2009 – Page 147

Political analyst Rosario Espinal says that President Leonel Fernandez has not enforced any decisive measures against corruption. “A constant of President Fernandez’s government has been to not to want to tackle or confront special interests either of the board of the PLD or of the country’s powerful economic or social sectors,” she said, during an …

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The Herrera Industries Association (AEIH) and the Federation of Industrial Associations (FAI) support the transparency pact with the private sector proposed by President Leonel Fernandez during last week’s meeting with the press. However, they stress that they are not questioning the lack of laws and mechanisms for fighting corruption in government and for stimulating transparency …

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Writing in Saturday’s Hoy newspaper, Manuel A. Brugal comments on the way that the PLD administration has been very successful in implementing measures to reduce tax evasion to new record lows, especially at the Department of Taxes (DGII) and the Department of Customs (DGA). He praises these efforts on the grounds that by making tax …

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Car dealers association ACOFAVE says that sales of new cars have fallen by 59% so far this year compared to 2008. Enrique Fernandez, executive director of Acofave, forecasts that new car sales will only total 12,575 units in 2009, while in 2003, previously the worst year to date for car sales, 12,941 new vehicles were …

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The bi-national market, which takes place every Monday at the Dominican-Haitian border in Dajabon, will be closed today, after the fatal shooting of a Dominican man by a Haitian national. El Caribe reports that Haitians are protesting through the legal mechanisms in their country, while UN MINUSTAH guards have been patrolling the area near the …

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The Dominican Republic girls’ volleyball team has won the silver medal in the FIVB Women’s Junior World Championship, after losing to Germany in the final. Germany won a 28-26, 26-24, 25-16 victory over the Dominican Republic on Saturday night at Auditorio del Estado in Mexicali. Brazil took home the bronze medal. “It was not easy …

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President Leonel Fernandez and government officials yesterday provided explanations about the large bureaucracy and multiple laws that are already in effect to fight government corruption. President Leonel Fernandez convened with media directors at the Presidential Palace yesterday and argued that government employees are neither protected nor privileged. He acknowledged that the public is irritated after …

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The Constitutional Revisory Assembly has approved a proposal in a first reading to reduce the number of Chamber of Accounts members from nine to five. The current Chamber will stay the same, as the new constitution is not due to come into effect until 16 August 2010. The Chamber of Accounts is the government department …

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Ministry of Agriculture reports a bumper plantain harvest this year. This means that with more than 499 million units hitting the market this year, and another 150 million this summer, plantains should go down in price. The Ministry says prices should be around RD$2 to RD$5 the unit on markets. The Ministry is also predicting …

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Business representatives meeting yesterday have called for the government to take action to resolve the electricity problems. “We have spent over 10 years seeing how the CDEEE is being handled by contractors, when in reality it needs a manager. Contractors can be really good at building substations, lifting electric posts. The problem is about management, …

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