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Daily News - 24 April 2000
32 die in Easter holiday related accidents
The Center for Emergency Operations (COE) reported in its Bulletin No. 9 that from Wednesday, 19 April to Sunday at 7:30 pm, 23 April some 52 persons died in the DR. Of these 32 deaths were attributed to Easter holiday related events - traffic accidents, drowning and intoxication. The director of Civil Defense, General Jose de los Santos Sanchez says that their records show 137 cases of intoxication and traffic accidents.
No time to complete Las Americas Expressway
An item in El Siglo newspaper says that there is no time for the Fernández Government to conclude the tunnel under Las Americas Expressway. The tunnel is part of the RD$580 million expansion of the Las Americas Highway, calling for the adding of four lanes from the new Duarte Bridge to San Vicente de Paúl Avenue, a 2.7 kilometer stretch. Las Americas Expressway connects the western side of Santo Domingo with the Las Americas Airport and eastern cities and resort areas such as Boca Chica, Juan Dolio, San Pedro de Macorís, La Romana, Dominicus, Higuey and Punta Cana. Primarily the World Bank finances the project. Furthermore, Miguel Logroño, in charge of the 56 kilometer Autovia del Este, the eastbound expressway, says that construction works are 90% completed.
Together both expressways should cut in half travel distance from Santo Domingo.
Hotel classification advances
The Ministry of Tourism announced the contracting of the US firm, Freeman Group to assist with the classifying of Dominican hotels. The Instituto de Calidad from Seville, Spain carries out the project. In a first phase, 132 hotels of more than 70 rooms will be classified. The government says it is working closely with Asonahores, the local hotel and restaurant association, in this project.
And the final race is on
With only 20 days left of the presidential campaign, the political parties announced their final efforts at convincing voters. Politicians had taken a break for the Easter holidays, but with three weeks to go for the 16 May 2000 vote day, the parties will hold the traditional campaign closing mass concentrations. The parties seek to convince new voters, women and the undecided.
The PRD announced mass rallies will take place 26 and 27 April in Santiago, 28 April in Puerto Plata, 29 April in Espaillat and 30 April in the South. On 1 May they will rally in San Cristóbal, on the 5 and 6 May in the East and on 7 May in Santiago. The PRD campaign closes on Sunday, 14 May with a mega concentration in Santo Domingo.
The PLD has announced its grand finale rally will take place on Friday, 12 May in Santo Domingo and on Sunday, 14 April in Santiago.
PRSC candidate 94-year old Joaquin Balaguer, who suffers from severe physical incapability, is scheduled to spend four days in San Juan de la Maguana, in the southwest. On 7 May he will be present at a rally in La Vega. The PRSC closing is set for Saturday, 13 May in Santo Domingo.
PRD candidate distances himself from PRSC
PRD presidential candidate Hipólito Mejía over the weekend for the first time during this campaign began to distance himself from the PRSC and its charismatic candidate, former President Joaquín Balaguer. Speaking while campaigning during the Easter holidays in the US, Mejía urged his voters to rally against the PLD and the PRSC. The PRD has coveted PRSC voters, and thus had focused on criticizing the PLD government, while not touching the PRSC. But with Balaguer now becoming a possible second place winner (several leading polls show the decrepit but most sage Dominican politician of all times in second place), PRD strategists have modified their position.
News reports say that Mejía, speaking to Dominicans in New York, said that having "amores escondidos" (a hidden affair) with Balaguer has nothing to do with the presidential election of 16 May. He urged his voters to stop both the PLD and the PRSC. Mejía also toured Massachusetts, Florida and New Jersey, speaking out on the same lines of stopping the Reformistas.
Listín poll gives PLD nine point lead over PRSC
According to the Listín Diario/Sigma Dos poll, Hipólito Mejía (PRD) has 41.7% of voters preference, Danilo Medina (PLD) has 29% and Joaquín Balaguer (PRSC) has 20%. The Sigma Dos poll was carried out 15-18 April. The poll shows that 6.2% of voters are still undecided. Some 1,200 potential voters were polled nationwide.
PRD economic proposals
The economic team of the PRD, told Hoy newspaper in an interview said that if the PRD wins the coming presidential election, the government would increase social spending from 6 to 9 or 10% in relation to the GDP. Speaking for the PRD were Frank Guerrero Prats, Ernesto Mangual, Eugenio Martín Taveras and Iván Rodriguez Batista and Rafael Calderon. They promised social spending would represent 50% of the total government expenditures. He said government would reduce import tariffs to no less than 20%. He said they would increase the value-added tax (ITBIS) from 8 to 10%. He said the PRD is committed to give more priority to promoting exports, and not imports. In an interview at Hoy newspaper, they said they would change the present model of adjustment and stability for one of real development that would bring with it a redistribution of income. He criticized the government for investing in megaprojects. The PRD government would continue to give priority to the tourism, free zone, communications and construction industries. But PRD economists say they would also focus on farming, industry, mining and small and mid-sized business.
