President Luis Abinader won the Presidency promising change. That meant strengthening Dominican institutions and adhering to the law, and doing things differently after 20 years of the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) that many times acted as if the government was a family business for party leaders.
People have applauded many appointments. Yet investigative journalist Nuria Piera is dusting off information she has handled in the past on some that are being questioned. She brings up the background of Cesar Cedeño, a former Sports Minister during the Hipólito Mejía administration, now named director of the Government Assets Agency (Bienes Nacionales). She reports on irregularities in his past jobs in government and how he personally benefited from his term in government. At the Sports Ministry, Cedeño handled the much-criticized multi-use sports pavilion program with US Eximbank backing.
Another criticized appointment is that of Rafael Ernesto Arias Martínez to direct the National Institute of Transit and Ground Transport (Intrant). Arias is a former finance vice president of Conatra, a major transport association known for violations of traffic laws. Despite the conflict of interest with his former job at Conatra, Arias is now entrusted with regulating the sector. His boss at Conatra, Antonio Marte, is the new senator for the province of Santiago Rodriguez.
Nuria Piera reports that Carlos Bonilla Sánchez was named to direct the National Housing Institute (INVI). The Abinader administration has announced it will stimulate the economy with a major house-building effort. Piera recalls that a 400-apartment project developed by Bonilla in Santo Domingo West met with major criticism from buyers due to construction defects and the construction’s poor quality.
The most recent Wellington Arnaud appointment to the National Potable Water and Sewage Institute (INAPA) has met the most opposition. The PRM majority Chamber of Deputies fast-tracked a bill to change the INAPA law so that Arnaud, a lawyer, could be legally named to the position. The law requires an engineer be named to the position.
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N Digital
31 August 2020