Homage to Balaguer

[Porfio_Rubirosa]

Never liked Balaguer. Thought he was a backwards Trujilloista. His people were impossible for foreigners to do business with. They were so bizarre and insular, even the Maffia couldn't get along with them. And his racism was open and notorious.

But, for virtually SIXTY-FIVE YEARS (excepting, notably, 1978 to 1984), the DR was politically, and largely economically, controlled by Trujillo and his successor Balaguer. In various other ways, they molded the country in their images as well. Even as recently as 1996, the country was in many respects still Balaguer's - certainly the institutions and economic governance (as the ecnomy continued to be oddly insular) were still recognizably his. And the political system continues to be so much his creation that the country should be called a "Balaguerocracy".

To Balaguer's credit, he decreased the level of violence that he employed to govern when he regained power in 1984. He learned from the late President Guzman that the country could be governed, and that he could retain power, without overt, visible violent attacks on his rivals and critics.

For those, like me, who appreciate "dominicanismo", it will be hard to let Balaguer go. Love him or hate him, he WAS the Dominican Republic.

[Ken]

Didn't Balaguer regain power in 1986? I believe that PRD was in power for 8 years.

But you are right that Balaguer and the Dominican Republic have been almost synonymous.

I can't think of anyone in US history that could compare with Balaguer in durability and influence.

[Drake]

Many people loved him, many people hated him but everyone listened to him.

[Drake]

One of Latin America's most remarkable and durable politicians, the former president of the Dominican Republic, Joaquin Balaguer, has died at the age of 95.

In a career spanning seven decades, he held the presidency for no fewer than 22 years.

His appetite for power was insatiable

He was by no means a model democrat, but even his detractors would find it hard to deny a grudging admiration for his political skills.

Rarely has so powerful a politician appeared so unthreatening.

Joaquin Balaguer was a tiny, mild-mannered man who gazed inscrutably through thick glasses at a world bathed in the light of the Caribbean sun.

He never married and led an austere private life. But his appetite for power was insatiable.

He began his career in the 1930s, working for the Dominican Republic's notorious dictator, Rafael Trujillo, and eventually becoming president in name.

Critics in exile

After Trujillo's assassination in 1961, there was a period of political turmoil, and Mr Balaguer went into exile in the United States.

In 1966, he was restored to power with US backing.

There were hopes he might run again in 2004 (AP)

His rule was not as brutal as Trujillo's, but hundreds of people were kidnapped or disappeared, and many critics went into exile.

Mr Balaguer was out of power in the early 1980s, but went on to win three more elections, two of them marred by serious allegations of fraud.

In 1996, he lost the presidency and never regained it, though not for lack of trying.

He played an important part in engineering the victory of the current president, Hipolito Mejia and some of his supporters were hoping that Mr Balaguer himself would run again in 2004.

As president, he spent billions of dollars on public works, including a massive lighthouse to commemorate the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas.

But his critics said had got his priorities wrong in what remains one of the western hemisphere's poorest countries.

[Porfio_Rubirosa]

Wow, the BBC hit the nail on the head, perhaps only understating the late President's role in molding the country's institutions and ongoing political psyche. Perhaps it could have been a little more honest about what a monsterous and ugly waste the Lighthouse is as well.

[arturo]

I'll leave it to history to judge Balaguer's contributions and accomplishments. To my mind, he was the final vestige of the Trujillo era. Much has been published about Trujillo's reign of terror, corruption, violence, racism and cloak and dagger shenanigans. That was then, and now that Balaguer is gone, this is now.

The country has a new opportunity to get its head around making social and economic progress and modernizing itself to the level of the rest of the hemisphere. Other obstacles remain:

- a cynical political and business elite with delusions of aristoratic grandeur

- using Haiti as a scapegoat for every Dominican shortcoming from neglect of the environment to low productivity to money laundering

- a substandard and underfunded public education system

- inconsistent tax code enforcement

- rampant official corruption

Just my opinion, but the facts bear them out

[Fred]

Not to mention the construction of
Faro Colon, during the anniversary of Colubus, a light in the sky when 3/4 of the country had no electricity.

Maybe they should light it now that he is gone.

[CES]

("As president, he spent billions of dollars on public works, including a massive lighthouse to commemorate the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas.

But his critics said had got his priorities wrong in what remains one of the western hemisphere's poorest countries.")

. . . and Hipólito Mejía is doing his very best too see that la República Dominicana remains in debt for many years down the road.

Hopefully a new breed of politician can bring some positive changes in the near future. . .

[Criss Colon]

....but it(the body) remains alive,and filled with cancer! For those of you who expect,or wish for,a "New Beginning" in Dominican Politics I say,"No way "Jose"!!!The "patient" is beyond hope.The system so filled with corruption.ingrained with greed,that it cannot,will not,and does not, want to change!This "Gravy Train" left the station a long time ago!No one gets off this train by choice,they must be thrown off!The "Future Polititians" are lining the tracks ahead,not to flag down the train,but to jump onboard.Aspiring polititians look to elective office not to serve their country,but to serve themselves.They wait in line at the "Buffet table"of Dominican political office to help themseves,and their cronies, to a virtual "Smorgesboard" of "Scandalous Delights"!"The King is Dead,Long Live the King"!!!CRISCO

[Porfio_Rubirosa]

Balaguer's people were no better, nor any worse, than the current crop of thieves. I would like to think that Balaguer knew better than to indebt the nation to foreign institutions as a matter of principle. I suspect, though, that Balaguer was simply too old-fashioned and insular to know HOW to borrow money on the international markets.

Ah, but the current generation is smarter. What we have today in the Dominican Republic is true innovation. We now know that, when the tax money to steal runs out, international organizations and banks will lend you more, so you can steal more, and then have future governments and generations of Dominicans TRY to pay back what has been stolen.

The future is not pretty, unless you WANT to be like Argentina.