2004 – Page 293

Emam-Zade, for his part, continues his wonderfully sardonic analysis of the same problem, from a very different point of view. Emam-Zade starts with a story from China at the beginning of the last century. He quotes Chinese political scientist Lee Zhong Wu and his Theory of the Hard Black. Wu said that “when one hides …

Read more…

Saturday’s El Caribe brought the news that gasoline and diesel fuels were going through the roof. Premium gasoline was pegged at RD$81.70 pesos a gallon, regular at RD$73.29 a gallon and diesel will sell for RD$55.75 a gallon. Industry & Commerce Minister Sonia Guzman de Hernandez said that the rise in the exchange rate was …

Read more…

Edwin Ruiz, the economic reporter for the Listin Diario, shows how the 2003 budget was used by the government in Sunday’s edition. Writing with his tongue firmly planted in cheek, Ruiz says that the 2003 financial plan suffered strong “intestinal movements” that took resources from one place and added them to others. There was a …

Read more…

Three virtual political unknowns have signed up as candidates to run against Hipolito Mejia. The candidacies are needed in order to make legitimate the PRD primary called by the PPH faction of the PRD for 18 January. Other leading PRD pre candidates have said they will not run against President Hipolito Mejia in a primary, …

Read more…

Former President Leonel Fernandez said yesterday in a televised speech to the nation that the Ley de Lemas seeks to generate a state of national confusion that would affect the May 2004 election. He said the Ley de Lemas was dismantled in Uruguay after it caused major problems of governance, legitimacy and voter turnout. Fernandez …

Read more…

PRSC vice-president and senator for the PRSC Jose Hazim Frappier said that legislators want to unite the presidential and legislative elections so they can extend their terms in Congress. Last week, PRD party president Hatuey De Camps said that the legislators want to exchange extending their terms two more years for passing the Ley de …

Read more…

According to Hoy, the Executive Commission of the PRSC has instructed its legislators not to participate in any chambers where the proposed Law of Lemas might be discussed. The PRSC told the press that it considers the new proposal to be an unnatural process for the 16 May elections. Only 14 of the 35 PRSC …

Read more…

Two insurance companies in New York have warned the Dominican government that if before Wednesday, 14 January, the government does not pay the US$31-million debt that the CDEEE has with the Cogentrix generation plant in San Pedro de Macoris, they will invoke the loan guarantee with the Interamerican Development Bank (IDB), which amounts to US$300 …

Read more…

The national Free Trade Zones council has issued permits for ten more companies to set up factories in the Dominican Republic. Jeanette Dominguez, director of the FTZ council, said yesterday that the new companies would be operating in Santiago, San Pedro de Macoris, Nigua and Bani, among others, and would generate an estimated 3,000 new …

Read more…

In contrast to the Dominican rum producers, as reported in last week’s DR1 news, the country’s beer manufacturers have welcomed the new tax law as part of the 2004 budget in which alcoholic drinks are taxed according to alcoholic grade. This new system favors the beer sector because it will lead to a reduction in …

Read more…