2001 – Page 130

President Hipolito Mejia has created a commission to investigate recent police excesses against civilians. The commission is headed by the Minister of the Armed Forces and includes the chief of Police, the Minister of the Interior and Police and the director of the National Investigations Department (DNI). The commission will investigate who is responsible for …

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Tirso Mejia Ricart, executive director of the National Council for the Reform and Modernization of the State (CONARE), told El Caribe that the government hustlers, known as buscones, will disappear when the automating program of the government is resumed. “The buscones exist to the same extent that bureaucratic inefficiency exists, and as long as there …

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Senator Bautista Rojas Gomez (PLD-Salcedo) has warned that the present policy of taking out new international loans is a “very dangerous” turn. He said that at this pace foreign debt payments would be 25% of the total National Budget by the end of this year. Rojas Gomez said he overheard Technical Secretary of the Presidency …

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Ramon Alburquerque (PRD-Monte Plata) who aspires to be re-elected and Senator Andres Bautista Garcia (PRD-Espaillat) are the leading contenders for the presidency of the Senate. Jose Rafael Abinader, who competed with Alburquerque for the post last year, is supporting Senator Bautista. The election will be held 16 August. Alburquerque has had three years in the …

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The National Association of Young Businessmen (ANJE) has asked the Central Bank to release the first trimester economic performance figures as soon as possible. “There is no reason for the delay of the monetary authorities in offering the economic statistics for the first trimester,” said Jochi Vicente, president of ANJE. 

Cenantillas, the economic think tank of the Pontificia Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra, predicted that those buying US dollars will have to pay RD$18.22 at year end. The official buying rate at the moment is RD$16.66 to the US$.  Cenantillas also forecasts a year-end growth rate of 4.2%. The decline from last year’s 7.8% is …

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The executive director of the Asociacion de Industrias Farmaceuticas Dominicanas (INFADOMI), which represents Dominican pharmaceutical manufacturers, has accused the state pharmaceutical branch Promese of distributing medicines that do not meet minimum standards. During a press conference, Ho Chi Vega, executive director of INFADOMI, presented samples of the medicines in question.  The organization criticizes Promese for …

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Political divisions within the Dominican Association of Professors have prevented the teachers union from responding to a recent letter from President Hipolito Mejia. In the letter, the President says that given government finances, a wage review for teachers could not be considered until next year.  President of the ADP Olimpia Gonzalez and acting president Sigfredo …

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