Williams a no-show

this is what happens when you keep the general population ignorant
this would be a good slogan "Keep'm stupid and reelect"

His excuse is that he is doing a poll on constitutional reform in NY among Dominican expatriates (they can vote in the DR elections). Talk shows, such as Huchi Lora's and Carmen Imbert Brugal are scandalized at the laissez faire attitude of the Congress and the government to this person who was elected senator and seems to aspire to hold the record of absences in the Congress. In the DR he is only heard of for different scandals -- such as his demanding special treatment at the Las Americas International Airport, his way of handling the probe into alleged Medicaid fraud, and now the scandal of his harassing Dominican journalists that have investigated the Medicaid case. And now for not coming to the DR to answer to the inquiries.
I've heard twice on Huchi Lora's afternoon radio talk show calls made to his dental office in NY where the secretary tells that he cannot take the call because he is seeing a patient. But that his working hours are 9 to 9pm on Monday to Fri and 9 to 8pm on Saturday and to 6pm on Sunday. Wonder when he gets the time to do the poll? Probably with his own patients?

"Stats on the attendance of Williams to the Senate indicate that during his term as senator he has put in 65 hours and 14 minutes," reports El Caribe today. Williams' term began 16 August 2006.
Williams: un senador que intriga a muchos

At a cost of nearly 46,000 RD$ per hour!! Not bad "work" if you can get it....

This is an embarrassment for the whole nation.

HB

Hillbilly said:

At a cost of nearly 46,000 RD$ per hour!! Not bad "work" if you can get it....

This is an embarrassment for the whole nation.

HB

Click to expand...

VERY true HB, but the question is ..........
Is anyone in the Nation prepared to make an issue of this (or any other violation of Government positions) so as to 'RID' itself of these lazy & corrupt officials? Regrettably I fear not. Regrettably Dominicans & Ex-Pat residents who have the right to vote etc shy away from their responsibility to call the respective officials to task. gre:

Whether this is because (generally speaking) they know they will not get the support of the Senators/Deputies &/or Administration officials I do not know but certainly the Law Courts are not showing any signs of supporting individual actions against misuse of public money!! It would appear that large scale demonstrations & public outcry through the media are the ONLY things making the Administration take note of public opinion - & it is not just THIS Administration that is guilty of ignoring it's voters!aranoid:!

It is well past time for the 'ELECTORATE' to join forces & demand a better deal from those who get paid so much ..... for so little!! :tired:

Any ideas on how we on DR1 can help join all the discontent into an organisation that HAS to be listened to by the 'Authorities'?:ermm:? ~ Grahame.

Who did you figure the RD$46,000 an hour? I thought he made more such as RD$700,000 a month, including the "barrilito." So he has been in office for about 30 months (since August 2006). So figure he is making above RD$300,000 an hour for the 65 hours put in so far.

The absentee Senator on why he hired the heavies......excuse me, 'investigators':
Senador admite orden? investigar a periodistas

This is the kind of $hit that makes me feel embarrased of being Dominican sometimes. If this was here in the US his A$$$ will be crucified!

The Alicia Ortega interview is on You Tube, the different parts are here:
YouTube - Alicia Ortega entrevista al Senador Alejandro Williams

All Dominicans should be up in arms, especially members and supporters of Williams' own party, the PLD - we have a few of them here on DR1. I expect they have contacted their local branch and voiced their concerns about the effect these revelations are having on the good name of their party. :speechles

Williams a no-show AGAIN. He turned up an hour and a half late for the Senate Ethics Committee hearing. Committee President, Wilton Guerrero, was not impressed!
Williams llega tarde y deja plantada a la Comisi?n de ?tica :: CLAVE digital

While the attitude of the senator is despicable, it looks like the medicaid accusations not long ago were bogus incitated by the opposition in his province. The thing is that he isn't walking straight, instead of filing a demand in court for difamacion e injuria, he just went the mafia way, getting thugs to investigate and intimidate the journalist of the report. I do think he will finish his term, but don't think he will be reelected after all this bad press. And it was only he that took it upon him

Why bother fabricating charges against him when he has enough rope to hang himself in the first place?

I think the fact that nothing more has been talked about the Medicaid fraud is an indicative of the intentions behind the accusations, now the senator se esta poniendo la soga en el cuello el solito.

.....

JDJones said:

Williams is a very close friend of Leonel. Doesn't that explain everything?

As far as getting more publicity, if you read the local papers, and listen to local radio, you'd know that it would be difficult for this situation to get MORE publicity.

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What connection does Williams have to Fernandez? I don't doubt their "friendship," I'd just like something concrete to determine how far the relationship goes, as a way to determine how much Williams can get away with.

In cases like these we should realize that "political friendships" in the DR are made up of two criteria:

(a) What can you do / Have done / Will do for me?
(b) I know some of your little secrets, so put up or pay up (extortion)


I guess Williams is privy to option (a) and is offering free dental care to all of Congress.


Mr. Lu

Good one.

........

ExtremeR said:

While the attitude of the senator is despicable, it looks like the medicaid accusations not long ago were bogus incitated by the opposition in his province. The thing is that he isn't walking straight, instead of filing a demand in court for difamacion e injuria, he just went the mafia way, getting thugs to investigate and intimidate the journalist of the report. I do think he will finish his term, but don't think he will be reelected after all this bad press. And it was only he that took it upon him

Click to expand...

He'll be re-elected. Look at Aristy Castro in Higuey. Does the same thing all the time. At the end of the day Dominicans don't care about their country. Many people are angered about this and many more are siting around a colmado drinking a beer saying, "Diablo, ese Williams es un Tiguerazo...." Meanwhile, the next crop of college graduated Licenciados and Lambones are licking their chops to get into politics so they can "buscarme lo mio."

It's a sham, and the more you have people believing in government, the more the deception grows. Dominicans have been pacified not to react to things like this. So instead of arming a real challenge to this, they'll burn tires at the UASD and forget about it in a few weeks. Sad on so many layers, but if they don't care, why should we?


From yesterday's news:

Senator Williams arrives
It was all smiles for Senator Alejandro Williams as he finally arrived at Congress yesterday. Williams appeared to be unaware or even undaunted by the suspicions and allegations surrounding him. The Senator from San Pedro de Macoris refused to talk to the media about allegations that he had tried to intimidate reporters who were reporting on the Senator's alleged Medicaid investigation in the US or to discuss the fact that he is rarely in the DR to fulfill his Senatorial commitments. Hoy reports that Williams was even absent from the morning meeting of Congress's Ethics Committee that was scheduled for 10am. Hoy reports that Williams was at his office, but didn't bother attending the meeting. Ethics Committee president Wilton Guerrero was not impressed, saying that Williams acted as if he were the king of kings and the other Senators were his subordinates. Guerrero said that once statements were heard from the journalists who had made the accusations of intimidation, Margarita Cordero, Maria Isabel Soldevila, Norma Sheppard and Adalberto Dominguez, the Ethics Committee would issue its verdict on Williams.


I love the contrived anger by Guerrero. If this really mattered, if they really cared, this would have been finito weeks ago.


Mr. Lu