QCOSTARICA – President Rodrigo Chaves justified the temporary closure of Parque Viva and denied that the decision was due to an attack on the press and the Grupo Nación.
Authorities from the Fire Department of Costa Rica, the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation (MOPT), the Fuerza Publica (National Police), and the Ministry of Health, explained through presentations and videos, the vehicular problems that originate around the Parque Viva and the risks to attend to incidents that arise.
The president said that he has not received communication from Parque Viva about the remedial plan requested by the Health authorities, to revoke the temporary suspension.
Chaves stated that the government acted quickly in this case due to the risks that were evident.
The President also revealed that he will request from the corresponding authorities, the file in which the permits were granted to Parque Viva to operate, despite the problems expressed by the health and safety authorities.
Chaves denied that there is an attack by his government on freedom of expression and criticized those who have questioned the use of the state apparatus to retaliate against a critical media.
“There is still no media outlet shut down, no journalist in jail, and no newsroom raided,” stated Chaves emphatically. However, he did not clarify that the Executive Branch lacks these powers, since only by order of the Judiciary can someone be sent to prison or carry out a raid.
The President stressed that there is no monarchy in Costa Rica and that having a name does not constitute entitlement, which some (alluding to the owners of the Grupo Nacion) have come to think it so.
“I know that this is a series of strong, passionate expressions and meditations. I know that the people of Costa Rica are not used to a president telling the La Nación group that they think they are Costa Ricans with a crown, but this is a new era,” he exclaimed.
At the end of his discourse, Chaves apologized “for having taken too much time” to refer to the subject.
This is the second time in a row that the President has used the press conference after the Governing Council (Cabinet Meeting) to attack La Nacion.
According to the government, the Grupo Nación applied for a permit for ‘Ciudad Viva’ and not for the park itself, that is, a larger area of land in the area. The head of the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation (MOPT), Luis Amador, assured that, if granted, it would also cause a collapse of Route 27.
