Of all the problems that exist here in the DR the only variable that seems to have increased over the years is that of crime. Be it in the form of drug sales, distribution, use, arm sales, distribution, use, murders, robberies, corruption or any other type of crime they are all on the rise.
As Rocky said, “It's not an easy job to run a country”, and the powers that are use those methods that have been used over the years to combat that which they perceive to be a menace to them, society or as an action to accomplish a mission. Take land eviction as an example. There are times when the government decides to evict on what they consider legal reasons and they proceed to act. Their form of action my appear to be unorthodox but looking at history it is done now as it was done in the
past with the same results.
This use by the president of the military and police is only natural as they are the enforcement portions of the government and he is the commander in chief of both entities. As such he must depend on the people that he has placed in charge and those below that level. For obvious reasons he can not go out there personally and administer police action. At times he sees that the desired results that he wishes are not being achieved and he therefore changes the leaders but due to the make up of the personnel at his disposal it usually ends up being a change from the bad to the bad or the bad to worse. This is something that I don’t place blame on LF due to the fact that he can only work with what is made available to him and what is suggested to him by his cabinet. I doubt very seriously that the methods being used are his idea but rather those of his advisers. Regardless of the fact that LF is well educated, speaks a few languages and is all around a nice guy he does not have the capacity to know firsthand what methods are needed to address all the woes of this country.
Due to the mindset, culture and disposition of some of the Dominican populace and from my observations through the years I have decided that the political arena here is virtually a crap-shoot. Some things change but most stay the way they have always been and the only thing you can hope for is that the lives of the average Dominican are improved or at least they don’t get worse then they were before.
Regardless as to what the OP has stated in other posts concerning the opinions of “most” Dominicans in this country my observations and conversations with the local populace and the conversations of other board members with the local populace as posted on this board along with the personal thoughts by other board members and the reports in the media all indicate that the present actions initiated by the president are lowering crime. The published fact that the populace feel better and safer at night is a testament to their wellbeing and shouldn’t be overlooked.
It is my opinion that LF has no intension of turning the DR into a totalitarianism state. As the wise Lambada said, “there is a big difference between police heavy-handedness and totalitarianism”, and heavy-handedness is what you are witnessing.
If the end result of this “heavy-handedness” is a eradication or the lowering of drugs and their use here and if crime is lowered then the populace are the beneficiaries of said action and an indication that the end justifies the means.
Rick
Rocky thank you for your post #9. I know you weren’t speaking for me but your assumptions were correct. When I did have the opportunity to reply my post was edited by the moderator so I wasn’t afforded the opportunity to set the record straight. Once again thank you.
