From a political standpoint, the administration of President Luis Guillermo Solis in Costa Rica is in shambles. The latest mishap involves a bizarre legislative proposal to reform the National Law on Radio and Television Broadcasting, which has been stuck in mid-20^th century regulations. The proposal, which originated at the Executive Branch, took everyone in Costa Rica by surprise since it clearly went against the spirit of broadcasting in our country, and it became an even greater scandal when it was discovered that the text of the putative law was a “copypasta” job.

The reform proposal was introduced by Allan Ruiz, who was Vice Minister of Communications. His endorsement of the proposal led to his immediate dismissal from the government. It is not clear whether Mr. Ruiz actually read the draft legislation, which called for censorship and even summary closure of radio and TV stations that would defame the government or broadcast incorrect information.

Media experts and legislators in Costa Rica, a nation that enjoys the greatest measure of press freedom in Latin America, immediately sounded the alarm. Relaxed media analysts thought it was a mistake that would certainly evaporate with a simple constitutional challenge; others thought it was a joke. President Solis, however, was not amused and invited Mr. Ruiz and his boss, the Minister of Communications, to resign on the spot.

It was later discovered that most of the draft legislative proposal was essentially copied and pasted from other jurisdictions in Latin America, and it was also mentioned that 23 legal analysts were contracted to work on the document. According to news reports by national radio station Monumental, only two rookie attorneys are usually assigned to work on Ministry of Communications affairs, so it is not clear why it would take another 21 lawyers to copy and paste foreign legislation that is unconstitutional in Costa Rica. Nor is it clear how much it cost to contract all those legal professionals.

Upon exiting his Cabinet position, Mr. Ruiz threw out a zinger: He claimed to have been offered an Embassy post by the Minister of the Presidency, Melvin Jimenez, an official whose appointment has been deeply controversial from the start. Mr. Jimenez is a man of the cloth, a Lutheran bishop, and this did not sit well among politicians who believe that Costa Rica should amend her Constitution to no longer pronounce her a Roman Catholic nation. Mr. Jimenez was also alleged to have offered Embassy posts to clearly unqualified personnel, which has resulted in the immediate recall of various, clueless ambassadors.

When the controversy over the proposed broadcasting law reform came to light, Mr. Jimenez supported the work of the Ministry of Communications, perhaps without reading the draft itself. Once the pressure was firmly on Mr. Jimenez, he stated that “his suitcase was already packed” in case President Solis would call upon him to resign. It did not take long for this to happen, as Mr. Jimenez was asked to step down this week, thus leaving the Presidential Cabinet of Costa Rica in deeper shambles.

Source: Monumental Costa Rica