Government loses credibility
In a column in today's Hoy newspaper, Fabio Herrera-Minino comments that the government's main strategists are concerned that their enormous investment in paid journalists for articles, commentaries, workshops, panels, etc. is not getting through to public opinion, which is getting more and more skeptical by the day about what the government does and says. He says that government officials' luxurious and high-spending way of life contrasts with the image of austerity and frugality that the government should be projecting.
He writes that the government receives millions of pesos, takes on barrels of loans, has a hypertrophied number of employees with padded payrolls to include party members. "Government officials insist on believing they are the best of Dominicans, doing us all a favor by governing us," he writes. "They are bothered if anyone opposes their measures, such as the tax reform that was disguised as a supposed indexing of fuel, that resulted in the Hacienda head humiliating journalists and businessmen with his best adjectives for criticizing such a wise tax measure that will continue to squeeze the shrinking pockets of taxpayers," he writes.
He adds that the PLD, PRSC and independent politicians' actions are why the government has such a bad image, despite the popularity of President Fernandez, who he says is affected by many of his collaborators who show off and make spectacles of themselves in public places, accompanied by beautiful girls, enjoying meals and drinks whose prices would feed a family for several months.
He comments that if the government wanted to be believed, it should control its officials' expenses. He states that the country would like to see fewer luxury wages and unnecessary appointments that are made only to meet political commitments.
"Let's see them reduce all these ostentatious privileges that go beyond the travel, per diems, and padding of the cost of whatever is built and purchased by the government, enabling the diversion of billions to purposes far from the common good", he writes.
He says that government efforts to sell an image of efficiency are costing a fortune to taxpayers when these efforts are useless.
"There is no sincerity in a group of politicians that despite their wealth accumulated in years in power maintain airs of ideological superiority when in the 1970s they were helpless theoreticians and Boschist and Marxist dilettantes. Now they are catapulted to the heights of political power, enabling them to mingle with the ranks of business echelons, which they bend and humiliate at their will.
"Sometimes they concede favors to the businessmen, but deep down they feel they do not need them, because their exercise as government officials has enabled them to reach such wealth to invest in their individual or collective political projects".
In a column in today's Hoy newspaper, Fabio Herrera-Minino comments that the government's main strategists are concerned that their enormous investment in paid journalists for articles, commentaries, workshops, panels, etc. is not getting through to public opinion, which is getting more and more skeptical by the day about what the government does and says. He says that government officials' luxurious and high-spending way of life contrasts with the image of austerity and frugality that the government should be projecting.
He writes that the government receives millions of pesos, takes on barrels of loans, has a hypertrophied number of employees with padded payrolls to include party members. "Government officials insist on believing they are the best of Dominicans, doing us all a favor by governing us," he writes. "They are bothered if anyone opposes their measures, such as the tax reform that was disguised as a supposed indexing of fuel, that resulted in the Hacienda head humiliating journalists and businessmen with his best adjectives for criticizing such a wise tax measure that will continue to squeeze the shrinking pockets of taxpayers," he writes.
He adds that the PLD, PRSC and independent politicians' actions are why the government has such a bad image, despite the popularity of President Fernandez, who he says is affected by many of his collaborators who show off and make spectacles of themselves in public places, accompanied by beautiful girls, enjoying meals and drinks whose prices would feed a family for several months.
He comments that if the government wanted to be believed, it should control its officials' expenses. He states that the country would like to see fewer luxury wages and unnecessary appointments that are made only to meet political commitments.
"Let's see them reduce all these ostentatious privileges that go beyond the travel, per diems, and padding of the cost of whatever is built and purchased by the government, enabling the diversion of billions to purposes far from the common good", he writes.
He says that government efforts to sell an image of efficiency are costing a fortune to taxpayers when these efforts are useless.
"There is no sincerity in a group of politicians that despite their wealth accumulated in years in power maintain airs of ideological superiority when in the 1970s they were helpless theoreticians and Boschist and Marxist dilettantes. Now they are catapulted to the heights of political power, enabling them to mingle with the ranks of business echelons, which they bend and humiliate at their will.
"Sometimes they concede favors to the businessmen, but deep down they feel they do not need them, because their exercise as government officials has enabled them to reach such wealth to invest in their individual or collective political projects".