NewsWhore
08-07-2007, 04:50 PM
The PLD has taken its gloves off and has come out swinging against PRD presidential candidate Miguel Vargas Maldonado. Last week Vice President Rafael Alburquerque called the candidate ignorant because of his reported lack of knowledge about the government's health plan, the SFS. Alburquerque came back at Vargas again yesterday, labeling claims made by Vargas as pure electoral demagogy. The PRD candidate had said that he would double the funding for the Solidaridad welfare program if elected President. Alburquerque rhetorically asked why Vargas hadn't done this when he was Public Works Minister and also asked why public works projects weren't finished during his administration.
Treasury Minister Vicente Bengoa wasn't shy about challenging Vargas either. Bengoa asked Vargas to prove that the government is misusing the PetroCaribe funds and using the money to pay for PLD propaganda. Bengoa added that since signing the PetroCaribe agreement the government has received US$453.6 million in credits. Money that would have gone to pay for fuel has been used to subsidize the electricity sector. Bengoa dared Vargas to prove him wrong and said that if it weren't for those funds the energy bill would be three times what it is. Bengoa clarified that for every US$100 million of petroleum that the refinery buys from Venezuela the DR keeps US$40 million, which is used for the energy sector. He said the loan will be paid at a 1% interest rate over 25 years and can be paid in goods and services. Vargas has yet to answer either man.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#7)
Treasury Minister Vicente Bengoa wasn't shy about challenging Vargas either. Bengoa asked Vargas to prove that the government is misusing the PetroCaribe funds and using the money to pay for PLD propaganda. Bengoa added that since signing the PetroCaribe agreement the government has received US$453.6 million in credits. Money that would have gone to pay for fuel has been used to subsidize the electricity sector. Bengoa dared Vargas to prove him wrong and said that if it weren't for those funds the energy bill would be three times what it is. Bengoa clarified that for every US$100 million of petroleum that the refinery buys from Venezuela the DR keeps US$40 million, which is used for the energy sector. He said the loan will be paid at a 1% interest rate over 25 years and can be paid in goods and services. Vargas has yet to answer either man.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#7)