On the eve of his departure for Bolivia, President Hipolito Mejia told an extended government council meeting that the business sector needs to make more sacrifices to confront the current economic crisis, and that the government had already complied with the International Monetary Fund’s demands to curb public spending. The business sector’s main duty, according to the President, is to fulfill their fiscal obligations. In speaking of the contentious 5% tax on exports, the President said that parts of the private sector had profited from the peso’s devaluation and the impoverishment of the Dominican people, and that the tax represented a way for them to provide “compensation”. Mejia said that while the IMF agreement would mean sacrifices for all Dominicans, he affirmed he was doing all he could to ensure that the poorest are not made to pay the highest price. He claimed that the government had done its bit by complying with the demands to control public spending, and that the business sector’s contribution would be through taxation. “We all have to play a part in order to restore stability and growth, without the sacrifice affecting the poorest; they are not the ones who created this crisis.” In relation to the effects of the crisis, the President said that he was as unhappy with the situation as everyone else. “I am displeased with those who don’t contribute enough to bring this crisis to an end. I am displeased with speculation and the soaring prices of basic consumer items. I am displeased with the lack of faith of some opinion-makers, who, instead of promoting hope, predict a collapse of the Dominican nation.” The President ended his address by comparing his style of government to a tractor, as opposed to an elegant car. “To drag the earth from under the wheels and remove the obstacles, we must have the strength and perseverance of a tractor. I have this strength and perseverance and no rock or other obstacle will succeed in stopping our progress towards a better life for all the inhabitants of this land,” he said. Diario Libre’s “El espia” sidebar reveals that the President’s speech was punctuated by applause from most of his audience, with the notable exception of Mejia’s Vice-President and pre-Presidential rival, Milagros Ortiz Bosch. She did, however, join her colleagues for a round of applause at the close of his address.