Niky Fabiancic, representative of the United Nations in the Dominican Republic, joined the crowd of voices opposing the legislators desire to fast-track certain proposed changes to the Dominican Republic?s environmental law that would allow the construction of hotels and mining projects on protected-status lands. As reported in El Caribe, Fabiancic called the Senate?s approval of the bill and the Chamber of Deputies? endorsement of its first reading ?untimely.?
Fabiancic highlighted that the bill would particularly jeopardize the application made by the Dominican government to have the National Park of the East included on UNESCO?s World Heritage List. Fabiancic told El Caribe that the legislators have not been adequately informed on the reach of the bill they are about to approve.
President Hipolito Mejia said on yesterday?s ?Uno + Uno? TV program that he must decide between development and protecting iguanas and butterflies. Former President Leonel Fernandez on today?s show explained that the bill seeks to legalize the sales and decrees already issued by Mejia that cede national park lands to third parties.
In a session in the Chamber of Deputies yesterday, legislators accepted to postpone passing it in a second reading and accepted to receive written proposals from opponents on Monday.
El Caribe reports that PRD Deputy Christian Paredes said it is unlikely the bill would be approved as received from the Senate. ?This is perhaps the bill with the greatest number of interests involved in the country. Not even when debating the social security bill did we receive so much pressure from different sectors. If there is money on the table for the bill to be approved, there is also money for the bill to be denied,? he told El Caribe.
Christian Paredes, nevertheless, told El Caribe that the deputies still plan to hold the second reading of the bill on Tuesday, 11 May, despite this being only five days before according to most polls, Dominicans could well vote for a different administration. Paredes said that the commission would study proposals made by the various sectors of society on Monday, prior to making their final decision on the bill changes.