Israel will provide the Dominican Republic with military support, said President Hipolito Mejia during his visit to Jerusalem yesterday. Following his meeting with the Israeli President Moshe Katsav, Mejia announced the aid would consist of security training for military personnel, arms and technological equipment. The Israeli President reminded how the Dominican Republic had opened its shores to Jewish refugees from Europe during the Second World War. In turn, Hipolito Mejia voiced his support for the creation of a Palestinian state as part of an agreement favorable to both sides of the Middle Eastern conflict. Later, Mejia met with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who mentioned their common ground as farmers. The Presidential visit continues in Jordan today.
Via the Senate, the Executive Branch sent Congress a bill to improve rulings on fishing, aquaculture and conservation of coastal resources. The initiative is a pressing matter as countless foreign fleets have been depleting the waters under the indulgent eye of the authorities and the navy. The bill also sets an ethics code for responsible fishing.
The dispute between the Dominican Republic and Venezuela (as reported in yesterday's DR1 news) intensified with the announcement that Caracas has recalled its ambassador from Santo Domingo. This follows the suspension of oil exports to the DR in response to the alleged complicity of Dominican authorities in a conspiracy against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. The plot is purportedly being hatched on Dominican soil by disgraced former Venezuelan President Carlos Andres Perez. The Venezuelan ambassador to the DR, General Francisco Belisario Landis, told foreign reporters that he would not return to his post for "a few months, depending on how things develop." Chavez hinted that this may have to wait, however, until the outcome of next year's Dominican Presidential election, and that a decision to restore the diplomatic ties would depend on a change of government. The Venezuelan leader claimed to have proof of the alleged plot to overthrow his government and the involvement of his archenemy Perez. It is reported that in the background to all this, high-level discussions between the two governments are underway in an attempt to reach an agreement. Amaury Justo, president of the Dominican oil refinery, assured the public that since the onset of the Venezuelan crisis the DR has been seeking out alternative markets. For this reason, said Justo, there should be no effect on fuel supplies for at least a few months and people should not be worried.
Former Central Bank Governor Guillermo Caram comments in Hoy newspaper today on what he calls the unfortunate timing of the government's decision to take over Spanish electricity company, Union Fenosa, on the eve of the President's visit to Spain. The President must now prove, says the editorial, that the action was not a diversionary tactic to placate public opinion, nor an attempt to ingratiate himself to the Spanish authorities, in the form of a latter-day Guacanagarix, the indigenous cacique (chief) at the time of the Spanish arrival to Hispaniola who aligned himself with the conquerors and was considered a traitor to his people. The writer compares the sum of US$400 million that was pledged by the government to pay off the Spanish companies with the gold jewelry presented to the Spaniards by the indigenous people at the time of the conquest, in return for worthless mirrors and beads. With no known information on where the funds will come from, the columnist muses that perhaps this deal will become "diluted" once the President returns from Spain. "We will return to the subject once we are convinced that this is not just another government sideshow."
PRD pre-Presidential candidate Rafael "Fello" Subervi Bonilla has challenged President Hipolito Mejia to a poll, promising that if he does not achieve 10 points more than the President, he will withdraw from the contest and even offer his services to Mejia as campaign manager. The seven pre-candidates opposed to the President's re-election are due to choose one single candidate next week, according to Fello, who said he would not accept the Vice-Presidency because he does "not want to be second to anyone." In separate reports, the papers are saying that fellow pre-candidate Milagros Ortiz Bosch has announced that she would not withdraw her candidacy.
Speaking from Miami, the defeated PRSC Presidential pre-candidate Jacinto Peynado declared himself a "free agent" in politics and did not exclude the possibility of supporting a non-PRSC candidate in the forthcoming Presidential elections. He stressed that he would not be backing Eduardo Estrella, who won the PRSC primary election earlier this year, a result that was rejected by Peynado for alleged electoral fraud. He emphatically told Hoy newspaper that he would not work for Estrella's "illegitimate and inorganic" candidacy. Although he did not explicitly express a preference for either of the two other main parties, he implied sympathy for the PLD's Leonel Fernandez and made certain criticisms of the current government. Peynado, who served as Vice-President of the Dominican Republic under the late former President, Joaquin Balaguer, and was himself a Presidential candidate in the 1996 elections, is recovering from surgery in the US, but denies he is suffering from cancer.
The United States Embassy Consular section in Santo Domingo has announced changes to the requisites for tourist visas. Only those people who have held five-year entrance visas that have been expired for less than one year will be able to submit their passports for visa renewal. Those under 18 years of age, who have previously held a five-year entrance visa, expired for less than one year, will have to submit both their parents' passports along with their own. Both parents will also have to have valid five-year entrance visas, otherwise the applicant will have to undergo an interview. Children under 14, who up until now did not have to be interviewed, will have to do so from now on, accompanied by both parents and in possession of the child's notarized birth certificate and the parents' passports. If only one parent is able to attend, a notarized letter of consent from the other will have to be submitted. All new visa applicants will have to attend an interview.
The newspapers report positive reactions to the news that the Senate Finance Committee has recommended that the 5% tax on exports be revoked from all quarters of the export and tourism sectors. The exporters' association ADOEXPO is asking that the surcharge introduced last month by Presidential decree be rescinded immediately. ADOEXPO president Horacio Alvarez stated that in addition to its being hugely unpopular, the tax was also ineffective in achieving its aim of raising RD$2.8 billion in six months, having only raised RD$100 million in its first month. Alvarez continued to say that it had done more harm than good as it discouraged investment. He welcomed the possibility that payments made to date would be reimbursed. Johnny Bernal, the president of the hoteliers and restaurateurs association ASONAHORES, observed that the Senate Finance Committee had recognized that the tax would be difficult to impose, and had listened to submissions from the tourist and export sector. He revealed that ASONAHORES is in dialogue with the government to find an alternative to the 5% tax. Hoy newspaper says that President Mejia got plenty of flack for the tax when on official visit to Spain. Spanish investors own about half of hotels in the Dominican Republic.
