Guest blog from TheCandidacy

I take a break from my blogging holiday to present the latest in a series of guest posts by Randall of TheCandidacy.com

Dominican President Fernandez's Global Aspirations

Photo credit: blogger JuniHH

Dominican President Leonel Fernandez continues to take advantage of every opportunity possible to tell the Dominican people how smart he is instead of just leading the country as he promised. Most recently, according to DR1's Daily News, instead of laying out his domestic plan for sky-rocketing fuel prices and a flimsy economy, he decided to share "his broader picture of the oil problems and listed his international efforts to tackle the problems on a global level." This lecture included an attempt to educate Dominicans on how unregulated speculators can drive up the cost of crude oil by fiddling with futures options on commodities they don't plan on ever receiving. Get it? It's simple, right? Well, not exactly. You see, he's speaking to a largely illiterate and uneducated population that, among other things, doesn't know what they're supposed to do at red versus green traffic lights.

"Doctor" Fernandez's plan includes forming a fund from the excess profits (as if there is such a thing) of oil-producing countries (aka other people's money) to help offset costs in the developing world. Not a word was spoken about domestic efforts to deal with the worsening crisis. Not a word about how he plans on dealing with Public Transport Unions that openly defy and bully him. Not a word about the need for conservation, fiscal responsibility, and, most importantly, national solidarity to weather the coming storm - the things you would expect from a leader of his alleged stature. Instead, the government and society will continue sailing along in typical Dominican style – drinking champagne on a beer budget.

In March of 2008, Fernandez hosted the XX Summit Meeting of the Rio Group just a few miles from my house in Santo Domingo. The meeting was held in the immediate aftermath of Colombian President Uribe's cross-border attack on a known FARC position inside of President Correa's Ecuador. Add Venezuelan President and "Mouth of the South" Hugo Chavez and the homeless-looking Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua to the mix and tensions were high. Fernandez displayed exceptional diplomatic skills, kept the tone somewhat civil, and was able to get the million dollar picture he needed for his scrapbook – orchestrated handshakes between Uribe, Correa, Chavez, and Ortega with himself (of course) as the peacemaker. I was proud of him that day and said so. If we are going to criticize our leaders every time they make a mistake we have an obligation to praise them when they do well. At the Rio Summit he had an obligation, as host, to step-up and lead the international effort to defuse an escalating conflict among fellow Latin American nations, but the global crude oil market is another problem all together and, quite frankly, over his head. It's time for Fernandez to plant his feet firmly on the ground (preferably Dominican soil) and get to work on his own domestic agenda.

President Fernandez's reputation on the global stage is excellent (for some reason the Economist loves him). And it has become obvious that he wants to be an international political player with a significant position in the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund or another global institution and there's nothing wrong with that. But if he really wants to "be someone" on the global stage he needs to stop talking and start leading immediately.

Fernandez has been President of the Dominican Republic for 8 of the past 12 years and there is little doubt his star is on the rise internationally. The only lingering question is what condition he will leave his country in when he finally sets up office in another part of the world. Will it be a better, stronger Dominican Republic or will the only change be a giant footprint on the island because he used his own country as a stepping-stool? Only time will tell.

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5:11 PM - Jul. 14, 2008