[Lambada]

Originally Posted by Dolores

And then it establishes that empowerment of the people is necessary if people are to have opportunities. It sends out a challenge for empowerment, and for this citizens have to become better citizens (including business, social groups, religious groups, even politicians) need to demand the rule of the law for the common good. It brings it down to politics, this time around. By establishing that it has found that human development is a matter of power, and thus, of politics, understanding that politics is the space where power relations are dealt with. And it concludes that historically, given the degree of social, economic and institutional inequity in the DR today, the power structures have failed to build a society that provides access to opportunities except to those that are in power. It criticizes governments, indicating that these have upheld a logic of perverse loyalties: the logic of power for power and to themselves. There is no loyalty with the population nor with state policies nor with development.

This is crucial stuff. I read the English summary yesterday & am just starting on the whole report in Spanish. It is so terribly important that this report is understood and taken on board. Disappointing to learn that not one single Government minister was present. Were there any opposition representatives (PRD) there? Much of the content should reverberate with what a populist party ought to be about..............

The back cover of the English summary says: '...........There is no reason to believe that political institutions and power structures will change spontaneously. There will be no human development if people fail to organise, to become empowered, to mobilise and to restructure power relationships because human development is a matter of power.'

I wonder how the Human Development Office intends getting the attention from Government for this report which it deserves? How they 'mobilise, become empowered etc' will be an object lesson for all citizens. Do you know, Dolores, whether for example this report will be widely circulated to foreign academic institutions i.e. those who have courses in Latin American & Caribbean studies/economics/sociology/social policy etc? Will it be circulated to the foreign press? Will it be sent to foreign countries with large investments here? Even to companies thinking of investing here?

If this report can have wide circulation & a big impact then I believe that would give citizens hope for change. Currently that hope is missing as was all too clear here:
El Dinero - Informe del PNUD revela 57% criollos quiere irse del paÃ*s
Yes it most certainly needs to be used as a basis for informed discussion but perhaps even more so as a basis for informed action.