In his page two editorial in today’s Diario Libre, Wednesday 8 January, Adriano Miguel Tejada comments on the irony of the DR-Haiti talks. “In Ouanaminthe, two realities emerged: one, that of a country that could, but does not do, and another of one that cannot.”
He explained:
“One, which has all the conditions to guarantee certain conditions of civilized life, but does not act, and the other that not even with international help has been able to move ahead. (Or perhaps it does not want to.)
This introduction leads up to the question that motivates his writing. “If the DR commits to adhere to its immigration law, to its trade and Constitution, as well as other legal standards. Will it be able to do so? Will it want to? Will it have the resources for what is important, and not only for what is superfluous? Will it get tired of doing so in two weeks when the matter is no longer headline material?
“The commitment to organize this country so that we can all live in peace does not end at the border with Haiti. It starts with transport organization, in the schools, in the hospitals, in eliminating impunity at all levels, in ridding ourselves of so many distortions, of the so-called fathers of families, rigged procurement and political favors.
“We hope that this Haitian topic will give us the necessary strength to do what has never been done: organize the country according to the laws that we have published. If that would happen, then Haiti, unintentionally, will have given us the opportunity to carry out our true independence: ridding ourselves of our own vices.”