October 4, 2007

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica/GENEVA – On 7 October 2007, the people of Costa Rica will vote in a national referendum to decide whether the Central American country should sign a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States of America. The Lutheran World Information (LWI) interviewed Rev. Melvin Jiménez, president of the Lutheran Costarican Church (ILCO), which has been an active participant in a civil society coalition advocating against the FTA endorsement.

LWI: Could you explain some of the potential implications on ordinary people if the Costa Rican government would sign to the FTA, and why it is important to fight its ratification?

Rev. Melvin Jiménez: The FTA with the United States will have deep repercussions for ordinary people in Costa Rica at different fronts:

Agriculture – Imports of subsidized agricultural products from the USA will threaten the very survival of subsistence farmers. Not only will small-scale farming disappear, a source of employment and income for the rural sectors will be cut off, as well as the traditional family farming units, to which every member contributes. Health – Social health care relies on generic products for its medical supplies. With the planned extension of the patent protection period, the costs of generics in the FTA zone will go up by 300 to 1000 per cent. The prohibitive costs of any new drugs at trademark prices will further squeeze an already tight national health budget thus making it even more difficult for the State to buy the needed generic products to cover domestic needs. Communications – In Costa Rica telecommunications and insurance services have until now been operated on a system based on solidarity, whereby those who can afford pay more, in order to subsidize insurance cover, the supply of electricity and telephones to the rural areas. With a FTA in place, all these essential services will be at stake because companies will only be interested in products and niche markets that are profitable.

Labor force – In order for the labor force to be competitive in Central America, it will have to become cheaper. The so-called labor "flexibility" will be strongly emphasized, eventually putting at risk working standards such as the eight-hour day, payment of one additional wage (to 13 in a year), freedom of association, paid leave, etc. Workers and their organizations could lose historically fought-for labor rights. Natural resources – Costa Rica's vast water and sea resources are not protected in this free trade agreement. Many transnational companies have already shown a major interest in the privatization of these common goods.

What has it meant for other local partners in the coalition to see a church joining it and participating in the advocacy campaign?

Given the neutrality of the Roman Catholic Church and the clear "YES" to the FTA by some of the leaders of mostly Pentecostal churches, the presence and voice of a Protestant church in the civil society coalition has been a much-appreciated contribution for an important sector of evangelical churches, and also for the civic movement opposing the FTA signature. Some people have described the ILCO's support as "spiritual-militancy," thereby reaffirming the commitment of the Lutheran church to the paths of justice as announced first by the Prophets and then by Jesus.

Any lessons learned by the ILCO from its participation in the coalition?

The Lutheran church has already been active for two years in the advocacy against the FTA, using various types of educational material aimed at women, youth and congregations in general. For example, in September, we organized special sessions involving visits to the commun ities and Bible studies on relevant topics. During Sunday worship in many of our congregations, an FTA-related issue is addressed, which requires due preparation in terms of content for the sermons. ILCO congregation members including pastors and other leaders have participated in demonstrations and many of them are active in the coalition. They continue to carry out civic education activities using pamphlets and round table sessions at community level.

What do you anticipate from the nationwide referendum – victory or defeat for the coalition?

The umbrella national coalition includes over 200 local committees in the most diverse and remote communities of Costa Rica, working around the clock to raise public awareness at literally all places – bus stops, visiting households, organizing round tables, cultural festivals and so on. In addition, income-generating events have been organized to finance the publicity materials, administrative costs, the actual mobilization of people to vote on 7 October, and the monitoring of the referendum itself. There is a great deal of optimism that things will go well. Nevertheless, effective monitoring is needed as there are concerns about potential fraud in some of the regions due to the desperate actions of the industrial sector which favors a "YES" to the FTA, a situation which is creating a climate of violence and intolerance. We are therefore encouraging all Christians to be vigilant in monitoring the events surrounding the referendum, and to relentlessly fight corruption in order to ensure a transparent process.

The Latin American Lutheran churches have sustained a significant struggle for the cancellation of all illegitimate foreign debt. Any co-relation to the free trade issue?

Both struggles focus on people as the first priority. Ordinary people should be able to enjoy abundant life in dignity and to fight against all financial or trading systems that exercise control over our societies and prevent them from exerting their right to development. Therefore, denouncing all illegitimate debt that was not used for the development of our people or trade agreements that aim to achieve the most benefits for the rich, are issues that form part of the same struggle. As for the way this should be tackled, it should be left individually to each country, according to the national context, to use their own methods to make people aware and mobilize them to defend their rights. The biblical dimension is therefore important – to encourage Christians to commit themselves to the struggle and make it a central part of their Christian life. As church leaders in the region, we have the responsibility to make people understand that there is no contradiction between prayer and struggle, biblical study and fighting for justice; that these things are all integral parts of Christian life.

What do you see as the role of the global ecumenical family in the fight against unjust trade systems and policies?

The global churches are doing something. However, I believe there is still a huge vacuum and a lot of work is still required in linking the contribution of regional and international networks in order to facilitate systematic action on these issues. What our churches here have to say, regardless of their size, is usually heard in our countries. Their message could reverberate even further if our partner churches in the North would speak out on the same issues to their governments. This normally has an important impact on our governments. But some of the churches in the Lutheran communion in the North are not always committed enough to a struggle that goes beyond development cooperation because the issues touch on the political situation of certain countries and the relation between the church and state. A more prophetic and evangelical, more sympathetic, and more "belligerent" attitude needs to be fostered. This cannot be done by a small church alone. It needs to be planned, managed, financed and defended ecumenical family, as w e have been doing locally.

There is an imminent new challenge – the negotiation for a comprehensive Association Agreement between the European Union and Central America – which will include political as well as trade and investment dimensions. I consider this as a perfect moment to take on some of the challenges that we are facing. It is the time to test the communion of churches that we claim to be.

The Lutheran Costarican Church has over 1,300 members, and joined the Lutheran World Federation in 2002. Its diakonia activities include work with the indigenous population, migrant population (mainly from Nicaragua) and street children.

Lutheran World Information