2003News

Dominicans are against bribery

In a front-page story in the Diario Libre, results from a Rumbo-Gallup poll show that nearly the entire population (92%) of the Dominican Republic frown on public offenses, such as throwing garbage out moving vehicles, running red lights, accepting bribes or trying to trick the taxman. The poll reveals that 99% of the population feels that running a red light is bad; 99.4% renounce throwing garbage on the ground when no receptacle is nearby; and 96% are against the practice of building without permission in an area regulated by the city government expecting to get away with it by giving something to the official inspector. Only 5.8% condone low-paid public servants accepting commissions for favors, while 95% reject low-salaried public employees falsifying their expense accounts to cover personal expenses.