Bernardo Vega is known as a man with a brilliant mind. The many roles he has undertaken are impressive. The 87-year old former Central Bank governor has also been the Dominican ambassador to the United States and the director of the Dominican Museum. He is the author or editor of hundreds of books unfolding chapters of Dominican culture and historical themes. He also did a stint in investigative journalism, losing millions in legal fees for denouncing the truth and to fund the high cost of good journalism. He also championed political and economic polling in the country for many years.
Published in the 12 March edition of Diario Libre, the newspaper’s former executive editor Ines Aizpun interviewed the economist and historian on key subjects that provide insights regarding global affairs, Vega’s past work, and what more he will leave as his legacy.
In the interview, he addresses the Trump administration’s first acts and how the President and US institutions are responding. He looks into Europe’s role at the moment and events regarding the Panama Canal and Greenland.
He speaks to bank interests in the media and dealing with conflicts of interest. And he mentions his love of archaeology he inherited from his uncle Emile de Boyrie, regarded as the country’s first archaeologist.
He says that Haiti is the country’s biggest problem. He suggests contracting mercenaries would be the best way to resolve the security situation in Haiti. “I think the government has handled the situation well, but at times, it uses the Haitian issue for internal electoral purposes. As for the canal [Masacre conflict]… it hasn’t distributed any water yet! There’s no agricultural sector in Haiti benefiting from it! I’ve said publicly and the government has heard me, but they can’t act: the solution for Haiti is paid soldiers—mercenaries.”
After the burden Haiti means for the DR, he says the next biggest problem is the public budget. He highlights politicians refuse to reduce the spending. He puts it frankly: “There is a 30% excess in public spending. That’s a lot. With that, investments could reach 39-40%. Then there’s the debt. If you have to dedicate 25% of your revenues just to paying interest, and interest is growing, at some point—nobody knows when—it will make it very difficult to secure financing.
“It’s fragile. The public sector is too large, and the re-statization of the economy is a problem. The state owns the oil refinery, the largest power plant, the three electricity distributors, the largest bank in the country, hotels in Pedernales, and the port and airport of Cabo Rojo. The state is becoming a business owner rather than a government that can invest in public works.”
He says he is spending his time reading and writing on historical topics. He is proud of publishing about 70 books, either as an author or editor.
Read the full interview:
Diario Libre
13 March 2025