The Dominican Presidency enjoys the use of 20% of the National Budget with some 25 expense items that pertain to the executive office. The Listin Diario says that over the past years, through two different administrations, the practice of allowing the President to spend more and more has placed a large portion of the budget in his hands. In 2002, then-President Mejia received 20% of the budget, going from a requested amount of RD$8.52 billion to final expenditures that totaled RD$14.83 billion. During that administration, entities such as the JCE, the Accounting Office, the ministries of the Interior & Police and Foreign Relations, as well as the newly-created ministries of Women and Culture, all exceeded their budgeted amounts. There are close to 25 items listed in the Presidential budget, including monies for the administrative minister, the Office that supervises Public Works, the Press Office, the Social Cabinet and many other organisms that depend on the President for their funding. As far back as 1998, the President took 21% of the budget, while ministries such as those of Education, Public Health, Labor and Agriculture languished for lack of funding.
Dominicans are overwhelmingly optimistic that things are getting better and will continue to improve. Some 1,194 Dominican adults were polled in the CID-Gallup Latin American survey that was conducted from 24 November to 2 December.
Seventy-nine percent of Dominicans feel the Dominican economy is improving and that they will be better off next year, according to the results. Seventy-three percent are optimistic that the country is on the right track, while 74% said their household's finances have improved. This is considerably up from 23% when the same question was asked by Gallup pollsters in April 2004. The PLD maintains its popularity in politics, with 55% of the population's support, followed by the PRD with 17% and the PRSC with 6%.
Major issues the Dominicans would like the government to tackle are the cost of living, urban violence and crime and the decline in moral values. One of every five families has had someone affected by a robbery or assault in the past four months. The majority of those polled say that President Fernandez has yet to successfully address the electric problems and the lack of jobs. 72% feel that by the end of his term, President Leonel Fernandez will have left the country a better place than that in which he received it from his predecessor.
When asked what they would say if given the opportunity to speak to President Leonel Fernandez, the majority replied that they would suggest he govern "for all and not merely for a few."
For the complete poll results in Spanish, see http://dr1.com/news/2004/121604_gallup.shtml
The Central Electoral Board (JCE) announced that it has requested RD$2.0 billion for the 2005 fiscal year, but that the Executive Branch cut its proposal by nearly RD$700 million. Headlines in Hoy say that the JCE announced that without the funds they will not be equipped to implement the primaries as the law establishes. Luis Arias, the president and chief judge of the JCE, warned the Dominican Senate that without the additional funding the JCE would not be able to fulfill its mandate to oversee the primaries for the various political parties. The 2005 contains RD$1.353 billion for the JCE. Of this amount, however, there is RD$302 million that must go to the political parties, leaving just RD$1.05 billion for the electoral board. This represents a 61% reduction of what was requested for operations during 2005. Arias and all his fellow JCE judges were present at the Senate, where Arias told the legislators that "without these budget items, we cannot fulfill what has been planned." Arias pointed out that during the coming year the JCE is obliged to effect a 30% pay raise to all of its employees, as well as carry out the primaries. When asked if the precarious economic situation would "prejudice" the organization of the primaries, Arias told the senators, "If there are no resources, we cannot hold elections."
In previous electoral years, the political parties were responsible for funding their own primaries. Last year, mainly due to internal politics of the then-ruling PRD party, which still holds the majority in Congress, a new law was passed entrusting the JCE with the responsibility of the primaries and obliging taxpayers to pick up the tab.
At the various Civil Registry offices, the books recording births and deaths are tomes of damaged paper, uncared for and tossed into the corners of offices in which the personnel perform their duties on obsolete typewriters. In Bani, there are 12 employees documenting official birth and death certificates on three, old manual typewriters, as others dig through the dog-eared registry ledgers, some held together with hemp rope, rubber bands and string. During the peak periods of June and September - when the demand for birth certificates is highest due to scholastic requirements – the registry offices of the major cities may see as many as 300-400 people a day. Another interesting piece of data: The employees of the Civil Registry are not paid by the central government, but rather by the local Civil Registry director who, in turn, must use the cash flow generated by the certificates to pay the employees. Lawyers, neighbors and other sources told the Listin Diario reporters that birth, death and marriage certificates are routinely bought and sold, as are the corrections of these official certificates. Local civilian judges of the registry offices told the Listin reporters that cases such as those that have occurred in the Central Office of the Civil Registry in Santo Domingo would be impossible to pull off in their offices, since they are routinely inspected by personnel from the JCE, as well as by the Spanish and American embassies. Baseball players are especially scrutinized by consular officials, who personally examine the birth certificates and other documents presented at the visa interview.
