Legislators of the Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN) and the Partido Acción Ciudadana (PAC) highlighted on Thursday as positive the work of Presidenta Laura Chinchilla.
But lawmakers of the Frente Amplio (FA) and the Partido Unidad Social Cristiana (PUSC) felt that the quality of the administration was reflected in the results (or lack of) of the PLN in the presidential elections.
The opinions were offered after the Presidenta gave her last and final report to the nation to the new group of legislators that took began their four year term yesterday. Laura Chinchilla’s term ends on May 8.
PAC legislator and former presidential candidate, Ottón Solís, acknowledged the work of the Presidenta on the child care network and security, however, felt there were “ethical lapses” in the administration, citing as an example the case of wage increases lawmakers bestowed on themselves and the controversial trip to Peru on a private plane.
PLN legislator Rolando Gonzalez said the successes of Presidenta Chinchilla are measurable and she was a “victim of sexism.”
Legislator Edgardo Araya of the Frente Amplio said he believed that the Presidenta was talking about another country while listening to the 90 minute speech.
Rafael Ortiz of the PUSC added that the mismanagement of the country by Presidenta Chinchilla was clearly reflected in the outcome of the last presidential election that saw the PAC candidate receive 1.3 million votes, crushing the PLN.
Otto Guevara of the Movimiento Libertario acknowledged there were successes in the Chinchilla administration, however, there were mistakes that the Presidenta did not mention in her speech.
It was 10:15pm when the Presidenta ended her report before legislators, ministers and invited guests, who applauded her. Legislators of the Frente Amplio, PUSC and Libertario held their applause.
Presidenta Chinchilla will be handing over the presidential seat PAC president-elect, Luis Guillermo Solís, on May 8.
I really don’t believe that President Chinchilla was not given much of a chance. While she did make some errors of judgment, especially placing trust in ministers and advisers, she has been personally blamed for events that would have been business as usual in previous administrations. I believe that her critics in opposing parties and the media have unfairly held her to a new, higher standard, but I hope that this standard carries forward and corruption continues to be exposed. I also believe that the extra scrutiny on her was partly because she is a woman, that some men simply refuse to acknowledge the competence of a woman in the same way that some in the US refuse to acknowledge the competence of a black person. In part, that scrutiny was due to general dissatisfaction with the PLN and resistance to rising prices and taxes, especially when there was so much waste due to a culture of corruption.
I hope that the new administration will be able to bring needed improvement in services, but I’m not very optimistic. Clearly, an infusion of money is needed to fund necessary improvements to the crumbling infrastructure, and the current president couldn’t get much cooperation in that regard even when her party dominated the legislature. With no clear majority in the Legislative Assembly, getting that body to pass any meaningful legislation will be a challenge. I commend the president-elect for focusing on existing tax laws and unpaid taxes before creating more taxes or calling for tax increases. The Caja is one place where enforcement is critical. Also, plenty of revenue would be generated by reassessing all real estate,,which many (if not most) owners low-ball on reported values – having trained government tax assessors determine values rather than accepting owners’ valuations would be a great idea. Of course, the nation’s income taxes are also underpaid by many high earners because of the difficulty getting accurate income figures, and some measures should be taken to track income more accurately. The new president will have his work cut out for him. I wish him well.
As long as politician’s cords are pulled by the puppet masters, nothing will change. I’m looking at the epic fail of our own Professor Obama who promised so much and delivered nothing on his promises. Unfortunately, economies throughout the world will keep on getting worst.
I cringe when I hear more taxes as the solution to Costa Rica’s problems.
This coming president hopefully will understand how economies work, and how bad management destroys nations. I wish him well.