NewsWhore
09-12-2008, 06:30 PM
The Fernandez administration has appointed 350 new government officials to the cabinet. The payroll in general has gone from 370,828 government officials in 2004 (at the end of the Mejia administration) to 406,903 (now under the Fernandez administration). According to a report in Clave newspaper, President Fernandez has appointed more than 214 deputy ministers and confirmed more than 150 deputy general directors since 16 August, or an average of 11 deputy ministers for each ministry. Wages range from RD$50,000 to RD$150,000 (plus expenses) or over RD$130 million to RD$260 million on the payroll.
Ministries with a higher than average number of deputy ministers include the Ministry of Sports with 20 ministers, Interior and Police with 15, Youth and Women ministries with 14 deputy ministers each, and Education with 12. The practice has been to simply add deputy ministers when there has been a change of command at the ministry. The additional deputy ministers are in violation of the ministries' structure. Civil society, academic and business groups like the Institutionalism and Justice Foundation, Citizen Participation, the Juan Montalvo Study Center and the Young Entrepreneurs Association (ANJE) have described the appointments as excessive.
Clave newspaper observes that the appointments contradict what President Leonel Fernandez said during his address to the nation on 17 July when he announced an austerity plan for the second half of the year. At the time he announced a freeze on the government payroll.
Clave reports that government spending (including payroll, operational expenses and payment of debts) increased from RD$97.67 billion to RD$130.69 billion, or 33.8% from 22 August 2007 compared to the same period in 2008. Tax collections were only up 11%, according to a report from the Ministry of Economy published by the Ministry of Hacienda.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#5)
Ministries with a higher than average number of deputy ministers include the Ministry of Sports with 20 ministers, Interior and Police with 15, Youth and Women ministries with 14 deputy ministers each, and Education with 12. The practice has been to simply add deputy ministers when there has been a change of command at the ministry. The additional deputy ministers are in violation of the ministries' structure. Civil society, academic and business groups like the Institutionalism and Justice Foundation, Citizen Participation, the Juan Montalvo Study Center and the Young Entrepreneurs Association (ANJE) have described the appointments as excessive.
Clave newspaper observes that the appointments contradict what President Leonel Fernandez said during his address to the nation on 17 July when he announced an austerity plan for the second half of the year. At the time he announced a freeze on the government payroll.
Clave reports that government spending (including payroll, operational expenses and payment of debts) increased from RD$97.67 billion to RD$130.69 billion, or 33.8% from 22 August 2007 compared to the same period in 2008. Tax collections were only up 11%, according to a report from the Ministry of Economy published by the Ministry of Hacienda.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#5)