AmCham criticizes Intellectual Property Bill
Bill Malamud, executive vice president of the American Chamber of Commerce, disputed a brief in the DR1 News last week where a reference is made to whether the industrial intellectual property bill passed by the Congress last week is compliant with the World Trade Organization stipulations (see http://www.dr1.com/daily/news041900.shtml). Malamud says that the position of Amcham, ASIEX, EFID and ARAPF is that the new legislation is not compliant with the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), especially on the issue of compulsory licensing.
Furthermore, Malamud argues that the DR is putting itself at risk to sanctions and the loss of CBI and GSP beneficiary status. The dispute primarily revolves around pharmaceutical products and patent holding rights.
When asked to comment, Federico Cuello, Dominican Republic representative before the World Trade Organization, was critical of these comments. He said that whether the legislation is compliant or not is to be settled by the Dispute-Settlement Body (DSB) of the WTO that has jurisdiction under international law. He added that "any other judgement that may be passed at the instance of a private party that may lead to unilateral actions by any country, are also liable of the appropriate counteractions before the DSB of the WTO, which is the single multilateral body with jurisdiction in cases like this." He says the United Kingdom and New Zealand have already won similar disputes versus US pharmaceutical companies.
Cuello considers the industrial intellectual property legislation "literally a matter of life and death." As passed, the bill will permit local pharmaceutical companies to manufacture and sell low cost medicines.
Spanish business mission expected tomorrow
A seven-company commercial mission from Malaga, Andalucia, Spain will visit from 25 April to 1 May. The commission is head by D. Rafael Garcia Padilla, president of the Commission of Foreign Trade and International Relations of the province. They will be based at the Occidental Embajador Hotel in Santo Domingo, where they can be contacted. The companies seek to make contact with Dominican companies. They deal in woodworking, straw-working, elevators, mechanical stairs, professional training, pharmaceutical and health products, information services and analysis and managerial programming.
Accounting is preferred university career
The Listin Diario newspaper reports that university students increased from 3,000 students in 1960 to 216,000 last year. This at a time when the population increased 2.5 times. According to the report, "Prospective Económica y Demanda de Empleo a Nivel de Educación Superior", by year 2015 there will be 600,000 university students enrolled in Dominican universities.
At the present time, 70% of the students are enrolled in only seven careers:
Accounting (12.7%), education (11.8%), law (10.8%), computer sciences (10.0%), marketing (10.0%), management (6.9%) and medicine (6.0%).
Nine athletes on DR delegation to Sydney Olympics
The president of the Dominican Olympic Committee, Dr. Jose Joaquin Puello said that only nine athletes have made the DR delegation to the Sydney, Australia Olympic Games. These will compete in judo (5), weight lifting (2), and boxing (2). The women's volleyball team had a shot at classifying, but the government did not fund the cost of sending the Dominican team to the Olympic trials in Japan.
The only medal the DR has ever won in an Olympic Games was that of the late boxer, Pedro Julio Nolasco in the Los Angeles, US Games of 1984.
Santo Domingo book fair: 27 April ­ 7 May
The Third International Book Fair Santo Domingo 2000 will be held 27 April ­ 7 May in the Plaza del Conservatorio de Música. This year it will be dedicated to Juan Bosch, founder of the Partido de la Liberación Dominicana, the ruling party. This year the focus will be on France, which will have a special pavilion, and there will be many lectures by French authors and presentations by French editorial houses. The participation of editorial houses from 25 countries is expected. The book fair is held annually to promote reading. Nighttime entertainment has also been scheduled.
20 foreign writers are coming, including Mario Vargas Llosa who will present his book La Fiesta del Chivo, at the 26 April at the Salon Anacaona of the Hotel Jaragua. Vargas Llosa will attend the inauguration of the fair and will be available at Editora Taller, publisher of the Dominican version, to sign books. He later will travel to Santiago for a promotion of his new book. Other famous writers that will be coming are Peruvian Jaime Bayly, author of "No se lo digas a nadie"; Chilean Marcela Serrano, author of "Nosotras que nos queremos tantos," Argentinians Luis Guzmán and Héctor Tizón. Also, the widow of Argentinean poet Jorge Luis Borges.
From France, novelist Paule Constant, winner of the Goncourt 1998 award; Olivier Todd, a specialist on Albert Camus; Dennis Rolland, specialist on contemporary history. Didier Lapeyronnie, will will give a talk on racism in Europe and sociologist Ivone Le Bot.
Julio Sabala at the National and Cibao theaters
Julio Sabala, one of the best imitators in the world today, will return to the country for a 27 April presented at the Cibao Theater in Santiago de los Caballeros on 27 April at 8:30 pm and the National Theater in Santo Domingo on 30 April. He has thrilled audiences in presentations at the Madison Square Garden in New York, the Greek Theater in Los Angeles, the Knight Center in Miami, the Hotel Hilton in Las Vegas and the Bellas Artes theater in Puerto Rico.
Shakira comes to town
Colombia's Shakira will be in town for a 29 April performance at the Fortaleza Ozama in the Colonial City. Shakira is coming with 21 musicians. Her show's title, "Anfibio". Shakira has just released a new CD, "Shakira MTV Unplugged". Tickets $300. Tickets are for sale at Club de Lectores Listín (for Listín Diario subscribers), Pizza Hut, Baskin Robbins, Mr. Movies. Also through Ticket Express and at Musicalia and Bachata Rosa.
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