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By Carlos Quintanilla
The traditional pacifist image that has characterized Costa Rica for many years seems to be something of the past now. There has been an increase in violence which has made Costa Rican citizens buy firearms (including revolvers, pistols, rifles, shotguns and carbines) as a defense against crime.
According to the newspaper La Republica, one of the most influential in the country, Costa Ricans have made their homes into fortresses in recent years, protected by bars, padlocks and alarms, to prevent possible attacks by criminals.
Costa Rica's Ministry of Public Safety has recently reiterated that the population is arming itself as a safety measure. Additionally, gun permits have tripled, from 3,174 in 1989 to 9,877 in 1997.
The agency recognizes that citizen insecurity is the main contributor to this phenomenon. Recent data from the Department of Gun and Explosives Control (CAE in Spanish), a subdivision of the Ministry of Public Safety, reveals that altogether, Costa Ricans have purchased 34,783 arms in the last seven years. The importation of arms by business has also increased significantly.
It is estimated that during 1996, there were over 60,000 claims of criminal activity. This is in spite of under-reporting of thefts and muggings by victims, who do not trust the police's effectiveness in resolving the situation or recovering the stolen goods.
Many wonder what is the reason for this increase in crime in a peaceful country such as Costa Rica. The simple answer can be traced back to the high cost of living, lack of work and administrative corruption.
It is essential to remember that President Jos‚ Maria Figueres, at his inauguration ceremony nearly four years ago, promised to change the neo-liberal political system to benefit the people which, according to him, suffered significant social impairment due to his predecessor's, Rafael Angel Calderon, economic policies.
Figueres also promised to make important reforms in the education and health sectors and to recover the high percentages of human development costs in Costa Rica, damaged in the last decade by the implementation of structural adjustment programs.
Committed to complying to the promises to improve the popular sector, Figueres and his economic advisors proposed the creation of a basic price and wage adjustments-refunding the workers for part of their acquisitive power that they lost with inflation. Also, they proposed controlling prices for approximately 50 products and services that are considered staples by the people.
Nevertheless, Figueres' good intentions crashed immediately with the intervention of the corporate sector. Major corporations and other private entities opposed most of Figueres' plans to make economic reforms.
The presidential plan was overwhelmed by the negative corporate and industrialist reaction, as well as opposition by others in Costa Rica's economic elite. A few months after Figueres' inauguration, the government announced 5% and 7% increases in the price of meat, milk, chicken and cheese, after the prices of bread flour, oil, sugar, rice and coffee had already increased.
Due to pressure from powerful financial sectors in the country, there were also increases for educational tuition to public schools of almost 50%. People believed that the increases occurred after the government made new agreements with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), but that is not the case. Corporate pressure within Costa Rica prevented the enactment of the presidential reforms to improve the populace's financial situation. A few months after the general elections, Costa Rica continue to face serious problems, from corruption in the public sector to xenophobia against Nicaraguan immigrants, particularly those who are alleged to be 'undocumented.'
'Undocumented' Nicaraguans have been cited by the Costa Rican government as the other major problem that the country faces.. It is estimated that half a million Nicaraguans live in Costa Rica. Of those, there is a high percentage who supposedly do not have official immigration papers. On several occasions, the government has accused these immigrants of being responsible for the high crime rate now plaguing the country. Officials have also threatened to deport all immigrants back to Nicaragua starting in March 1998 unless those immigrants have the proper paperwork and visas to stay in the country.
Hoping that a true leader who can resolve all of the country's problems will emerge from the next elections, the citizens of the so-called 'Latin American Switzerland' anxiously await Election Day.
The Archbishop of San Jos‚, Ram˘n Arrieta, recently warned Costa Ricans not to search for false leaders during the next elections. Arrieta recommended that the populace look for leaders who will attend to problems such as drug addiction, social violence, citizen insecurity and unemployment, which is the main problems facing the population.
One thing to consider is that, in case that true leader arrives, powerful economic interests in Costa Rica will be the first one to tie his/her hands.
Carlos Quintanilla produces and hosts KPFK's Spanish-language news program, "Noticiero Pacifica," which is broadcast on 90.7 FM every Saturday at 5:30 P.M. Noticiero Pacifica is the only independent, alternative news program focusing on Latin America in the Los Angeles area.