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¢500 www.ticotimes.net Friday, October 20, 2006 – San José, Costa Rica Celebrating 50 Years RESTORED TO FORMER GLORY NEWS Photo by Ronald Reyes Martin Luther King III Advances Father’s Legacy Martin Luther King III, son of the legendary U.S. civil rights leader whose name he bears, visited last week and spoke with The Tico Times. Page 2 BUSINESS New Exchange Rate System Takes Effect The colón gained value against the U.S. dollar this week after the Central Bank’s new “crawling band” exchange rate system took effect Tuesday. Page 11 WEEKEND Sámara a Great Base for Surfers Halfway down the Nicoya Peninsula’s Pacific coastline, Sámara provides an excellent jumping- off point for still-unknown surf spots. Page W8 Preserved for Future Generations: After four years of painstaking work, the renovation of La Merced Church in San José stands nearly completed. Earthquake damage has been repaired and less than a year of renovation remains. The church has continued as a functioning parish throughout the renovation. Page W1 Should Mayors Have More Power? By Katherine Stanley Costa Rica is the most centralized nation who served as head of state from 1835-1842. Tico Times Staff in Latin America, but has booming invest- “Everything was concentrated in San José… ment, population growth and a flourishing that model worked until 20 years ago.” Who will win the municipal elections tourism industry outside the Central Valley. Leaders from around Central America Dec. 3? Because of this, the country desperately needs who gathered at another recent conference Does anyone care? to give municipalities more funding and on decentralization, this one at the Hotel What reforms are needed to give mayors more responsibility, as well as funds for polit- Ramada Herradura Oct. 5, said decentral- THE NICA TIMES the tools they now lack to make a difference ical parties for municipal campaigns, partici- ization should be a regional goal. According in their communities? pants said – though support and training for to Rokael Cardona, executive director of the Former Enemies These and other questions brought ana- municipal leaders are also essential. Guatemala-based Central American Ins- Unite, Reconcile lysts and politicians to the table at the “Costa Rica has been centralized since titute for Local Development (IDELCA), a Supreme Elections Tribunal (TSE) in San José Braulio Carrillo,”said panelist Fabio Molina, highly centralized state is a threat to the A group of former Contras this week to discuss what one called the “per- president of the Institute for Municipal democracy, perpetuating inequalities and appears to be backing the manent crisis” local governments here face. Development (IFAM), referring to the man Page 3 unlikeliest of presidential candidates: Sandinista lea- der Daniel Ortega. President Launches Telecom Reform Labor Unions Plan EVERY WEEK By Blake Schmidt controversial Central American Free-Trade Anti-CAFTA Fight Tico Times Staff Agreement with the United States (CAFTA). Editorial 21 Business & Real Meanwhile, the Legislative Assembly is By Blake Schmidt and Katherine Stanley Letters 22 Estate 11 With the stroke of a pen, President Oscar taking up two pieces of legislation to open Tico Times Staff Arias stripped the state-run telecommunica- Costa Rica’s $1.5 billion telecom sector to Cartoon 22 Crossword 27 tions and electricity monopoly of some of its private competition and create a watchdog As union leaders played hardball politics Classifieds 23 Weather 27 bureaucratic shackles yesterday. to guard the industry. and brushed off a planned meeting with Weekend Arias signed a decree that will empower The two highly anticipated proposals lay President Oscar Arias this week, the Arias 52 PAGES the enormous Costa Rican Electricity out regulations for the constantly evolving, administration expressed concern over next Horoscope W4 Institute (ICE) by giving it more flexibility, a rapidly innovative sector in Costa Rica, which week’s planned protests against the Central Explorimg CR W8 reform ICE heads say is long overdue. It is has become the last remaining Latin Ameri- American Free-Trade Agreement with the Fishing Report W12 expected to help the institute in the increas- can country to make such telecommunications United States (CAFTA). Movies W13 ingly likely scenario in which it will have to reform. The bills would also further strengthen Still, the question remains: can Arias’ critics compete with private companies under the Page 20 Page 16 Calendar W14 2 | NEWS | THE TICO TIMES – October 20, 2006 Martin Luther King III Advances Dad’s Legacy By Katherine Stanley come to a head in many communities. Tico Times Staff Hurricane Katrina last year showed us the face of poverty, but there are Katrina sit- Martin Luther King III, son