Kid, I don’t think you really need any help figuring this one out, including the fact that you left out MVP.
It is not the corrupt politicians what most expats and other foreigners find disconcerting about Dominican politics. It is how the typical Dominican voters’ consciences are so easily swayed with promises, money, and threats.
Take, for instance, the government social program that goes by the name of
Solidaridad, which consists of a debit card provided to extremely poor families, to be used in selected commercial establishment, at the rate of RD$550 pesos/month. I did a flash survey in nearby communities close to my home in Azua, and found out the following. There were many households which were issued more than one card. And even many more household who classified, but did not receive a card. I asked the later households if by chance they had voted for Hipólito in the last elections. All of them said they had! The message rings clearer than a bell: if you want to keep the card, keep voting for Leonel, if you want to get one, next time vote for Leonel. I heard that the Interamerican Development Bank (IDB) is issuing the government a US$150 million loan to bankroll this program, however, Congress has yet to approve it....
Then there’s the ease with which all parties “purchase” the conscience of voters. Today, the PLD announced that they would be out in the streets, in force, with almost 100 tanker trucks, delivering water to barrios not receiving the precious liquid. Reminds me of how the current mayor of Bani won his reelection bid last time around. Three months before elections, he had tanker trucks with his nickname painted on it “Chacho”, distributing free water to all the barrios and outlying rural communities outside the Bani acueduct system.
Then there’s the iconic image of Amable Aristy Castro, throwing fistfuls of money from his helicopter, to the wild throngs below.
Dominican politics is indeed too wild to call...
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Amable Aristy vs. Leonel
