95% of Ticos Want Liberman, Garnier Punished

Analysis: The July poll, contracted by La Nacion, reveals that 95% of those polled want to see Vice President Luis Liberman and Education Minister Leonardo Garnier sanctioned for sending letters of recommendation supporting a company run by a politically connected woman.

Legislative Assembly lawmakers sent a strongly worded censure of the two top cabinet officials to President Chinchilla but, as is her legal privilege, she has not acted on the censure by firing them, asking for resignations or sanctioning them publicly.

But an overwhelming majority of voters, disgusted at the Administration's problems with corruption surrounding the border road south of the San Juan River and other instances of ineptness or open corruption, want their heads.

The whole issue reflects three factors in modern political life of Costa Rica: 1) the public is not as forgiving (read apathetic) about the doings in high places as it once was and 2) the Chinchilla Administration has reached an all-time low approval ratings and 3) the political opposition in the Legislative Assembly is extremely powerful.

The original offense committed by Liberman and Garnier would have been winked at during the last century. They wrote letters of recommendation to the National Refinery (RECOPE) supporting the bid of a public relations firm owned by a top advisor to the President. But Chinchilla exonerated them.

The job was to polish the images of top RECOPE officials. The question asked was not why 17 million colones of taxpayer funds were going for promotion of these officials but whether political influence was at work.

Naturally, it was. But such maneuvers were a cherished tradition in past times. The political opposition to the President's National Liberation Party were at that time united in a bloc and it censured the cabinet members.

President Chinchilla had several options that she could get away with legally and she took the one most palatable to her -- ignore the lawmakers. This infuriated them. (See previous articles.)

The controversy then spilled over into the electorate, already giving Chinchilla historic low approval ratings. Liberman and Garnier appear to the the lightning rods. Ironically, they are two of the most effective officials in a generally dyslexic cabinet.

The poll result was an "off with their heads!" approach. Only 2% of those polled thought she made the right decision by doing nothing. But half of those polled supported giving them sanctions and 45% of the rest suggested firing them.

The whole squabble and the public reaction to it should send a strong message to local politicians -- the electorate is mad as hell and they aren't going to take it any more.

By Rod Hughes, Fijatevos.com