The Senate and the representatives from the Executive Branch are still hard at work on eliminating the 25% tax on soft drinks made with HFCS (corn syrup) and the compensation package sought in exchange by the sugar industry, and now by the agricultural sector and industries in general. After a two-hour session, the various sides decided that the meeting had been "cordial," "amenable" and "fruitful". The government team, as headed by Manuel Cocco, the chief Customs department, requested that the senators merely remove the syrup tax. In fact, according to Hoy, they do not want the senators to consider any sort of compensation to the various agriculture and industrial interests at all. The government team did suggest a discussion of certain tax breaks for the affected sectors in January, but only after the current 2005 Budget was "on the books." According to government sources, the compensation package that the Senate was discussing would have prejudicial effects on the IMF talks and possibly delay the approval of the Stand By Agreement.
The Dominican Association of Free Zones (ADOZONA) warned that the proposal to compensate the industrial and agricultural sectors with sizeable tax breaks, in exchange for the removal of the 25% tax on soft drinks containing corn syrup, would interfere with the State's ability to perform its administrative duties during the coming year. According to Hoy journalist Aleida Plasencia, ADOZONA said that instead of solving the problem, this "proposal would only make things worse." Arturo Peguero appealed to the Executive Branch and the Congress to find a solution to the impasse surrounding the syrup tax. Peguero pointed out that the United States has made the removal of the tax a precondition for the Free Trade Agreement to go into effect. At present, there are two proposals regarding the elimination of the tax. One is from President Leonel Fernandez and contains a single paragraph that addresses the elimination of the tax, plain and simple. The other is from Senator Ramon Alburquerque and contains four articles concerning tax breaks for the sugar sector and others. Peguero said that his association felt the approval of the Alburquerque-sponsored legislation would distort 2005's budget, as well as the negotiations with the IMF that are at an advanced stage.
A recent CID-Gallup poll shows that 57% of Dominicans that have heard about the Free Trade Agreement with the US believe the FTA will have positive consequences for the country, while only 20% believe it will do harm. Verizon CEO Jorge Ivan Ramirez, in a letter sent to Senate president Andres Bautista, says the survey demonstrated that by a ratio of 3:1, Dominicans with some knowledge of the agreement feel it will benefit the country. This is six points above the same question asked in April, when 51% were in favor. At the time, 28% felt the deal was a bad move for the country. "It is evident that there is overwhelming support for the agreement and that it is growing among the population in general," he wrote. The poll, taken from 24 November to 2 December, included the opinions of 1,194 Dominican adults from across the nation.
The American Chamber of Commerce has been a strong supporter of the FTA with the United States.
Foreign Minister Carlos Morales Troncoso has ordered the Dominican Embassy in Belgium to cooperate fully with the authorities in their investigation of a former councillor, Francisco Sanabia, who allegedly participated in drug and alcohol trafficking. Sanabia, who was posted at the embassy in Brussels, is accused of attempting to smuggle six kilograms of cocaine and was fired from his job on 9 September. Morales said the embassy will provide all the assistance it can, reports the Listin Diario.
The famously feisty lawyer Ramon Veras, better known nationwide as "Negro," told the weekly luncheon for journalists at the Corripio Group that the wave of crime in Santiago is tied to drugs as well as political, police and military figures. Never at a loss for words, lawyer Veras said that political groups tied to the Mejia candidacy in the 2004 elections could be linked to drug traffickers. He also stated that members of the DR's military were behind several of the murders that have occurred over the past several months in Santiago, including the attempted murder of the infamous businessman Tony Turbi. Veras pointed out that this is not the only type of delinquent activity involved, but that it is the kind that "terrorizes" Santiago because it "lets the people see blood." He pointed out that other types of crime that are the result of the degeneration of Dominican society and its core values. Veras went so far as to say that he had proof of official involvement in untoward activity, but indicated he would not give the proof to the police because of his belief that "there are police groups that are part of the drug gangs, they protect them, they foster them and they supply weapons to them, and at certain times they actually act as hired killers." The only solution that the legal expert could offer to the journalists was one that involved "determined and strong political willpower and great support from the citizenry." But, he said, the citizenry will not cooperate unless they have faith that the authorities will investigate, prosecute and punish the organized gangs, who have "bundles of money and weapons of every caliber." Veras pointed out that of the seven killed in Salcedo, or those killed in Tamboril or in Bella Vista in Santiago, not one was a trained professional. He indicated they were all people from the "barrios," that is to say people of humble origin who are most susceptible to offers of money from drug traffickers.
