Writing in today’s Diario Libre, Tuesday 13 August, newspaper editor Ines Aizpun focuses on the high cost of Dominican politicians. “It is not what they charge or what they spend or waste. It is that they directly interfere in the economy, distorting it and affecting everyone,” she writes. “Think about how the legislators promote the import of used clothing that competes directly with stores that pay their taxes. The legislators thus distort the market for the benefit of a minority. Or if you are interested in the media then you have to compete with politicians (who have much more money) who buy channels and manipulate the distribution of frequencies. And remember the ministers of agriculture who made deals with the importing of food products, and the ministers of tourism with hotel projects, and the public works ministers with private interests in construction.
“It is this sudden and unbridled enrichment of the political class and their impunity when they go head to head with business that is one of the obstacles to development,” she writes. She makes the point that it is not only the PLD, but it is obvious that the PLD is the party that has recently benefited the most.
She wonders out loud if there will be politicians who decide to end with corruption, which she describes as “the cancer that has our hands tied.”
The ruling party is holding its national congress. El Caribe reported yesterday, Monday 12 August that the ruling party recognizes that some officials in the Fernandez administration caused displeasure in the business sector because they gave the impression that they were competing against them with the advantages of having control of government.
Yesterday, Monday 12 August, the first hall of the Penal Court of the National District filed an appeal in the corruption case against former President Leonel Fernandez filed by former district attorney Guillermo Moreno. Moreno is accusing the former President of misuse of government funds and asset laundering through his Funglode foundation.
www.diariolibre.com/noticias_det.php?id=397542&l=1
www.elcaribe.com.do/2013/08/12/pld-funcionarios-parecian-competir-con-empresarios