On Thursday of last week, 38 people woke up with the expectation that it would be a Thursday like any other.

They woke with the assurance that riding a bus and crossing a bridge would not be an imminent threat to their lives. They woke feeling protected in the responsibilities and ethical values of the state and civil society to safeguard their lives and to give them protection. They had every reason to feel this way and it's an expectation that the state should never fail.

But this time we did fail.

How do you explain to the five families of those killed that day that the state's ability to fulfill its promise is limited by the lack of financial and human resources, by bureaucratic red tape and by an outdated system that undermines the possibility of serving with the efficiency and breadth that they demand?

How can I explain to these 38 people, their families and the communities to which they belong that we did more than had ever been done; that we've prevented 40 other possible tragedies involving bridges in similar conditions?

Of what use does that serve, if we fail to protect those who crossed that bridge that fateful Thursday. That bridge had to operate safely, even if users disrespect restrictions for use.

How do you explain to angry and hurt people that aside from assuming our roles in public office, we have no real ability to fix all the bridges that require fixing or to build all the roads that are needed or to protect them when they disrespect the limits of personal safety?

How to explain to an entire country that you can't compensate four decades of neglect in three and a half years…?

The truth, pure and simple, is that today, explanations – even the most logical and rational – are no good because it would deprive the pain of many and serve the interest of a political few….

I am moved by a deep sadness and sense of compassion for the families and communities who had to be apart from their loved ones this weekend. I cannot say anything more to soothe them in their feelings of pain.

Moreover, I sympathize with their feelings of anger against the state and against the Public Works and Transport Ministry that failed them…. It's in respect to this feeling that I present my resignation as a representative of the ministry, the state and a system that failed them.

My departure will alleviate the anger and frustration of the present, but not the problems of the future.

In the midst of mourning and grief, we must understand that more than a minister and a ministry failing and more than a group of engineers who failed, we failed as a system from acting in time. Even though we knew the danger and what actions to take to prevent it, the previous administrations failed for not dedicating the infrastructure resources – particularly to bridges – making it physically impossible to do more than we have in three and a half years, despite our best efforts.

And Costa Ricans failed by not measuring the risk and by excessively disrespecting the rules created for our safety. We all failed in our roles and we have to assume responsibility to learn what is necessary to give meaning to this drama.

On a day like today, I find it inevitable to take stock (in the accomplishments) of my administration – and with a sense of solidarity, respect and appreciation to those within the ministry – I want us to remember those we haven't failed.

We have not failed the hundreds of thousands of tourists who enter the country in world-class airports in Alajuela and Liberia, and have a good first impression, which results in more business for hotels, producers, vendors and Costa Rican communities.

We have not failed the hundreds of thousands of Costa Rican producers, entrepreneurs and families who now benefit from moving more efficiently and safely (through repaired roads)….

We have not failed the people we have managed to save from drunk drivers and all the drivers who remain protected by the Transit Law … or by incorporating road safety into a prerequisite for any new work while we survey more than 2,000 kilometers.

And, paradoxically, we have not failed the communities that are home to more than 262 bridges that have been repaired, 18 new major bridges, 21 bridges under construction and … sadly now infamous 40 bridges in an unsafe condition that we have to preserve.

To a ll the employees of MOPT, I thank you for helping me have assurance that our successes were more than our failures and that many of those successes mean that other families and communities do not have to go through a tragedy like what happened in Turrubares. Other achievements have allowed the country to produce a better and more prosperous quality of life.

Yet all of these accomplishments come to no use if one more innocent life is lost in the effort. Towards that goal, I promise to keep fighting, even if it is from another front.

We are obliged to recognize our mistakes, to learn and to change. All of us.

In order to transform the reality we know today … we must do whatever it takes to change a bureaucratic system so that it produces more, have more resources and less red tape.

We, must change, ministers, legislators and public officials alike. And we must change the people who hold the state responsible for everything – for all the good things, but especially the bad – without asking what they can contribute and what they should take responsibility for. We owe it to those who suffered and suffer this tragedy.

I hope that my resignation is the first step towards this accomplishment.

For the full speech in Spanish, visit http://www.mopt.go.cr/documentos/Boletines/2009/Oct-2009/Renuncia_Karla[1].pdf