President Hipolito Mejia gave a scathing reaction to the warnings of the president of the Dominican American Chamber of Commerce, Jorge Ivan Ramirez, who said that the current economic troubles could lead to social unrest. “Look at me – I am shaking!” said Mejia when questioned on the matter by a TV reporter. Ramirez, who is also the president of Codetel, had described the crisis as the most serious the country had ever experienced and said that if the government does not manage the situation “in a more disciplined and equitable manner”, the country’s social order and political legitimacy could break down. President Hipolito Mejia preferred to concentrate on the more optimistic words of exporters’ association (ADOEXPO) representative Samir Rizek, who had pinned the business sector’s hopes on the success of the agreement with the International Monetary Fund. Mejia told reporters that negotiations with the IMF were going well and had never ceased. The IMF suspended its disbursements one month ago when the government made a surprise announcement that it would take over the power distribution companies known as the “Edes”. The President said that his team was busy looking into ways to find the funds needed to comply with the IMF’s terms and stated that “many people understand” that the government has to implement additional measures to raise the resources.