NewsWhore
08-20-2012, 04:00 PM
Writing on Saturday, 18 August, Ines Aizpun, the diligent editor of Diario Libre captures the lukewarm optimism expressed by Dominicans on the first days of the President Danilo Medina presidency. The consensus she says was that the inaugural speech was good, but the cabinet not so good. The disappointment: many, too many familiar faces that contradict the campaign slogan: "correct what is wrong."
But she says there are some new faces and mentions Luis Ramon Rodriguez in Agriculture and Freddy Hidalgo in Public Health, both known as experts in their fields with good track records of efficient work. People are also pleased with the continuity of some posts, like Pimentel in Education, Melo in Higher Education, and the appointment of Guarocuya Felix to DGII and Ramon Tejada Holguin, to work with government information.
But there is concern that three social programs are announced: Solidaridad, Progresando and Quisqueya without Extreme Poverty. "If the paternalistic approach of the past years has not reduced inequalities, why insist that the same scheme will show different results? One businessman optimistically says under a different leadership, results could be different.
But she says the fear now is that an increase in taxes has been announced, but no one knows the plan. She says there is concern that the new administration will once more change the name of the government corruption office, which doesn't change anything.
And she asks, "How can you reform the police with the same heads in place?"
She says everyone applauds the fact that there is a will to rid the country of illiteracy... and that a deadline has been fixed.
Aizpun says that the promise of ending blackouts is "a mirage" and concludes the Diario Libre page two editorial by saying: "A certainty: All Dominicans want the presidency of Medina to be a success."
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#7)
But she says there are some new faces and mentions Luis Ramon Rodriguez in Agriculture and Freddy Hidalgo in Public Health, both known as experts in their fields with good track records of efficient work. People are also pleased with the continuity of some posts, like Pimentel in Education, Melo in Higher Education, and the appointment of Guarocuya Felix to DGII and Ramon Tejada Holguin, to work with government information.
But there is concern that three social programs are announced: Solidaridad, Progresando and Quisqueya without Extreme Poverty. "If the paternalistic approach of the past years has not reduced inequalities, why insist that the same scheme will show different results? One businessman optimistically says under a different leadership, results could be different.
But she says the fear now is that an increase in taxes has been announced, but no one knows the plan. She says there is concern that the new administration will once more change the name of the government corruption office, which doesn't change anything.
And she asks, "How can you reform the police with the same heads in place?"
She says everyone applauds the fact that there is a will to rid the country of illiteracy... and that a deadline has been fixed.
Aizpun says that the promise of ending blackouts is "a mirage" and concludes the Diario Libre page two editorial by saying: "A certainty: All Dominicans want the presidency of Medina to be a success."
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#7)