Jacinto Peynado, presidential candidate for the Partido Revolucionario Social Cristiano, has presented to the party’s leader, President Joaquín Balaguer, a proposed plan which, if the PRSC is returned to government would focus the state’s resources on education, reducing extreme poverty and sustained economic growth. Jacinto Peynado said the plan is “our vision for the future of the nation and requires the commitment of all citizens so that we may make it a reality that will bring us to the new millennium based on fundamental objectives”. Mr Peynado feels that his plan is possible, but will require a leadership that both understands and is accustomed to making decisions.
Priority areas in the plan are education, health and the environment. He also focuses on creating new jobs, providing housing opportunities and sustained economic growth.
In his plan, Jacinto Peynado would create a Ministry for Women and another for the Environment. He also proposes to create a Ministry for Social Welfare under which he would group all government programs that would benefit the country’s indigent people. He also says he would split the Ministry of Public Works into two-one dedicated to construction and another to urban development.
He would pass most of the shares of both the Consejo Estatal del Azúcar and the Corporación Dominicana Electricidad, two loss making nationalized concerns, to the private sector. He says all state enterprises should be self-sufficient.
Furthermore, Mr Peynado said he would allocate 50% of the estimated RD$30,000 million budget for 1997 to health, education, the environment and housing for the impoverished sectors.
He proposes to intensify the national efforts to combat drug trafficking and would increase the budgets of the National Department of Drug Controls and the National Drug Council that are responsible for prevention.