NewsWhore
08-01-2011, 02:20 PM
Writing in Hoy, political analyst Juan Bolivar Diaz describes how the political arena is looking tough for government party candidate Danilo Medina, and that the stance taken by President Leonel Fernandez is not helping. In his analysis, Diaz makes several points on the President's Sunday, 24 July speech, in his role as president of the PLD, accompanied by PLD candidate Danilo Medina.
Diaz writes: "The speech sought to establish the electoral campaign strategy, basing it on the defense of the government of two consecutive terms, and three of the past four, to the length of launching the slogan 'memory against forgetting' referring to a government of only four years and that ended seven years ago, when the citizens cannot forget their present problems, regarding the causes."
Diaz says that for many, Fernandez has positioned himself above society, and mentions his disdain for many issues that affect the common Dominican, such as the cost of fuel. "He went to the extreme of establishing that with the price of gasoline at US$6.20 a gallon, the government had spared consumers and has not passed on all the increases in the price to consumer," comments Diaz. He said this is at a time when in the US the average consumer price for the gallon of gasoline is US$3.80, or 62% less than that paid in the DR. This is with Dominicans benefiting from the PetroCaribe fuel agreement that enables the government to receive high taxes now and postpone payment of the fuel bill for future governments.
Diaz makes the point that the government blamed the electricity inefficiencies on the Madrid Accord signed by the PRD government (2004), hiding the fact it has been in government for 11 years and power that is not billed continues at a 40% level. "And to make matter worse, it increases to US$1 billion the subsidy on electricity for this year, when the Letter of Intent approved by the International Monetary Fund increases this from US$350 to US$690 million... or Fernandez was lying or there is an intention to again violate the new agreement," he comments.
Diaz also mentions that Fernandez referred to inheriting the Central Bank deficit, without registering that in 2004 when he returned to power the deficit was RD$87.4 billion (about US$2.3 billion), while today it is almost triple, seven years into his government, at RD$237.7 billion, or (US$6.3 billion), with US$20 billion in foreign debt, on which the government has based its macroeconomic equilibrium and economic growth.
Diaz observes that after singing the praises of his economic policy, Fernandez went on to conclude by proclaiming that the renewal of the IMF agreement means the country will receive RD$50 billion in new credits and bonds, for new dynamics of the national economic, admitting that growth and stability has depended on borrowing.
Diaz points out that Gallup-Hoy, Penn-Schoen and CID Gallup polls show that Fernandez has an approval rate of 28, 39 and 30%.
www.hoy.com.do/tema-de-hoy/2011/7/30/386487/Analisis-politico-es-tiempo-de-Danilo (http://www.hoy.com.do/tema-de-hoy/2011/7/30/386487/Analisis-politico-es-tiempo-de-Danilo)
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#2)
Diaz writes: "The speech sought to establish the electoral campaign strategy, basing it on the defense of the government of two consecutive terms, and three of the past four, to the length of launching the slogan 'memory against forgetting' referring to a government of only four years and that ended seven years ago, when the citizens cannot forget their present problems, regarding the causes."
Diaz says that for many, Fernandez has positioned himself above society, and mentions his disdain for many issues that affect the common Dominican, such as the cost of fuel. "He went to the extreme of establishing that with the price of gasoline at US$6.20 a gallon, the government had spared consumers and has not passed on all the increases in the price to consumer," comments Diaz. He said this is at a time when in the US the average consumer price for the gallon of gasoline is US$3.80, or 62% less than that paid in the DR. This is with Dominicans benefiting from the PetroCaribe fuel agreement that enables the government to receive high taxes now and postpone payment of the fuel bill for future governments.
Diaz makes the point that the government blamed the electricity inefficiencies on the Madrid Accord signed by the PRD government (2004), hiding the fact it has been in government for 11 years and power that is not billed continues at a 40% level. "And to make matter worse, it increases to US$1 billion the subsidy on electricity for this year, when the Letter of Intent approved by the International Monetary Fund increases this from US$350 to US$690 million... or Fernandez was lying or there is an intention to again violate the new agreement," he comments.
Diaz also mentions that Fernandez referred to inheriting the Central Bank deficit, without registering that in 2004 when he returned to power the deficit was RD$87.4 billion (about US$2.3 billion), while today it is almost triple, seven years into his government, at RD$237.7 billion, or (US$6.3 billion), with US$20 billion in foreign debt, on which the government has based its macroeconomic equilibrium and economic growth.
Diaz observes that after singing the praises of his economic policy, Fernandez went on to conclude by proclaiming that the renewal of the IMF agreement means the country will receive RD$50 billion in new credits and bonds, for new dynamics of the national economic, admitting that growth and stability has depended on borrowing.
Diaz points out that Gallup-Hoy, Penn-Schoen and CID Gallup polls show that Fernandez has an approval rate of 28, 39 and 30%.
www.hoy.com.do/tema-de-hoy/2011/7/30/386487/Analisis-politico-es-tiempo-de-Danilo (http://www.hoy.com.do/tema-de-hoy/2011/7/30/386487/Analisis-politico-es-tiempo-de-Danilo)
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#2)