Hoy newspaper reports that the government and power generators will create a commission to determine how the debt of US$100 million claimed to be owed to private generators by Union Fenosa power distributors Edesur and Edenorte will be paid, in view of the government's agreement to buy back the Union Fenosa affiliates. The published contract made no mention of the debts.
Cesar Sanchez, administrator of the Corporacion Dominicana de Empresas Estatales Electricas (CDEEE), believes that sending the Seaboard power barges to Samana would resolve the North Coast shortfall. He said the barges located in the Ozama River in Santo Domingo could generate 112 megawatts.
Employers want the minimum wage to match at least the Central Bank reported 24.8% accumulated inflation level as of August. The employers, however, are proposing a 10% increase effective 1 September, with further increases planned for November and January 2004 of 5% each. At a time when companies are firing, not hiring, say employers, any greater increase would only result in more shutdowns, and thus would backfire. Virgilio Ortega Nadal, the spokesman for the industry sector, explained that the planned October 2004 revision of the minimum wage is a long way off, and that it was the employers who convened the special meeting. Ortega also said that employers were concerned about the government not having resolved the problem of duplication of severance payment accumulation and pension plan payments, which increase the cost of each employee. Another consideration affecting the offer for wage increase is the new social security and health programs being implemented, which place an even greater burden on companies.
El Caribe reports that the number of Dominicans attempting to make illegal crossings to the neighboring island of Puerto Rico has doubled. In June alone, 489 people were apprehended in the endeavor, which for many Dominicans represents a stepping-stone to the US mainland. It also emerges that Puerto Rican vessels are being used for the lucrative yet illegal business of crossing the perilous Mona Passage that divides the two islands. The newspaper quotes the average cost per passenger at between RD$20,000 and RD$25,000. In many cases, however, the would-be immigrants never reach their destination, and the lucky ones are found by the US coastguard or Dominican navy (Marina de Guerra) before they die of thirst and exposure, adrift on the fragile crafts used for the crossings. El Caribe quotes a woman whose attempt was thwarted by the navy: "I have a sick child and need the money… I have to go because here no one gives me anything and if I don't go, where will I get the money from?" The woman is determined to take the risk again. A young builder echoed her sentiment: "The moment I can, I will try again." It is difficult to gauge the exact number of crossings made, and the navy is non-committal about the believed increase. The fact that Puerto Rican boat owners are entering the business suggests an increase in demand, according to the newspaper. The vessels are considered safer and their owners are therefore able to charge higher prices than their Dominican counterparts - purportedly as much as RD$45,000 per passenger. There are also reports that those of other nationalities, such as Eastern Europeans and Cubans, frequently make the crossing as a way of entering the United States, paying an even higher amount (around US$2,000 per person). El Caribe links the escalation in illegal crossings to the current economic situation, and in its main editorial says the number of people making the journey is an economic indicator in itself. The increase is directly related to the severity of the economic situation, according to the writer. Rising inflation and growing unemployment are direct factors in the exodus of Dominicans, willing to pay RD$25,000 or even RD$45,000, so convinced are they that the situation at home is hopeless. The editorial ends on a relatively upbeat note, reminding readers that the country has recovered from crises like these in the past, and that everything is resting "on the leadership's vision and capacity. That is the challenge."
A report just published has found that more women are coming forward to report incidents of domestic abuse, rape and incest. The government department set up for the protection of women has received on average 1,116 complaints a month this year, compared with 1,047 last year. This, however, does not necessarily represent an increase in the incidence of violence against women. NGOs working on the issue attribute the 6.6% rise to an increase in information, which has made victims more willing to come forward and speak up about what has long been a taboo subject. In the last four days alone, ten people have been murdered in episodes of domestic violence. Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez has called upon all sectors of society for more preventive action against intra-familiar violence, citing factors such as psychological problems, poverty and lack of communication as chief factors.
The Dominican Republic could still win a slot in the 2003 World Volleyball Cup to take place in Japan next November. Hoy newspaper explains that despite the loss to Cuba, if the DR can defeat Canada in the 6pm showdown for the bronze medal today, it would beat out Cuba for the coveted spot. The Dominican team has an average 106 gold points, compared to Cuba's 105 points in the tournament so far. While the DR beat Canada at its first meeting, the match was a two-and-a-half-hour marathon that ended 2-3 (25-22, 20-25, 21-25, 25-21, 8-15). The US will face Cuba in the championship game at 8pm tonight. The US is ranked No. 2 in the world and has already ensured its slot in the World Games, the first step toward qualifying for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games. Tickets are RD$60 for the two games being held at the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center's Volleyball Pavilion.
The Davis Cup will be played in Santo Domingo starting at 4pm this Friday, 19 September. Victor Estrella, Johnson Garcia, Jose Bernard and Johnny Berrido will represent the Dominican Republic, as it seeks to advance in Group II of the Americas Zone. The DR will be competing next against Paraguay. As of the 14 July ranking, the DR was ranked 53rd among 145 countries participating in the challenge and qualified for the competition by defeating Cuba and Uruguay. The event begins at the Santo Domingo Tennis Center at the Parque del Este, the same first-class venue for which the tennis competitions for the 2003 Pan American Games were built. The facility has 12 hard courts and a 3,800-seat capacity center court.
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