Q COSTARICA — Oscar Arias, a two-time former president, highlights that the last four years of the presidency have been marked by coarse, vulgar, and insulting language. He believes the new government of Laura Fernández should focus on respectful dialogue that encourages negotiation.
Arias, the 1987 Nobel Peace Prize winner for his work toward peace in Central America, adds that only in this way can bridges be built for the benefit of Costa Ricans, since the alternative is to construct walls that prevent dialogue and negotiation.
“What do I expect from Laura Fernández’s future government? That it will be different from the current government we have experienced these past four years. To achieve this, it is necessary to understand that democracy implies ongoing negotiation. And to live in a democracy where negotiations are constant in parliament, within a multi-party system, certain attributes are required: patience, humility, flexibility, and a willingness to make concessions in every negotiation,” Arias told Noticias Monumental.
Without mentioning the name of Rodrigo Chaves, the former president said that in these last four years, “crude, vulgar language that insults the adversary” has been used, making it “very difficult to build bridges in a democracy.”
“It is almost impossible to reach agreements if we are not willing to compromise; in any negotiation, you don’t get everything both parties want, but rather what they can achieve (…) Insulting language builds walls to divide, not bridges to unite,” Arias said.
Rodrigo Chaves’s administration will end on May 8, and there are high expectations for the change of government, as it represents the continuation of the ruling party.
Those hopes might end up being just that—hopes. Rodrigo Chaves is likely to stay on in the new government, probably taking a key role as Ministro de la Presidencia (Chief of Staff). That’s the position Ms. Fernández held in Chaves’s administration before she stepped down to run for president (as required by election rules), then returned to it after winning the election in February.
Other former presidents have quietly made the same observation.