That's because most of us expats don't see what many Dominicans see. Danilo's government is as corrupt as Leonel's government was, with one distinction: Leonel's government stole organized, the guys on the top got rich, the lower level officials didn't dare to not implement and follow procedures, guaranteeing governability. Now with Danilo, that put politicos on key positions instead of professionals, stealing is everywhere (again). Lower officials in customs, in education (it's easier to steal in from the educational budget than from a metro budget.). I have plenty examples of mid and big sized companies complaining how they are being blackmailed at customs or dgii by lower level officials, just to get their right (not to evade a tax or duty).
Leonel has one big problem: he has a corrupt close ally and friend who he is still backing. But at least the perceived corruption in daily life was less. Before everybody screams: I don't mean the stealing of x million dollar in this public work or the other, but the corruption in small things was way less under Leonel than it is now under Danilo. Example: you import a container of milk you declare and make a mistake. Customs calls you: you made a mistake and need to pay a 1,000,000 pesos fine. But, they say, let's see if we can work something out, just pay 300,000 and we will handle it. When you decide to prefer to pay the actual fine of 1,000,000 it appears not to be in the system, why? Once in the system it can't be tampered with and the money will go to customs, now guess where the 300,000 would go?
These are practices of the Hipolito era that Leonel's government effectively combatted. But are back in all their glory with Danilo. I'm sure that's not deliberately but it's a fact that most expats don't see, because they don't work, sit on the beach, or in the Colmado and read the translated headlines reporting of how corrupt Leonel and his allies were but don't deal with the things the Dominican entrepeurial class and some other expats deal with.
Until now I preferred not to ventilate this on this forum, but these are things frustrating many people that you don't hear in the press with an agenda.