NewsWhore
07-24-2008, 04:40 PM
Economic, Planning and Development Minister Temistocles Montas, during his speech at the American Chamber of Commerce monthly luncheon, said that economists Carlos Despradel, Miguel Ceara Hatton and Isidoro Santana claims that the government lack's credibility are unfounded. Montas says that an example of credibility is the government's ability to maintain its Stand-by Agreement with the IMF for three years. He added that the government fulfilled all of its obligations with the IMF, including the Austerity Law, highlighting the fact that it was the first time in Dominican history that a government was able to fulfill IMF requirements three years in a row. The economists, speaking during an interview for Hoy, argued that that the government ignored the measures ordered in the 2006 Austerity Law, a decision they concluded has undermined the President's credibility.
During his speech at the American Chamber of Commerce luncheon, economist Miguel Ceara-Hatton said it was vital that citizens empower themselves by participating in the democratic process and influence how social assistance programs are managed. Ceara-Hatton spoke on the findings of the "2008 United Nations Human Development Report" that once again confirmed that economic advances are not trickling down to the people. Ceara-Hatton urged that citizens empower themselves and ask for change. "The President has just announced a policy of austerity. We must ask him to give us numbers, how are you going to build this, how are we going to do that?," said Ceara-Hatton a strong advocate of accountability in government.
Former president of the National Council of Business, Celso Marranzini, also spoke at the meeting commenting that the UNDP report shows that economic development has outpaced human development. Marranzini says that the unequal distribution of wealth is to blame for this. "The inconsistencies of public policy, low quality of public education, and the levels of corruption are, in my opinion, the factors that distort the distribution of income and bring an increase in the levels of poverty." He cited examples of countries like Ecuador, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Paraguay and Peru that have lower economic indicators but higher rankings in math and reading.
http://www.pnud.org.do/sites/pnud.onu.org.do/files/Resumen_Ingles.pdf
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#4)
During his speech at the American Chamber of Commerce luncheon, economist Miguel Ceara-Hatton said it was vital that citizens empower themselves by participating in the democratic process and influence how social assistance programs are managed. Ceara-Hatton spoke on the findings of the "2008 United Nations Human Development Report" that once again confirmed that economic advances are not trickling down to the people. Ceara-Hatton urged that citizens empower themselves and ask for change. "The President has just announced a policy of austerity. We must ask him to give us numbers, how are you going to build this, how are we going to do that?," said Ceara-Hatton a strong advocate of accountability in government.
Former president of the National Council of Business, Celso Marranzini, also spoke at the meeting commenting that the UNDP report shows that economic development has outpaced human development. Marranzini says that the unequal distribution of wealth is to blame for this. "The inconsistencies of public policy, low quality of public education, and the levels of corruption are, in my opinion, the factors that distort the distribution of income and bring an increase in the levels of poverty." He cited examples of countries like Ecuador, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Paraguay and Peru that have lower economic indicators but higher rankings in math and reading.
http://www.pnud.org.do/sites/pnud.onu.org.do/files/Resumen_Ingles.pdf
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#4)