Andrea Morales, a deputy from the Citizens Action Party (PAC) [1] in Costa Rica, caused controversy when she resigned from her political party, in which she has belonged to during the past several years. Many speculate that her exit was expected, and others felt that she was forced to make that decision.
The young congresswoman has faced political pressure [es] [2] over the past few days. Pressue that very few has had to deal with, and as one blogger writes, that it appears that she truly wanted to help the country. As Cristian Cambronero of Fusil de Chispas [es], “opportunistic or not, calculating or not, her attitude is civic [3].”
The Costa Rican blogosphere has been talking about this recent event, with some in favor and with others against. However, each gives their opinion. Cambronero, who once supported the PAC and now regrets his vote says [4]:
La actitud de Morales hoy es titubeante, floja. De asumir posiciones valiosas de divergencia con su propio partido, la diputada ha pasado a ser una feliz veleta a merced de los vientos del oficialismo, refiriéndose a que varios sectores del PAC le recriminan que ella ha tomado una posición de poca oposición contra el gobierno.
Morales’ attitude is tongue-tying and loose. By taking brave positions different from her own party, the deputy has become a happy weather vane at the mercy of the officialist party, referring to the fact that various sectors of the PAC are reproaching the fact that she has taking positions that have not been against the government.
The underlying question that this brings up is what happens when a deputy falls out of line with the official party and makes her own personal decisions? Should she be expulsed from her party? One of the decisions that have been criticized has been Morales’ decision to not oppose the laws so that the Free Trade Agreement is approved. In her defense, she says that her decisions reflect the will of the people who voted for this agreement.
Dean Córnito en the blog La Suiza Centroamericana [es] [5]:
De todos es conocida la posición de Andrea Morales con respecto al TLC. No lo apoyó, pero desde un principio dijo que habría que respetar la voluntad popular y que, en su visión de mundo, eso significaba no obstaculizar la agenda de implementación en la Asamblea si el TLC era aprobado en el Referéndum.
Everyone knows Andres Morales’ position on the Free Trade Agreement. Even though I don't support it, she said from the beginning that one must respect the will of the people and in her vision of the world, this means to not be an obstruction in the implementation in Congress if the Free Trade Agreement was approved in the Referendum.
The PAC continues to commit errors after errors, and losing support little by little according to Roy Rojas of the News Star [es]. He writes in the post Costa Rica and its Political Games [6] that the PAC is in trouble and due to the arrogance of its leader Ottón Solís [7], it would never notice it.
qué pasó con el partido político que le decía no al obstruccionismo, aquel partido que se perfilaba como la voz del pueblo?. Ahora el PAC se ha convertido en uno más, incluso por su falta de experiencia cometiendo errores que les puede costar muy caro en un futuro cercano
What happened to the political party that said “no” to obstructionism. The party that represented the voice of the people? Now the PAC ahs become just another party, and for its lack of experience it is committing errors that could prove very costly in the near future.
The blog Manda Güevo [es] also shows support to Morales for standing up to the PAC leader [8].
However, not all agree with the decision. The blog La Foto Salió Movida [es], the writes is very direct in expressing displeasure at the deputy's behavior [9] and says:
La diputada del PAC Andrea Morales, no sólo debería renunciar al PAC, si no a su curul. Esto como manera de respetar el convenio que firmó con su partido al inicio de la gestión, Con Morales tenía esperanzas, pero ahora ha enviado por un tubo grandes esfuerzos. Le endoso semejante responsabilidad, porque aunque diga todo lo contrario, ha dado de las peores muestras de coherencia que alguien pueda dar, más directos no podrían ser.
The PAC deputy Andrea Morales, should not only resign from the PAC, but also from her seat. This is something that would respect the agreement that she signed with her party at the beginning of her term. With Morales, I had hope, but now she sent her efforts down the drain. I endorse such responsability, because even though she says the opposite, she has demonstrated the poorest examples of coherency, more direct it cannot be.
So the debate continues whether Andrea Morales did the right thing, and whether she should resign from her seat in the Legislative Assembly. However, most bloggers applaud her decision and believe that she is being unfairly criticizes for her personal decision.