COSTA RICA, August 16—“Communism” is a word frequently used in the current Costa Rican context, for and against. It is 100 days after the start of Laura Fernández’s administration. She assumed the presidency as the candidate of the Sovereign People’s Party (PPSO). This party is part of the new Latin American right.
The president is the successor to the previous administration led by Rodrigo Chaves, whose administration was marked by anti-communist rhetoric. Because of the surname “Chaves,” Rodrigo Chaves’s supporters are known as “Chavistas,” but they have nothing to do with the late Venezuelan president.
Costa Rican Chavistas have been growing in strength and popularity by criticizing previous administrations that implemented exploitative policies, staunchly defended capitalist property rights, and dismantled the very social institutions they themselves had once created. Costa Rican Chavismo has also been fueled by allegations of corruption—numerous, of course—within the framework of governments that falsely claimed to be social democratic or progressive.
The Chávez administration was likewise known for its shady handling of institutions and budgets. Some of these cases were brought before the courts. But given the immunity enjoyed by these high-ranking officials of the capitalist administration, they cannot be prosecuted—at least not while they continue to hold high-level government positions.
The Costa Rican Chavismo movement, with its newly inaugurated president, frequently labels any act, political party, or organization that opposes it as “communist.” For example, just a few weeks into her administration, Fernández submitted a bill to the Legislative Assembly, elegantly titled the “Law on the Harmonization of the National Electric System.” It is, in reality, a privatization bill. That is, it aims to transfer assets that are currently state-owned into private hands, obviously to make them direct subjects of capitalist exploitation. In this case, the aim is to move forward with the privatization of the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE).
However, the bill in question was not approved by the Legislative Assembly because various opposition parties voted against it. Among the parties that contributed the most opposition votes were the National Liberation Party (PLN), which is social democratic (i.e., neoliberal), and the Broad Front (FA), which is reformist left. President Fernández then explained that the representatives from those parties were communists and vagabonds. That is why they had not approved it, according to her. This is unbelievable!
But what is so “communist” about opposing the privatization of a state-owned asset? It’s important to keep in mind that under communism, there would be no private property—nor would there be a state. In this specific case, property does exist, but it is in the hands of the state. In the Costa Rican case, we are a long way from a communist society, because although the ICE is an institution for the administration and production of electricity, its work is embedded in a capitalist context. Likewise, it is embedded in a capitalist state.
For Laura Fernández, anything that even remotely smacks of state control over the means of production is communism. Which wouldn’t be a bad thing: social control of the means of production! The elimination of capitalist profits so that social wealth can be dedicated to meeting the needs of humanity and nature. Therefore, President Fernández’s reference to communism—even though it grossly distorts the communist concept—is an opportunity to explain what true communism is.