Real corruption in Costa Rica

OP. Don't waste your time e-mailing the business man. Here is the reply.

Below is a excerpt from the book "Ayn Rand Answers". This came from a Q and A session following her Address To The Graduating Class Of The United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, March 6, 1974.

"Now, I don't care to discuss the alleged complaints American Indians have against this country. I believe, with good reason, the most unsympathetic Hollywood portrayal of Indians and what they did to the white man. They had no right to a country merely because they were born here and then acted like savages. The white man did not conquer this country. And you're a racist if you object, because it means you believe that certain men are entitled to something because of their race. You believe that if someone is born in a magnificent country and doesn't know what to do with it, he still has a property right to it. He does not. Since the Indians did not have the concept of property or property rights--they didn't have a settled society, they had predominantly nomadic tribal "cultures"--they didn't have rights to the land, and there was no reason for anyone to grant them rights that they had not conceived of and were not using. It's wrong to attack a country that respects (or even tries to respect) individual rights. If you do, you're an aggressor and are morally wrong. But if a "country" does not protect rights--if a group of tribesmen are the slaves of their tribal chief--why should you respect the "rights" that they don't have or respect? The same is true for a dictatorship. The citizens in it have individual rights, but the country has no rights and so anyone has the right to invade it, because rights are not recognized in that country; and no individual or country can have its cake and eat it too--that is, you can't claim one should respect the "rights" of Indians, when they had no concept of rights and no respect for rights. But let's suppose they were all beautifully innocent savages--which they certainly were not. What were they fighting for, in opposing the white man on this continent? For their wish to continue a primitive existence; for their "right" to keep part of the earth untouched--to keep everybody out so they could live like animals or cavemen. Any European who brought with him an element of civilization had the right to take over this continent, and it's great that some of them did. The racist Indians today--those who condemn America--do not respect individual rights."

Now, do you have a travel topic?

I think it's a perfectly legitimate (and under-reported) travel topic to provide information on the history of the places to which people travel, including ugly history such as how the destination came to be occupied by tourism-oriented development in place of its indigenous peoples, and including recent history in the same vein. For superficial guidance on which places serve the best umbrella drinks, one can just read a guidebook. A lot of travelers, and I'm one of them, want a deeper sense of the places we visit.

As to Ms. Rand, I think her anthropology was as reductionist, self-serving, and false as the rest of her philosophy.

There are travel options in the Reserva Talamanca and around Bribri that directly benefit the indigenous people of the region. Certainly they can use tourists dollars in this economically depressed area not only for day to day living but their struggles to try and preserve culture against multinational mining and oil interests, banana and pineapple growers, hydroelectric projects and people such as this fine Italian gentleman. The list goes on. This sad scenario is still unfortunately repeated around the world.

Corruption in Costa Rica? It's the way things get done here. No surprise there.

I agree with Wiremu points about the relation this article and issue has with travel, as well as the fact its a far cry from bribing a cop in the scheme of things. That said, as Paul says, there is a ugly side to every country and its racist, prejudices and minority under representation and human rights abuses, which on the caribe coast of all of Central America and much of South America, a distinct abuse by governments against indigenous peoples is well documented and an ongoing issue for almost all the countries.

When I explored this area in the article, it was 2005, I drove to Bribri and hired a local guide to escort me to the Talamanca indians reservations, I had called the day prior and was all set, I arrived at 8am and he met me at the cafe next to the bank, but then told me he had to go to San Jose as his mother was very ill there, and handed me a map, with his cell and his name written on it. Off I went to discover the peoples living somewhat in current times, as many had running water and electricity, though the majority of the tribes are well hidden in remote areas of the park and outsiders are not welcome. I dont think the Indians were even represented in the legislature in the capitol then, as far as getting funds for roads, schools, clinics and having a say on how the country managed, or protected their lands. This changed a few later, though I dont know what benefits it has paid to the indigenous peoples.

Anyway, on my voyage thru these hot dusty and gravel backroads, I got very lost, so I picked up a policeman walking on the road and got my bearing and arrived in a small town some 20KM from Bribri, and was toured the area by his sister. I then headed back, and got lost again, as there are no signs, you kind of pick the road with the most wear/tire tracks figuring its the most popular/frequent route. As I was lost as could be but not caring, I came across a mother/daughter walking and offered a ride to get my bearings, lucky for me the daughter, in her 30's I figure, was a doctor in Hone Creek and now had a navigator all the way back, after we dropped mom at a small town. I felt I was going in circles at this point, but anyway, this DR was partially fluent in English, so we chatted about basics, the the needs of the clinic in Hone Creek. When we arrived I got a 5 start tour with 2 other DR's, its a very nice clinic for a remote area near the end of the road on the caribe coast.

One thing she mentioned was the issues they had with emergency patients due to violence, I was not sure if this was from Pt Viejo and the crack/drug issues, or just violence in general. The plantation workers she said were the main issues, they are poor, living in near poverty, and many are migrants from Panama and even Nica. Drinking and Drugs were the culprit.

I now I can see the story above being true, and the local police treating these people like dirt, on the otherhand, we have all heard the horror stories of squatters and locals taking foreigners land by threat, force, and even murder.

That Italian is a SOB!

The MOON guidebook has covered this area and issues since 2001 in the book, so a good guidebook will touch on the ugly side of a culture, which is part of the layers of a society.

Thanks for the report Tim. I have been wanting to visit Bribri for a while but it's a long drive to get over there. I was surprised about hearing this news. Before reading this article, I hadn't seen anything else like this in Costa Rica. In my experience, I have found property ownership rights were pretty well established in Costa Rica. I have been reading the book Mamita Yunai to improve my spanish grammar and gain some more understanding about the history of Costa Rica. It revolves around indians in Talamanca and their rights around the early 1900s. It covers a lot of what you are mentioning. Basically, poor health care, and a lot of alcohol and corruption.

But, that was in the 1900's. I was thinking that this lifestyle or level of maltreatment was mostly over with (probably ignorance on my part). It sounds like Bribri is far off the beaten path and worth visiting.

Article on Eviction & Land ownership

Thanks for the link stating officers of the judiciary were present (government sanctioned). Quite different from a businessman sending in armed thugs to do his dirty work.

If I resisted eviction a policeman would show up at my door and if I didn't follow instructions there would be a gun pointed at me.

If someone is breaking the law let the courts sort it out.

Howard, I think you are missing a fundamental point in this thread. There is some pretty serious corruption in the government. Whether they were government officials or hired mercenaries doesn't justify what happened. Based on some other people's comments in this thread, it sounds like corruption is pretty heavy in Bribri compared to some other places. The article that Tim shared also pointed out ways to help. It also showed how the readers of the article could file a complaint to the president if they felt that some injustice was being done...

We need a cause de jour branch on this forum. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhaDtSBmIrI

If you're gonna share irrelevant youtube videos, at least make it worth people's time.