I think most people choose to live by their principles most of the time. If sailing to this island puts my boat at risk if I choose not to reward corruption, then I simply wouldn't bring my boat here. This really isn't a question of degree, it is a question of right vs wrong. Those who are willing to do wrong to advance their own interests are the reason why the criminals persist in doing what they do to such a large extent.
It is profitable to keep boaters on edge and afraid of "what may happen". Boaters need to accept their part in this dance and maybe make different decisions. When you start justifying these payments based on the amounts involved or you begin to accept them as routine you really are making your own bed that you will have to sleep in.
If the boats stop coming, the officials will eventually realize they have gone too far and their cash well is dry. It will be back to rice & beans. Small crimes lead to bigger crimes. Victims have to choose not to be easy victims. If it can't be done within an environment of fairness and honest fees, then that means boats shouldn't come here. If drivers are so scared of the system they eagerly pay a bride, then that means they shouldn't be driving here. The corrupt officials know that doormats are for walking all over and they sure know what what a doormat looks like. Even if you choose the expedient route and pay, that doesn't excuse the extortion and make the practice anymore legitimate or acceptable.
Very true. Boaters have stopped coming for over a decade now. Some do, but look at the amount of open slips at any marina and that tells the story. Unfortunately this has not changed anything with regards to the corruption and deception that goes on when checking in via the ocean.
This raises a other question to the boaters looking to enjoy the many wonders of the DR or in my case as well as several boaties in Luperon, Samana, and PC which is, " what do we do when we come home"? Yes, there are several of us that call DR home, and we have to deal with the bribes and corruption every time we sail home after a circumnavigation, and we still face these same risks I pointed out earlier every single time.
I've yet to get an answer to my question raised to those who hold their principals in such high regard as to how much are you willing to risk to not have to stoop to the level of paying a little propina? Getting a ticket for standing your ground is one thing, but what if it was your home? Would any of you on this thread placing your principals in high regard risk your homes or several thousand dollars in order not to pay 1,000 pesos in propina to squash the issue completely? This is exactly the decision boaters make every single time they check in and out of the DR. Quite a difference from a ticket, or even when getting scammed for an accident I think.
Some DR home owners pay security companies to watch over their homes, or hire someone to live in and keep an eye on things so that they don't come home to an empty home. Boaters pay the port officials to watch over their boat when they are tied up to a dock and not aboard. Of course security is included at the Marina's, but this "Propina" is necessary to insure your electronics is still aboard when you return the same way that security is paid inside of the gated communities.
It's hard to describe what we boaters go through to be able to live this lifestyle. As with everything in life, there is a price to pay and ours unfortunately has greater risks with regards to bribes than do those living a normal life ashore. The biggest difference is the huge investment we have into our portable floating homes which are much more at risk than is a persons home which puts a completely different spin on ones principals regarding bribery and "propina" and to compare our situation to someone living ashore dealing with bribery and corruption is like comparing a banana to a pair of pliers.
I have been stopped before and have never offered a bribe. The government should offer a decent living wage. I do agree with that. The willingness to pay a bribe is on the individual. Whosoever wants to do that has a choice to do so or not to, but I choose not to. My point is a simple one. When does the bribing stop? A few pesos or a million dollars. It's so ridiculously ingrained in the culture. I know of government workers who are fearful that bribes will be offered to them and by them saying no, are fearful that they would be labeled the bad guy or the troublemaker. Again, to each his own. I choose not to.
