Learning from Costa Rica!!!!

Costa Rica, with a population of 4.6 million, has attributes that meet our concept of an ideal democracy. Not just because of its high standard of living (the highest in Latin America) and its sound economy, but also because it is able to sustain its stability as a demilitarized state. Included in the list of the world’s 22 older democracies, it has consistently been among the top Latin American countries in the Human Development Index. Ranked 3rd in the Environment Performance Index, it is acknowledged as the “greenest” country in the world. It constitutionally abolished its army in 1949. When its army began using considerable financial resources, its leaders decided to do away with it. And without much difficulty, as it did not have a tradition of having a strong military. Added to all these positive attributes is its support for affirmative action. Already, 40 percent of its legislators consists of women. Its new parity law would open up 50 percent of high public policy positions to women. It has met most of the targets of the Millennium Development Goals especially in primary education, environmental sustainability, maternal mortality, and gender equality.

I had the privilege of interviewing the founder of Costa Rica’s Partido Movimiento Libertario, Otto Guevara Guth, while he was in Manila as guest of the Council of Liberals and Democrats conference. Guth, who ran as candidate of his party during the last three presidential elections, lost to the first woman president, Laura Chinchilla, early this year. But he managed to obtain 21 percent of the votes. A personable lawyer, professor, and international consultant, he gained reputation as the country’s “best congressman.” Like Costa Rica’s former President Oscar Arias, Guth believes in moderate state intervention and therefore pushed for reforms like the breakdown of monopolies. He “challenged the conventional orthodoxy of Costa Rican politics which was lurching towards corruption and less respect for the individual rights of people.” As a lawyer, he made substantial contributions in the development of alternative dispute resolution approaches. Like Arias, a former Nobel Peace Prize laureate and champion on issues of human development, democracy, and demilitarization, he used his mediation skills in promoting peace and economic freedom.