of the leg- uations all over America in pockets. endary U.S. civil rights leader whose name he bears, visited Costa Rica last week as a In your speech, you spoke of the poten- guest of the Arias Foundation for Peace and tial of the Internet in nonviolent protests Human Progress. In a speech at the founda- against multinational companies, among tion’s Good Governance Conference, a visit other uses. That’s obviously a point of to the Ombudsman’s Office and an interview interest here, with or without CAFTA. with The Tico Times, he presented his take Well, technology plays a role in everything on a wide range of issues, from the state of that we do. In the old days, if someone want- democracy in the United States and the ed to write the President, you’d write, then future of the Internet in nonviolent protests mobilize and get others to write. Now you can to his opposition to the U.S.-led war in Iraq. send thousands of e-mails just by touching a King, 48, the second child of Martin mouse. If you have Costa Ricans communi- Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King, has cating with other Latin Americans, all work- devoted his life to protecting and advancing ing collaboratively together, you have the abil- his father’s legacy as well as that of his moth- ity to create the change you want. er, who died in January. The problem is… I don’t think commu- Only 10 when his father was assassinated nities are using technology enough. in Memphis, Tennessee, King’s adult career as a civil rights leader includes four years as pres- Mónica Quesada | Tico Times You mentioned Katrina a few minutes ident of the Southern Christian Leadership ago, and the war in Iraq during your speech. Conference, which his father founded. Promoting Peaceful Resolutions: Martin Luther King III, son of U.S. civil Based on your work in communities, do you In 2003 he became CEO of the King rights activist Martin Luther King Jr., shared his thoughts on learning “how to think either of these has created serious Center, founded by his mother to advance disagree without being disagreeable” during a recent visit to Costa Rica for a impetus for change in the United States? her late husband’s message. Earlier this year, No, there’s apathy, always. But people are he founded Realize the Dream, a nonprofit conference on improving governance. frustrated and want change. They want to see organization that seeks to “get America to us stop spending so much money that’s simply focus on poverty and how we can reduce it” west of San José, following his speech. Ex- should the two sides keep in mind? going into a black hole, and they want our through conflict resolution, leadership train- cerpts: Sometimes we have to learn how to dis- troops to come home. They do not support us ing and community economic development agree without being disagreeable. Never being in Iraq; they feel that that was a grave programs, he told human rights workers at TT: What aspects of Costa Rica or the reduce yourself to physical confrontation. mistake; and they also feel that issues of human the Ombudsman’s Office Oct. 12. Arias Foundation caused you to accept the Boycotting, letter-writing, e-mailing, those concern are not being addressed because we During his speech the previous day at the invitation to speak here? kind of things can always be used… and are so preoccupied with Iraq and terrorism. Arias Foundation’s conference (see separate MLK: I knew of several things the police, in my judgment, all over the world, And quite frankly, that’s the truth. The article), King said the United States has had a President (Oscar Arias) has done, such as need human relations, sensitivity and diver- resources that could be dedicated for human genuine democracy for just over 40 years – ensuring that young people in schools are sity training, because you can’t use a stick or uplift are not available. since 1965, when the Voting Rights Act was exposed to conflict resolution and nonvio- a club all the time. There’s gotta be a more (Regarding Katrina), in my judgment… passed – a definition that makes it younger lence (training). Young people need that reasonable method to address people. it’s really a leadership issue. than Costa Rica’s democracy. He pointed to kind of example. I believe my father and his I don’t know enough to say for sure When leadership exists and shares its fear on the part of mainstream media and team, and others, have shown us that nonvi- whether CAFTA is going to work, but I can vision, things get done. Nothing has been “devious tricks” to suppress black votes in olence is the way. say that in America, NAFTA (the North done in New Orleans because of a lack of the 2000 and 2004 elections as problems American Free-Trade Agreement, ratified in visionary leadership.

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