Q COSTA RICA — Former president of Costa Rica, Miguel Ángel Rodríguez (1998 – 2002), expressed his opinion on the Plantón por la Democracia, a peaceful protest advocating for democracy in the country, held last Thursday.
He acknowledged the importance of citizens voicing their concerns and the right to peaceful assembly. However, Rodríguez also emphasized the need for dialogue and constructive engagement with institutions to address democratic challenges, cautioning against actions that might destabilize social order or hinder progress. Overall, he supports democratic participation but calls for unity and responsibility in pursuing change.
Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, Former President of the Republic:
“On Thursday, I participated in the sit-in for democracy. I wasn’t there to defend privileges or to claim everything is working perfectly. I wasn’t there against anyone. I was there in support of Costa Rica.
“We must defend the independence of the judiciary and also demand significant and urgent changes to the justice system.
“Thousands of comments on social media regarding the sit-in reveal a divided country. Some saw it as a civic gathering. Others, as a meeting of privileged individuals protecting a slow judiciary that favors the wealthy.
“We shouldn’t respond with contempt. There are reasons to be dissatisfied. A trial that drags on for years can ruin a family or close a small business. A victim without answers feels abandoned. When a criminal goes free due to errors or expired deadlines, people lose trust. An innocent person subjected to an interminable trial suffers a severe and undeserved punishment. And those who can afford several lawyers tend to defend themselves better.
“But at the same time, if the judiciary is weakened, if judges and magistrates lose their independence, we all lose.
“It is understandably infuriating to see unjustified privileges and corruption cases that are announced with great fanfare at the start of their investigations, only to drag on for years without charges being filed and even longer without a trial. To deny this would be to bury one’s head in the sand.
“Nothing supports the conclusion that the entire judiciary is corrupt and exists to protect the wealthy. Such an accusation equally condemns the vast majority of the thousands of honest judges, prosecutors, investigators, public defenders, and employees who do their duty.
“Furthermore, destroying judicial independence would not primarily harm the powerful. They almost always find ways to protect themselves. Those who most need independent judges are the unjustly dismissed worker; the assaulted woman; the elderly person claiming their pension; the family facing eviction; the small business owner confronting a large corporation; the citizen accused without evidence; and the sick person needing legal protection to receive prompt care at the Costa Rican Social Security System (CCSS) instead of waiting three years. An independent judiciary is, above all, a defense of those with the least power.
“The main reform is to tackle the judicial backlog. Prosecutor’s investigations must have effective deadlines. The preliminary hearing must prevent accusations with no serious possibility of conviction from going to trial, and the accused must be able to appeal the decision to proceed to trial, just as the Prosecutor’s Office appeals a dismissal. Trials must have maximum time limits for their conclusion. Days spent reading indictments or incorporating already admitted evidence must be eliminated. Ordinary cases of debt collection should be transferred to notaries, thereby freeing up judges for other jurisdictions.
“We must also protect the lives and families of judges threatened by gangs that offer “lead or money,” and improve citizen protection against repeat offenders. All of this requires better management, goals, and accountability.
“Simply changing the way judges are chosen or replacing capable officials with people loyal to a party will not solve the backlog or bring more justice to the poor.
“Whoever wins an election must govern and implement their reforms, but the vote does not grant unlimited power. Controls prevent abuses.
“We gain nothing by dividing Costa Rica between a good people and hostile institutions. It also helps to call those who support the government ignorant or those who participated in the sit-in corrupt.
“The message of the sit-in should not be ‘let’s leave everything as it is.’ It should be: let’s change a lot, let’s change soon, and let’s change well. Let’s build a faster, more accessible, transparent, and equitable justice system for all, without destroying its independence.
“The message of the sit-in should be not to antagonize but to unite, not to discredit but to propose concrete reforms. Not to impose solutions but to build agreements.
“Let’s act as our grandparents often did, anticipating problems and uniting to agree on and implement solutions.
“That’s why I participated. I’m not against anyone. I’m in favor of a Costa Rica where the poor and the rich receive the same treatment, criminals are punished, the innocent are protected, power has limits, and institutions are accountable. Where the branches of government respect each other.
“That’s the reform we need: big, urgent, and well done.”
This article represents the opinion of its author. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of this publication. The opinion (translated) was featured on DiarioExtra.com. Read the original in Spanish here.