Andres Mateo writes in Hoy today that the Odebrecht scandal has brought a new spirit prevailing in the Dominican Republic that works against those who felt secure in their niches of power, well covered by the blanket of impunity.
Mateo writes that the public has discovered its power and are obliging the Dominican political bestiary to act. “Nothing of what is now happening in the country is due to the political bestiary of the traditional parties. On the contrary, what can best explain the present crisis is the questioning of the whole political system,” he points out.
He explains that the two majority parties are wobbling on the tight rope. “The country has to change its traditional political structures that are sclerotized, corrupt, and without any true vocation for the common good. “The palace of jade was cleaned of dust.” That is what this is about, that the popular mobilizations, the indignation, the disgust of seeing a corrupt and cynical ‘leadership’ administering the destiny of all have pushed the country to the largest and most significant protest of the last half century of republican history,” he observes.
Referring to the Green March protest movement, Mateo states: “Without the sea of green at all these protests, there would have been no justice served for those ensnared by the Odebrecht case. We must all continue to protest so that “The palace of jade is cleaned of dust”.
Mateo stresses, nevertheless, that Odebrecht bribery scandal is not the only one. He writes: “Odebrecht is not the only case of hyper-corruption in the country, perhaps a government has not had so many cases of hyper-corruption at the same time.”
He goes on to mention those of the Tucanos aircraft, the State Sugar Council (CEA), INAPA, the renovation of the Daríos Contreras Hospital, the case of Diandino Peña, the scanners of the Central Electoral Board (JCE), OISOE, the sale of an entire barrio to Titulatec, among others.
“We are living the refreshing effluvium of self-recognition of the power of the masses. And as a result, the traditional political system staggers. The ruling PLD party corruption has reached unimaginable levels, and the falsification that has been made of what a politician must represent must be repudiated.
Mateo brings to the limelight the comment of the president of the Senate Reinaldo Pared Pérez told reporters on why he did not appear on the accusatory file of those bribed by Odebrecht “because I crossed the mud and I did not get soiled.” And one thinks that the cynicism of Dominican politicians makes us jump from fright, because he is the one who presided over that mire, the same one who signed 60 contracts with Odebrecht (and does not even appear in the investigations of the examining magistrate), the “Marquis of Barrilito “, the” Czar of arrogance”, who after making the statement looked at one of his watches from his Rolex collection, and mounted his Rolls-Royce, to go and rest in his villa in Los Mogotes.”
Read more in Spanish:
Hoy
2 June 2017
