Often controversial young politician Guido Gomez Mazara is the talk of the day as he says he has the green light from President Mejia to take to court anyone who defames him, government officers or the President. Gomez Mazara is one of the leading supporters of the re-election of President Hipolito Mejia. On Monday, Gomez Mazara said he would take legal action against radio commentator Julio Martinez Pozo of the El Gobierno de la Ma–ana morning radio talk show, for his on-air comments regarding a government officer of the Presidential Palace who ordered an armored SUV, at a cost of US$150,000, and cleared it through customs without paying taxes. Martinez has not revealed his sources, despite receiving an unprecedented call from President Hipolito Mejia himself on Monday, which was also broadcast live, in which the President demanded that Martinez reveal the name of the individual. The Dominican College of Journalists (CDP) announced it would defend Martinez. Gomez Mazara denied that his intention is to silence the media. "In the name of freedom of the press you cannot commit excesses," he said. "The President advised me not to accept that any government officer be defamed by anyone," Gomez is quoted in Hoy newspaper as saying. "Anyone who making defamatory statements [against the government or its officers] will be taken to justice," he warns. Gomez Mazara also told the press that the government would take legal proceedings against politicians, specifically mentioning the case of "a politician with a radio and TV program who was once an officer in a PRD government". This is thought to be a subtle reference to Tele Radio America’s "Los hechos y su historia" producer, Rafael Flores Estrella, who was administrative secretary of the Presidency during the government of Salvador Jorge Blanco. Hoy newspaper traces Gomez Mazara’s statement to a commentary Flores Estrella made on his program regarding Gomez’s supposed involvement with the purchase of a hotel in Cuba. Gomez flatly denies having traveled to Cuba to purchase any such hotel. Flores Estrella responded that if he is attacked, the government should be similarly prepared for his counterattack. He said that the government wants to eradicate opposing voices, "as the others it has bought." Flores described his program as a voice against presidential re-election and the errors of the government. President Mejia is perhaps the most open and outspoken of all Dominican Presidents, and generally, freedom of press has been amply tolerated in the Dominican Republic. In fact, the Dominican press publishes daily leads on possible corruption cases in government. Meanwhile, at the same time that the government challenges Martinez Pozo’s statement, there is little information from the government on where the multisport installations, to be financed with a US$61-million loan from a US commercial bank, will be located. El Caribe newspaper is questioning the irregularities in obtaining the loan, especially since Sports Minister Cedeño admits that no one from his department has so much as visited the premises of the company bestowed with the billion-peso contract. The government has not taken action against El Caribe, nor its sister TV and radio media operation, CDN, for defamation regarding this case, but neither has any documentation that would clarify the project been forthcoming.