Economist Pedro Silverio goes after a statement made by President Mejia that indicated the PRD, or at least his part of it, would wait to see which tax reforms the PLD party submitted to Congress before taking any action. The reform proposals have been agreed to by the IMF and are part and parcel of the Standby Agreement. Silverio admits that this move was expected if the voting went against the ruling PRD. For the lead economist of the Centro Economico de las Antillas (CENANTILLAS), part of the PUCMM, Silverio feels the situation will create a series of stumbling blocks for the peaceful transition of power, with the ultimate price to be paid by all Dominicans in view of a new rupture of the IMF program. The young economist does not mince words. He says that if this myopic policy of eschewing the Standby Agreement is carried out, the PRD will have committed the same mistake that led to their electoral disaster on 16 May. The country has given signs of political maturity, says Silverio, and the political leaders must recognize that such cheap revenge will only backfire against them. The only reason to justify a break with the IMF would be to avoid the discipline needed in public policy decisions taken during the transition period, which has traditionally been a time of looting the public coffers. The economist criticizes this tendency, especially at a time when strict discipline is needed to restore confidence in public institutions, such as the Central Bank. Over the next four weeks the Central Bank must either place or renew RD$50 billion in certificates, a feat that will not be possible if economic policy is not handled with the sobriety and responsibility required. The last thing needed at this time is for depositors to convert their pesos into dollars, but the proper signals must come from government leaders, including President Mejia. An unequivocal sign of this would be to renew the IMF Agreement policies as fast as possible. Silverio reminds us all that politicians always talk about the greater good of the country above personal or party interests. Now would be a good time to put that into action.