In an interview with El Dia newspaper yesterday, Monday 22 February 2016, Raquel Arbaje stated that if her husband Luis Abinader were elected President she would adopt a different approach to the role of First Lady compared to predecessors Candida Montilla de Medina and Margarita Cedeno de Fernandez. The First Lady’s Office currently handles a RD$675 million budget.
Both Montilla and Cedeno have managed social programs with larger budgets than the government departments whose official role is to implement the work taken on by the First Lady. She said that if her husband were elected she would not compete for funds with government departments and would redistribute them to the non-governmental agencies that are implementing excellent programs in the same areas.
In its Tuesday 23 February 2016 issue, MetroRD says that Arbaje’s statements are nothing new. Abinader has already said that the funds would be reallocated to the health and education sectors and to make public spending more efficient. He pointed out that while the Medina administration spends RD$4 million a day, the Ministry of Women has a budget of RD$1.6 million.
Anti-Corruption Alliance (ADOCCO) coordinator Julio Cesar de la Rosa Tiburcio told Metro that the point is to eliminate the functions taken on by the First Lady that are not part of the role. He said the current political culture has evolved to the point where the First Lady’s Office receives more funds than other government departments. In his opinion, the role of the First Lady should be to serve as liaison between ministries and the public.
http://www.metrord.do/noticias/el-despacho-de-la-primera-dama-ayuda-o-distorsion/ftwpbw—zXQrmqtZcXUU/
