NewsWhore
06-27-2006, 03:11 PM
Outgoing United States Agency for International Development Director, Elena Brineman has spoken of the growing gap between the rich and the poor in the DR, which according to the diplomat is becoming a risk for the country and could alter the nation's social stability. Brineman was the guest speaker at an American Chamber of Commerce breakfast. She outlined programs to support advancements in education, health, justice, competitiveness, the environment. And then she looked to areas in which their support had fallen short and that the country needs to tackle with more energy. "For the country to become truly competitive, corruption needs to disappear," she said, highlighting that progress has been made because now at least it is headline news when six years ago when she came to the country it was only occasionally covered.
She urged that Congress approve the procurement law required for the implementation of the DR-CAFTA agreement, and more efforts for the implementation of the work of the Presidential Commission on Ethics and Combatting Corruption. The director of the commission resigned complaining about overvaluation in a government electronic program. She also urged more cooperation from the government so that press sectors and individuals can make use of the Free Access to Public Information Law, which she described as a valuable instrument for the spreading of a new culture of transparency.
She suggested that the state and private sectors work together and fight this problem by paying more attention to education, eliminating corruption and creating sources of jobs and opportunities for the neediest sectors of society. The diplomat said that transparency is one of the most important issues for this country to achieve competitiveness. "Transparency must begin in the government and expand to other sectors," she stated.
When asked about the three most important areas Dominicans should concentrate on, she spoke of corruption, improving the quality of elementary education and reducing the gap between rich and poor. She said that the increasing gap is putting at risk social peace in the country. She urged Dominicans pay attention to including the poor in the benefits of growth. "A poor person in the DR has many rich people he can see and his resentment increases. When the children of the poor seek opportunities and do not find these and do not find work because their studies aren't adequate, then they will fall prey to drugs and that is what is happening, because that is the mechanism closest to them, but it is also the mechanism that will destroy the country," she sentenced.
Link To Original Article (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#7)
She urged that Congress approve the procurement law required for the implementation of the DR-CAFTA agreement, and more efforts for the implementation of the work of the Presidential Commission on Ethics and Combatting Corruption. The director of the commission resigned complaining about overvaluation in a government electronic program. She also urged more cooperation from the government so that press sectors and individuals can make use of the Free Access to Public Information Law, which she described as a valuable instrument for the spreading of a new culture of transparency.
She suggested that the state and private sectors work together and fight this problem by paying more attention to education, eliminating corruption and creating sources of jobs and opportunities for the neediest sectors of society. The diplomat said that transparency is one of the most important issues for this country to achieve competitiveness. "Transparency must begin in the government and expand to other sectors," she stated.
When asked about the three most important areas Dominicans should concentrate on, she spoke of corruption, improving the quality of elementary education and reducing the gap between rich and poor. She said that the increasing gap is putting at risk social peace in the country. She urged Dominicans pay attention to including the poor in the benefits of growth. "A poor person in the DR has many rich people he can see and his resentment increases. When the children of the poor seek opportunities and do not find these and do not find work because their studies aren't adequate, then they will fall prey to drugs and that is what is happening, because that is the mechanism closest to them, but it is also the mechanism that will destroy the country," she sentenced.
Link To Original Article (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#7)