The Dominican Academy of History has called on the
authorities to avoid politics in choosing new names for streets and other public
places, says the List?n Diario. The academy has offered its services to help
municipalities and Congress in their evaluation and selection process of
appropriate names. They recommend allowing a ?sensible? period of time following
the death of a political figure, despite the law which gives the authorities
discretion in naming places after people who have died in the last ten years.
The academy referred in particular to streets and public installations named
after the three leading figures of the main political parties who have died in
the last few years, namely Jos? Francisco Pe?a G?mez (PRD), Juan Bosch (PLD) and
Joaqu?n Balaguer (PRSC). These decisions should be based on a public
consultation process, said the academy in a letter obtained by the List?n Diario
newspaper.