Diario Libre carries a story today on the National Police and its members' struggle to maintain their principles on the job. The report says that many agents quickly learn that in order to survive in the NP they must keep silent about many injustices. Some, however, are led down a path that puts them into active participation in the wrongdoing, in a system that does not always reward honesty.
The newspaper spoke to three anonymous members of the National Police to compile this article, as each recounted his personal story. One man interviewed, a 20-year veteran of the NP, said that in his town becoming a police agent was one of the only options to escape poverty and, "with luck," make it to the capital. During training camp, he realized that his superior officer gave them little food and obtained free goods from local businesses in order to hang on to a bit of money for himself. Of the training received, the sergeant said that they were not trained specifically for police duty, but were given military-like instruction focused mainly on barking out orders to sit and stand and "all kinds of humiliations."
Another unidentified member of the NP interviewed said that one of his first assignments was to a monetary crimes unit. The 25-year-old said that his boss would share his "earnings" with a gang of criminals in the barrio. "I killed a man once, which entitled me to a share of money... If my boss was taking money, why not me?" he said to justify his actions.
The third police agent interviewed had a less treacherous journey through the NP ranks, performing administrative tasks at local police stations. Less jaded than his counterparts, he holds a brighter view of the National Police institution, saying that he likes his job despite the fact he does not earn a lot of money. He acknowledged, however, the National Police's underside and admitted "he was lucky not to be drawn in."
The city of Santiago was enveloped in thick smoke yesterday caused by the burning of refuse at the Rafey garbage dump. According to the report in Diario Libre, many parents in the western sector of the city kept their children home from school and others said the billowing smoke made transit difficult due to poor visibility.
The president of the local chapter of the Dominican Medical College (CMD), Juan Guillot Caba, said yesterday that contamination at the Rafey site could unleash an outbreak of respiratory diseases. He recommended that the municipal authorities should seek collaboration from business and other sectors of society to find a definitive solution to the problem caused by the solid wastes.
Santiago's mayor, Jose Enrique Sued, attributed the situation to the wind patterns that are currently going from west to east. In the past few days, says Diario Libre, dozens of children and adults have been treated at the hospital in Cienfuegos for respiratory and pulmonary problems caused by contamination from Rafey.
The Canadian Embassy in the Dominican Republic praised the efforts of the local health and tourism authorities in preventing and controlling malaria in the DR. Ambassador Adam Blackwell cited their professionalism and their swift response in dealing with the recent outbreak, and said he felt completely assured that the measures taken by the Pan-American Health Organization (OPS) would help mitigate the impact made on local tourism and keep the disease in check. These measures included preventative fumigation, sanitary facilities installed at construction sites in touristic areas and the implementation of a national plan that would encompass all areas of tourism in the country. In a letter sent to the Listin Diario's editor, Blackwell emphasized the swelling numbers of Canadian vacationers who arrive in the country every year. He indicated that the 2004-05 season will see 180 flight arrivals per week and 500,000 Canadian tourists. These numbers would represent a significant increase over 2002, the year in which Blackwell arrived in the DR, when only 70 flights came per week and approximately 200,000 Canadians visited the DR.
Blackwell said that after he had held conversations with the Canadian media last week to outline all that was being done here, the alarming articles referring to malaria in the DR have stopped appearing in the press.
United Airlines begins its non-stop flights to Punta Cana International Airport from Chicago O'Hare International airport on 17 December. The flight will depart from Chicago at 8:30am and arrive in Punta Cana at 3:06pm.
The flights will continue throughout the winter season and spring, ending on 1 May. The airline is offering a fare of US$195 each way, and is also promoting connections from Washington, DC and Los Angeles for US$225 each way via US Airways.
Pedro Martinez, the three-time Cy Young award winner, will be donning a Mets uniform for the 2005 Major League season. The four-year deal involves as much as US$56 million and is being described as the biggest free-agent signing in Mets history. News reports indicate that there were no surprises during the team's medical staff examination of Martinez at the Hospital for Special Surgery on the Upper East Side of New York City. There had been particular concern for the pitcher's partially torn labrum in his right shoulder.
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/story/262514p-224764c.html
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