Hoy newspaper leads with a warning from within the PRD ranks that the 2004 budget is in danger of becoming the subject of internal party wrangles. This would be at the expense of the country’s social and macro-economic development, said the Senate’s budget committee president, Manuel Emilio Ramirez Perez, and the PRD Senator for San Cristobal, Anibal Garcia Duverge. Alfredo Pacheco, president of the Chamber of Deputies, had earlier said that legislators would not yield to pressures to endorse the budget, and that the allocation to Congress fell short of expectations. Senator Ramon Alburquerque (also a former Presidential pre-candidate) exhorted legislators to study the proposal closely and introduce amendments if necessary, with the good of the nation at heart. These pronouncements led Ramirez Perez and Garcia Duverge to plead with their colleagues that the budget should not become a political football: “We are aware that the economic situation is difficult and we cannot blame the government solely, because (the crisis) has external and internal causes, especially from the private sector and specifically to do with the collapse of several banks,” said Ramirez Perez, going on to point out that the approval of the budget was essential for the IMF agreement to go through. “It would be irresponsible if we were to become the obstacle to the budget’s approval because we were serving the interests of our own party.” For his part, Garcia Duverge urged his fellow senators “not to make a song and dance” on an issue of such importance to the country’s future and the government’s social programs. The Listin Diario’s main editorial today is stern in its criticism of politicians, who it says are already privileged enough. The writer says they should understand the need for budget cuts in a country where most people are too poor to afford the most basic items and services. This budgetary moderation is a pre-requisite for the success of the IMF agreement, which will result in a much-needed injection of capital into the Dominican economy. Any delay in the legislative process will only prolong the agony of the poorest members of society: “Anyone who contributes to extending this suffering does not deserve to be considered a public representative in the National Congress. It is as simple as that!”