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COSTA RICA
“Champion” of democracy and
godfather of anti-Cuban mafia accused
of corruption
BY MARIA VICTORIA
VALDES-RODDA—Staff writer for Granma
International—
FORMER Costa Rican President Miguel Angel Rodríguez,
well known for his speeches on democracy and
legitimate political power as well as for his
unconditional support of the Cuban-American mafia’s
aims to isolate Cuba and end to the Revolution’s
prestige, is facing serious charges of corruption in
his country.
The
Costa Rican Legislative Assembly has passed a motion
in support of a governmental decree demanding
Rodríguez’ resignation as secretary general of the
Organization of American States (OAS), so that he
can immediately stand trial in court.
The
scandal began after former Electricity Institute
(ICE) executive José Antonio Lobo accused Rodríguez
of receiving two million dollars from the Alcatel
company.
According to Lobo, on September 17 the OAS secretary
called him asking him to record the two million
dollars as a credit when in fact, Lobo alleges: “the
payment of 60% of an Alcatel prize based on gaining
an ICE tender in 2001 to install 400 new GSM
cellular technology lines.”
The
scam began in 2001 when the foreign company obtained
a concession of approximately $149 million and, with
Lobo’s approval and Rodríguez’ consent, in 2002
Alcatel received a further $109 million concession
under the pretext of expanding phone landline
centers.
In
that context and under the shadow of doubt, the
ruling Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC) dismissed
Rodríguez from the organization, a highly
significant event given that this was the party that
kept him in power from 1998 to 2002. However, the
party is now insisting, in tune with public opinion,
on bringing the former president to trial without
delay.
A
few days prior to the charge, the OAS secretary
general acknowledged from his Washington office that
he had invested $140,000 in his campaign for the
regional post, an amount given to him by Lobo
himself. Rodríguez, however, refuses to plead guilty
to the charges brought by his supposed personal
friend and the former minister of housing.
In
his country, Rodríguez is regarded as an admirer of
International Monetary Fund (IMF) formulas and a
convinced partisan of neoliberalism, favoring
privatizations, a strategy that he tried to extend
beyond that effected in the banking system, into
insurance, electricity, communications and national
parks administration.
Massive protests prevented him from carrying out his
plans, and his administration concluded without
achieving any concrete results. In the end, however,
this very failure helped him to deal with negative
opinions and, despite his 78 trips abroad, by the
end of his term he had built an acceptable image for
his party and for himself, as the “listener to
people’s complaints.”
BAD
TIME FOR THE RULING PARTY
PUSC
General Secretary Jorge Eduardo Sánchez has
categorically denied that the ruling party is
crumbling, given that, in his opinion, these are
only isolated incidents. Nonetheless many analysts
consider that this crisis has tarnished the party’s
actions throughout the last six years. Experts
consulted by this newspaper confirmed that view. The
Costa Rican president has distanced himself from his
colleagues’ actions (former president Rafael
Calderón has also been charged by
the Economic Crimes Attorney with receiving
sinecures). Abel Pacheco has declared that he will
pursue justice until the end. Nevertheless many
consider that, in addition to a being a significant
to the country’s political class, repeated charges
of corruption are a bad precedent for the upcoming
2006 presidential campaign.
The
Costa Rican people are planning a series of
demonstrations, such as those by university
students, to show their dissatisfaction at recent
events. In a press release, the National Council of
University Directors (CONARE) informed that the
protest will become apparent on the country’s
streets on October 12 since “we, the academics, are
convinced that the Costa Rican people need to
mobilize in the face of serious acts of corruption.”
On
the other hand, some specialists are not discounting
the possibility that this destabilization could be
influenced by former Head of State Oscar Arias’
intentions to run as a presidential candidate for a
second term. Some national press analysts believe
that if elections were to be held immediately, the
representative of the opposing National Liberation
Party (PLN) would win.
In
recent statements regarding the scandals, Arias
called on the parties (Calderón and Rodríguez) to
“minimize the irreparable damage they have caused to
Costa Rica’s image and to our people’s faith.”
CARNAL RELATIONS WITH THE CUBAN-AMERICAN NATIONAL
FOUNDATION
In
1999, at the request of top CANF leaders, Rodríguez
acted as their spokesperson at the 9th
Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and
Government in Havana, where he conditioned his
attendance upon the inclusion of a representation of
Cuban dissidents at the meeting.
Failing to achieve his goal, as foreign minister, he
launched an overt campaign of support for the tiny
counterrevolutionary factions, emphasizing in all
his speeches his concern for “government
transparency and the need for democracy” for this
hemisphere, especially in Cuba.
Rodríguez was deeply involved in destabilizing
initiatives such as the seminar: Towards democracy
in Cuba, led by the former Spanish prime minister
José María Aznar. In addition, the former president
was seen with the Cuban American mafia at the 2003
Madrid Forum of Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba
and Venezuela. Now, as head of the OAS, he is
continuing his patronage of and commitment to both
the current Bush administration and
counterrevolutionary factions outside and on the
island.
In a
report entitled “Meeting with Miguel Angel
Rodríguez,” published on June 21, 2004 by Siglo
XXI (by the so-called Cuban Committee for Human
Rights), counterrevolutionary activist Haydee Marín
was euphoric at the former president’s words
regarding their “friendship.”
“He
emphatically repeated that, during his mandate at
the OAS, issues regarding Cuba’s democratization,
inter-American integration, public freedom and the
state of law will be priorities on his agenda,”
Marín wrote.
In a
different section of her anecdotal account, she
describes how “Miguel Angel Rodríguez is an old
friend and collaborator of the Cuban people’s
struggle to defend their human rights. During his
term as Costa Rica’s president, we met him on four
occasions, and he has always shown his commitment to
our pro-democracy and human rights movement via the
Costa Rican delegation to the UN Human Rights
Commission in Geneva, and in other international
forums.”
According to Marín, dazzled by Rodríguez’
anti-Castro position, one of the most outstanding
opportunities is being able to count on “a new
weapon for the defense of democratic values, which
is now in the hands of the OAS.”
She
was referring to the Inter-American Democratic
Charter, which, disguised as an “emancipating
power,” abrogates the right to “safeguard
democracy,” disregarding the fact that, in the case
of Cuba, the people have democratically chosen the
socialist alternative through a referendum.
Before concluding her account of the intimate
connections with Rodríguez, the activist suggests
that any questions and comments on her article
should be submitted to Ricardo Bofil, the infamous
supporter of annexation and servant of US interests,
who also boasts of having the OAS leader’s permanent
support.
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