President Leonel Fernández gave a 36-minute speech last night in the presence of his government collaborators at the National Palace. From being praised for the economic bonanza of the DR, the government has been under major criticism as the time for the new government to move in comes nearer. The high petroleum bill of the nation, in addition to the fact that sectors involved in the power service have gotten out of hand, resulting in long power outages have made President Fernández’s last days difficult and given a negative tint to his administration’s achievements, seemingly putting him on the defensive. In his talk to the nation, President Fernández did not address the power crisis. Instead, he highlighted the contributions of his administration to the modernization of the country, and major advances made in the areas of education, nutrition, transport, the strong economy, contributions to the creating of an efficient and organized government and the improved standard of living of Dominicans. He also defended his collaborators, emphasizing that during his government there has not been a single scandal of theft of public funds. He said that he governed with tolerance and was always open to dialogue, despite enduring 400 strikes and protests. He also launched a legal challenge to the new government to advance on the Narciso González murder case, as his government had on the Orlando Martínez murder case. Complete text in Spanish, http://www.presidencia.gov.do/dis14agosto2000.htm
