US Ambassador Hans Hertell took aim at President Hipolito Mejia in his speech yesterday at the luncheon of the American Chamber of Commerce. Hertell addressed matters such as democracy as conceived by Dominican founding father Duarte, the use of power for reasons other than the wellbeing of the public, the importance of Dominican institutions and the generalized acceptance of corruption by Dominicans.
Ambassador Hertell, since his arrival in the country, has been very close to President Mejia and a strong supporter. This time around, however, he chose to title his discourse “What friends tell friends in difficult times.”
In his opening remarks, Hertell stressed the words of forefather Juan Pablo Duarte, who said that government in the Dominican Republic should be elected by the people, not imposed, and should in essence defend the wellbeing of the nation.
From there, Hertell, of Puerto Rican origin, went on to mention fraud and corruption as having contributed directly to what he described as the current disorder in the nation’s finances. “Corruption occurs when too many people are willing to look the other way. Because too many people consider corruption and a peddling of influence to be inevitable… ” He said the US government rejects that view, and cited as an example that for nearly 30 years now it has been a crime under US law to pay bribes to facilitate business abroad. “Our (US) president further stressed our objection to dishonest dealings last month when he directed that no visas be granted to any foreign official or former official known to have engaged in corrupt practices,” he told his audience at the American Chamber of Commerce in Santo Domingo. The US Consulate recently confirmed that the personal visa of President Mejia’s legal advisor, Guido Gomez Mazara, has been permanently cancelled and that Gomez will not be allowed to travel to US territory upon leaving his post as a government official. While his personal visa was revoked, Gomez has retained his visa as a government official.
Hertell feels Dominicans need a change in attitude. “…unless you deal with corruption and manipulation, the Dominican Republic will not achieve its potential for sustainable growth. Quite the opposite; you will inevitably face other equally serious crises sometime in the future,” he stated.
The ambassador went on to highlight how the US has been a friend to the DR, facilitating new emergency loans in coordination with the IMF, the World Bank and the Interamerican Development Bank. He said the US is optimistic that the DR can achieve an economic recovery, as it has overcome other economic difficulties in the past.
Hertell directly addressed statements recently made by President Mejia, saying he was doing so as a friend. “…institutions of a country should be constituted to serve the people honestly, rather than simply to rule them. It is not true that ‘power is there to be used,’ nor is it acceptable to contend that political change is to be achieved ‘por las buenas o por las malas’,” said Hertell in reference to Mejia’s statement that political change was valid whether effected through good or evil means.
He continued to blast corruption in office by saying that when government workers take a bribe, they rob society as a whole, not only of the money that changes hands, but of the dignity of public service, the honest conduct of public business and of sustainable economic growth.”
Hertell expressed his admiration for the Dominican people, “for their patience and endurance,” and assured, “The difficulties you now face can be solved. As this process goes forward, Dominicans must maintain their vision of a better future.” To read the entire speech, see http://dr1.com/news/2004/Amcham_Speech.doc