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Infidelity Is
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Costa Rican
Presidential Candidate Channels Spirit of
Obama
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Increases
Costa Rica and
Trinidad & Tobago Advance to Egypt '09
Costa Rican
Presidential Candidate Channels Spirit of
Obama
BY GILLIAN GILLERS, Special to The Miami
Herald
She wants to be the country's first black
president. She paints herself as an agent of
change who will take on special interests.
Eleven weeks before the primary, she trails
a more-experienced opponent in the polls.
Still, she hopes to build a broad base by
reaching out to young people through the
Internet.
Sound familiar?
People are calling Epsy Campbell the Barack
Obama of Costa Rica. Campbell, a charismatic
activist who recently announced a run for
president, dismisses the comparison. But she
said she has been deeply inspired by Obama.
She attended the Democratic National
Convention, closely followed the campaign
and cried when Obama won.
''He broke the glass ceiling for African
Americans and Afro-descendents in Latin
America and around the world,'' she said.
Campbell would be the first president in
Latin America and the Spanish-speaking
Caribbean to identify themselves as black,
said Tanya Hernandez, a professor at George
Washington University Law School in
Washington, D.C. Her campaign marks a
milestone in a region where, according to
historian George Reid Andrews, 22 percent of
the population identifies as having African
ancestry.
''Like Obama's election, [her win] would
bring a great sense of hope to people,''
said Hernandez, who is familiar with
Campbell's work. ``It may be just one
person, but it's a vision we never thought
we'd see.''
Campbell, whose grandparents and great
grandparents immigrated to Costa Rica from
Jamaica in the early 1900s, is an active
member of the left-leaning Citizen Action
Party (PAC), the most powerful opposition
party in Costa Rica. In 2006, she ran for
vice president on a ticket with party
founder Ottón Solís. They lost by one
percentage point.
Campbell now plans to challenge Solís in the
party's primary on May 31. Like Obama, she
has vowed to fight for justice and
opportunity, for better schools, jobs and
healthcare. She has promised to work with
ideological foes to build consensus and
tackle national problems.
''The traditional political class remains
anchored to the past, polarizing us rather
than seeking dialogue, responding to special
interests rather than seeking agreement,''
she said at a Feb. 16 news conference
announcing her run. ``It is time to inspire
people, to tap into the energy that will
generate change in this country.''
In an echo of one of Obama's favorite
phrases, she added, 'The most important word
must not be `I,' but 'we,' the people.''
A prolific writer and speaker, Campbell has
worked as an international consultant on
race and gender issues, and she was
coordinator of the Network of Afro-Latin
American and Afro-Caribbean Women from 1997
to 2001.
She said Costa Rica's racial and ethnic
diversity merits greater recognition. But in
a country where just 2 percent of the
population identifies itself black, Campbell
appears to be moving beyond racial politics,
just as Obama did.
''Let's talk about my ideas and the vision I
have,'' she said in response to a question
about race. ``Let's see each other as
equals, like the human beings we are.''
Campbell is 45, the same age as Obama when
he announced his candidacy. Like Obama, she
is seeking to reach out to young voters
through a broad Internet campaign.
Campbell hosted two online chats last month,
and she posts frequently on the social
networking websites Facebook and Twitter.
Just as Obama promised to reveal his vice
presidential pick first to those who signed
up for his text-messaging alerts, so
Campbell's Facebook friends were first to
learn about her run for president.
'Because you were the first to support me, I
want you to be the first to hear the news,''
she wrote in a Facebook message minutes
before announcing her candidacy.
Cristian Cambronero, a 28-year-old blogger
who is coordinating Campbell's Internet
strategy, is wary about comparing the two
leaders. Still, he said he was inspired by
Obama's campaign.
''Obama did not merely have a presence on
the Internet; he encouraged people to
actively participate,'' Cambronero said.
``No one can ignore that example.''
Even Campbell's challenges echo Obama's.
Like Obama, Campbell's national political
experience is limited to a four-year term in
the legislature.
Solís, in addition to serving as lawmaker,
was Planning Minister, a board member of the
Central Bank and a two-time presidential
candidate. Solís' supporters say he would be
better able to guide Costa Rica through a
global financial crisis.
''This is an airplane in the middle of a big
storm. We need very good pilots,'' said
political analyst Rodolfo Cerdas. ``Epsy
still has to mature politically.''
Campbell trailed Solís by 56 percentage
points in a CID-Gallup poll of party
stalwarts in January, before she announced
her candidacy. Still, the same poll showed
the two candidates tied among the general
voting public. In the coming weeks, Campbell
said, she will encourage thousands of new
voters to register with PAC. She will hold
town-hall style meetings throughout the
country, she said, and solicit small
contributions from ``everyday folks.''
''Our movement . . . will launch a
registration campaign like our country has
never seen before,'' she said.
Campbell rejects the idea that she is merely
emulating Obama. She points out that she
became active in politics eight years ago,
long before Obama became an international
celebrity.
But, she said, she has learned from his
example and identifies with his vision. In a
blog post the day after the November
elections, Campbell suggested she would
follow Obama's lead.
''I promise to do my part, because it will
take many Obamas, men and women, to
eliminate injustice,'' she wrote.
''Epsy is the Costa Rican Obama,'' a man
named José blogged in response. ``Let's go!
Yes we can!''
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