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Opposition To The TLC May Again
Take To The Streets
Though the Tratado de Libre
Comercio (TLC) - free trade
agreement with the united
States, Central America and the
Dominican Republic - will be
decided by a popular vote or
referendum, groups opposed to
the trade deal may soon take to
the streets again.
The group made up of mainly
union organizations like the
Asociación Nacional de Empleados
Públicos y Privados, Asociación
de Profesores de Segunda
Enseñanza (APSE), Frente Interno
de Trabajadores y Unión Nacional
de Pequeños y Medianos
Agricultores Costarricenses, met
in San José yesterday to discuss
their plans for more protests on
the streets of Costa Rica.
At the meeting was present José
Miguel Corrales, whose actions
led to the decision of the
Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones (TSE)
to hold a referendum on the TLC,
feeling that the process of the
TSE decision is mocking
democracy. Corrales had asked
that referendum process involve
the compilation of 133.000
signatures and not the way it
went, with a presidential decree
and approval by the Legislative
Assembly.
"Only I can say is that over the
coming days we will be defining
the measures for a giant civic
event. The streets continue to
be a valid instrument for a
social movement", said one of
the leaders attending the
meeting who preferred to remain
nameless.
Unofficially the group is upset
on the events leading up to the
decision of holding the
referendum, feeling that the TSE
folded to the interests of the
government, who is pro TLC and
president Arias who has publicly
said he has made his decision
and it is yes, influencing the
public opinion.
The group insists that one of
the most important powers of the
Republic (the TLC) has been
cloaked and its transparency in
doubt.
The group claims that the
government took advantage of the
proposal by Corrales and the
opposition group who were
insisting on a referendum when
the government had no interest
in such and that when the TSE
voted in favour of the public
vote, the government immediately
dug into its bag of tricks to
sway the public vote.
Neither Corrales nor any of the
other opposition leaders made
any details available on what
their course of action will be
or when.
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