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What's happening in the Dominican Republic
 Goshen College |
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Gleanings from the press about the DR. September 15 Dominican Sammy Sosa is now tied with Mark McGwire at 62 for the all time major leagues baseball home run record in one season.
July 27 Another electric crisis averted: President Leonel Fernandez met with representatives of the CDE (national electric company) and Smith-Enron to arrange a payment of a debt to Smith-Enron by August 5. The country is dependent not only on it's own electrical generating capacity, but also a couple of privately owned generators. The state-owned CDE utility is behind on payments to the tune of US$50 million, but the private producers claim the amount is double that. The largest, Smith-Enron, had threatened to turn off their generators if they were not paid. Miscellaneous economic notes: GDP growth in the DR has been above 6% since 1994. A growth rate of 5% is expected for 1999. The IDSS (Instituto Dominicano de Seguro Social) is a public institution paralleling the U.S. Social Security administration. They insure about 500,000 people, and are currently paying pensions to 40,000, of about US$70/month. They announced that they have many more applications than they have been able to process. (Listín Diario). July 21 The secretary of the PRSC announced yesterday that the party's presidential candidate for the elections in 2000 will be, health allowing, former president Joaquín Balaguer. Balaguer will be 98 in the year 2000. July 20 The Dominican fast food chain "Pollos Victorina" announced it will build a church (Catholic) in San Cristóbal, where it has a chicken processing plant (Listín Diario). July 10 Yikes--legislators have covered themselves in muck: The congress of Deputies has proposed a law which would grant immunity to anyone accused of crimes of corruption since 1978. This measure, which dissenting deputies have said will make the country the laughingstock of Latin America, still has to pass the Senate and the President before becoming law. June 23 In the continuing negotiations over the status of Haitian workers in the DR, the Dominican Republic offered to guarantee the possessions of returned Haitians. Haiti has accused the DR of typically arresting and returning Haitians to Haiti without giving them opportunity of gathering their possesions. Haiti would like sugar cane companys to sign a work contract with cane cutters in Haiti before the workers ever leave Haiti. June 22 Judicial reform, a major wave of it, is sweeping the country, in the form of the traveling Supreme Court Justices. Not so long ago these were political appointees, changing with each administration. But now they are appointed for an indeterminate term. The Justices have been roaming the country holding public hearings at which they examine the qualifications of sitting and prospective judges and prosecutors. This week they were in San Pedro de Macorís. Many people with good preparation were found. But of those who were not, we might mention this exchange with a current inspector for the traffic court who aspires (or aspired) to be a judge in the same institution:
This inspector had previously answered that she drives without a license... (Listín Diario). GC students also spoken with the vice director of prisons a few weeks before. He noted that while more than 80% of prisoners in the Dominican Republic had not yet had a trial in 1996, this number had made a (truly phenomenal) drop to 71% by 1997. June 21 One of the agreements signed in Port-au-Prince by Presidents Fernández and Preval provided for direct postal service between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The two countries, which share the island of Hispaniola, had been exchanging mail through Miami, USA (Listín Diario). June 20 Dominican President Leonel Fernández is visiting his counterpart, Rene Preval, in Haiti. A summit seen by many as historic. Current issues between the countries includes most notably the status of Haitian sugar cane cutters which the DR sugar industry is dependent on. Haiti is preoccupied with internal politics. President Preval has the prerogative to name a prime minister, but the legislature must ratify his choice. A political impasse has left the country with no prime minister for about a year. June 5 Goshen students enter Haiti successfully--the strikers are principally interested in interrupting commerce. June 4 A strike by Haitian truckers angered by increased tariffs stopped freight from crossing the border at Jimaní. In the last few days the truckers have stopped passenger travel as well. The GC group was hoping to leave June 5 for a field trip to Port-au-Prince.
May 30 Tensions rising over electricity. The state-run CDE electric corporation is continuing to add generating capacity, but the World Bank is telling the government it should privatize the CDE first, and let the private sector make such decisions. May 25 President Fernández will soon be making a state visit to Haiti. A major issue under discussion will be Haitian migration. The DR sugar industry, as well as other agri-business and construction, are largely dependent on cheap, Haitian labor. Yet laws regulating Haitian migration are antiquated, and their application even more ambiguous, leaving most Haitians in the Dominican Republic with little legal protection. May 22 Merengue is a, now internationally known, popular music form with roots in Dominican traditional music. Merengue is regulated in the DR: 177 merengue groups are registered with the ministry of industry and commerce. The group Oro Duro has run afoul of law 851 which regulates public spectacles, and the controversial lyrics to "Pégamela, pero no me dejes" are not allowed to air on DR radio stations. (Listín Diario). The most popular song just now is La Tema de la Olla -- "Ay, que olla!". To be stuck in the "olla" (pot) is slang for being "in a pickle" or being down on one's luck.
May 18 Returns from the polling stations indicate that turnout was around 50%. This is low compared to about 80% in the 1996 elections. Probably due in large part to the fact that the president was not being elected.
May 16 The "White Party" (PRD) of Peña Gómez wins a resounding victory, taking an outright majority in the Congress. The question now is how the White congress and President Fernández of the Purple (PLD) party will cooperate. Johnny Ventura is elected mayor of Santo Domingo May 13 Johnny Ventura will indeed be the PRD mayoral candidate. This means the three main contenders are all entertainers--Roberto Salcedo and Corporán de los Santos are both TV personalities.
May 10 José Francisco Peña Gómez died tonight after a long bout with cancer, within less than a week of elections. Peña Gómez was running for mayor of Santo Domingo, though he was a national political figure who ran for president most recently in 1996. He finished first in 1996, but lost the runoff vote to Leonel Fernandez. Recent polls had him as the front runner in the mayoral race, with 47%, compared to 35% and 10% for the PLD and PRSC mayoral candidates. It appears likely that his deputy mayor candidate, Johnny Ventura will take his place on the ballot. Ventura is a popular musician, and served one term in the legislature. April 22 Shoddy electrical service is the most important problem facing the country. According to a recent poll of Dominicans, more than 75% see electrical supply as a major concern, beating out "the high cost of basic products" (61%) and even "unemployment" (40%). (Listín Diario). April 12 A tradition of "burning Judas" on Easter at the Boca Chica beach goes on. Rafael Corporán de los Santos, a candidate in the upcoming elections, is heading up the festivities this year, and says that the Judas figure represents all the problems facing the capital city, including accumulation of garbage, foul water, and the misery of the poorest residents. Also, at the Boca Chica beach--watch out for the folks with "U.R.G.A." on their t-shirts. They're members of the Unidad para el Rescate de Gente Alegre literally "Rescue Unit for Happy People".(Listín Diario). March 30 Lights out! The state-owned electrical company CDE was able to supply less than 60% of peak electrical demand over the weekend. Increasingly, people are coping with the frequent blackouts by installing their own battery banks, and these charging units which draw current when available are further straining the infrastructure. (Listín Diario). March 27 Joining Dominican Sammy Sosa on the Chicago Cubs roster this season will be compatriot Henry RodrÍguez. (ListÍn Diario.) March 23 A boat capsized carrying 65 Dominicans hoping for a better life in Puerto Rico. 18 bodies have been found, and more passengers are missing. What do you pay for the privilege?--about $700-900. "El Show de Cristina" is seen by an estimated 100 million viewers world-wide. Cristina Saralegui is the Oprah Winfrey of the Spanish-speaking world. She's had an unusual number of Dominicans telling demeaning stories, and it now turns out that she's been paying people to come on her show and embellish a script which they present as their own story. (See DR1's story and the Listín Diario)
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