In honor of the 182nd anniversary of the Annexation of Guanacaste, President Oscar Arias and his ministers Tuesday traveled to the northwestern province to hold a special Cabinet meeting in Nicoya’s town park.
With citizens looking on during the meeting, which is normally a closed session held at Casa Presidencial in San José, Arias said the province’s changing hands from Nicaragua to Costa Rica following a popular vote “reaffirmed respect for the majority decision and immutable faith in every human being’s right to choose his or her own destiny.”
He added that Guanacaste is in need of support from the central government, given the region’s damaged road infrastructure, increasing lack of safety, “environmental risks” and unequal distribution of wealth.
According to Arias, renovations to Daniel Oduber International Airport in the provincial capital of Liberia, along with an agreement between the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) and Public Security Ministry to launch its Tourism Police force, are among the plans that will help the region prosper.
Cabinet ministers told TV Channel 13, which broadcast the session, about Guanacaste-related plans within their ministries.
Public Education Minister Leonardo Garnier said improving classroom maintenance and including Guanacaste’s culture in school curricula are among his priorities.
