Sometimes it amazes me that so many people (expats and Dominicans from abroad) question so much and criticize the DR system, using their long time experience from abroad and elsewhere as parting point. First this is THE DR not the USA or UK or CAN or etc...
Each nation owns their own system of things, just like women feel just as beautiful garbed from head to toe in many of the muslim nations, so too Dominicans feel at home and comfortable paying off the cop after being stopped for speeding, drinking, etc...
Politics is a biz, not a public service! Whoever thinks that politicians bid for public seat out of civil duty and love for their country is blind or a moron.
Each person that took onto the political scheme, did so under the pretext of advancing their personal views and agendas unto others.
The DR's political system was a byproduct from internal rejection to outside controls. Even the office of the Presidency acknowledges this, when they used the "executive" power to pen their will unto the system.
If you're to see beyond your nose, you'll notice that the DR's political system is the true all inclusive and open for all people, no matter the background, social or economic breed they insert themselves from.
We have the system we deserve, because is the system we want and accept only.
The Curch is central in our system, both in family and politics. Morals are what they uphold and have no "pelos en la lengua" to voice when they feel the gov or population is transgressing it beyond what's acceptable and tolerated.
We're a country where "God" is not just a "motto" in our flag, but our belief in a supreme being. And yet, we respect 100% those that adore other Gods or follow diferent customs, to that of ours as well.
If the DR did follow the law to the letter, possibly over one third of expats residing in the DR now would be long gone or deported. The rest divided between those fighting to stay and meet the laws and those hoping to never have to deal with it again.
If you were to follow how laws came about, they all originated as a form to mediate how punishment was to be imparted. Laws were placed into place as tools to impart penalties, not to avoid them.
The DR system was born out of rejection for these same punitive laws, the ones rejected from the Colonial powers we sought to break free from. As such, even the mere fact that we adopted the Napoleonic legal system yet introduce more than one way of correlating punishment and pardon on the same terms, goes to show how repulsed we felt of imparting such punishment over our brethren.
Since you come from an overload of rules and laws that MUST be toed in first world countries or else the punishments, you see every instances of imparted leniencies at the basic levels of our system and above as extreme corruption.
The DR is democracy as good as it could get!