NewsWhore
02-21-2007, 02:00 PM
Central Electoral Board (JCE) judges are still divided over the issue of the incentives that were created by former JCE members, but which were denounced as illegal and unconstitutional by recently appointed judge Aura Celeste Fernandez. According to Diario Libre, at least five of the current board members are reticent to relinquish their incentives. At least three of the judges, Aura Celeste Fernandez, Mariano Rodriguez and chief judge Julio Cesar Castanos Guzman have publicly rejected the money that is added to their paychecks. Now, according to the newspaper, the JCE itself will be considering the issue since the government auditors at the Chamber of Accounts reported that the JCE is in sovereign control of its own finances and administration. This meeting is to take place next Friday with all nine members present. Apparently none of the remaining members of the board are so willing to give up their rights to the extra monthly payment, which is worth US$2,000, even after chief judge Castanos sent them a letter explaining his position. One of the judges, Eddy Olivares, told Diario Libre that the judges' decisions did not oblige the rest to follow suit. El Caribe says that Olivares' opinion is shared by fellow board members John Guiliani and Francisco Feliz Feliz. Press reports indicate that judges at the Chamber of Accounts and the Supreme Court of Justice also receive similar incentives.
Meanwhile, Hoy newspaper's "Que Se Dice" columnist is optimistic in his comments today: "The tone of the long and moving letter that the JCE president sent his colleagues, even if it was not his intention, hints that he is calling for a general rejection of the incentive, convinced that the public is opposed to the extra privilege. If that ends up happening, which is very likely, then one should not jump to the conclusion that it is a victory for Aura Celeste Fernandez and her particular sense of ethics and transparency, but rather a win for decency and probity that this society, with all its anti-values and relativisms, should embrace with renewed pride."
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#1)
Meanwhile, Hoy newspaper's "Que Se Dice" columnist is optimistic in his comments today: "The tone of the long and moving letter that the JCE president sent his colleagues, even if it was not his intention, hints that he is calling for a general rejection of the incentive, convinced that the public is opposed to the extra privilege. If that ends up happening, which is very likely, then one should not jump to the conclusion that it is a victory for Aura Celeste Fernandez and her particular sense of ethics and transparency, but rather a win for decency and probity that this society, with all its anti-values and relativisms, should embrace with renewed pride."
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#1)