President Hipolito Mejia said he would veto any bill that proposes to create new provinces. PRD legislators are lobbying for the creation of five more provinces. Newspaper reports indicate the outcome would just be more unproductive government jobs. Mejia speaking on the program “Once a Week” produced on the state television channel, answered questions by Ramon Colombo and Juan Taveras.
President Mejia blasted what he called “a Mafia” that is playing with the exchange rates to the detriment of the Dominican people. He was emphatic in saying that this was the next to last time he would talk about the exchange rate. The Listin Diario reports that the President was visibly bothered by the questions regarding the recent rise in the cost of a dollar. He said that the next time he speaks on the subject it would be to announce strong measures. He hinted that what happened to the Edes (electricity distributors recently re-nationalized) could happen to the entire currency exchange system. The President said that while he supports free enterprise, he is against monopolies, oligopolies or the lack of respect for the majority of the citizens.