, and finally country. I doubt very much that Dr. Hernandez has the political ability to change this well-entrenched thinking, corrupt as it may be. In- fact, he has already seen the opposition to his political platform from within his own Party ranks; he will be stone-walled. Unfortunately, as only the rich and influential garner political power, there is rarely any funding left for matters which benefit the country, the poor, or otherwise; lack of basic infrastructure being a good example.