Deputy Resigns, Frustrated With Legislative Assembly

SOCIAL Christian Unity Party legislatorDr. Edgar Mohs announced onTuesday he was resigning from his post,reportedly frustrated over the way theLegislative Assembly operates, the dailyAl Día reported.One of the first things he did after quittingwas call former President and currentpresidential hopeful Oscar Arias (1986-1990) to tell him about his decision. Ariasreportedly told him to reconsider, but Mohsremained firm. Mohs denied he was resigningto join the Arias campaign.“The assembly has a very bad image,”Mohs told Al Día. “I fought against thisseriously and not just on the floor, where allthe talking is for the press. I believed Icould change some things. Today, I’m convincedthat little has been done and that Ican’t do more because of the politicking.I’m not doing anything here anymore.“I leave disappointed by the difficulties,the slowness and certain attitudesthat seem to be inconvenient and unlikelyto change,” he said.Among Mohs’ initiatives in Congress,is a still-to-be-decided bill supported byPresident Abel Pacheco to amend thecountry’s Constitution to include a seriesof environmental guarantees.He also presented a bill to modify thecontroversial Rural Cooperative EnergyProduction Law, passed last year, whichallows for the limited production of electricityby private cooperatives in ruralareas. Pacheco at first vetoed it saying itneeded reforms. A week later, he signed itjust as it had first been submitted, butasked legislators to pass another lawreforming it (TT, June 11).Rodolfo Delgado, representative ofthe southern San José canton of Desamparadosand interim sub-director of theassembly’s commissions department, isexpected to replace Mohs.Mohs announced he will take a leaveof absence in August and will return inSeptember to finalize his resignation.Mohs, 65, was Health Minister duringthe Arias administration. He laterserved as Costa Rican ambassador toFrance. He now plans to tend to personalmatters.