| Daily News - Monday, 03 March 2008 |
The 72nd Meeting of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has heard testimony from two special observers who visited the Dominican Republic last year. The observers, Doudou Diene and Gay McDougall visited the country at the invitation of the Dominican government. They reported finding persistent forms of racism, xenophobia and intolerance on the part of the government, the Catholic Church, the Central Electoral Board (JCE), the political parties and the justice system. During the hearings, the Dominican Republic is being represented by deputy Pelegrin Castillo and JCE magistrates John Guilliani and Leyda Pina. Not surprisingly, the Dominican Foreign Minister, Carlos Morales Troncoso vehemently denied the accusations, calling them "absurd". The Minister of Public Health told El Caribe that his ministry spends US$17 million per year on medical services to Haitian nationals. These services include hospital care, emergency care, surgery, caesarian sections, laboratory services and vaccinations. Dr. Bautista Rojas Gomez told reporters that, nationwide, services to Haitians account for between 27% and 30% of all services offered by the Dominican state health care services. Deputy Pelegrin Castillo reported that while the committee listened to the arguments, no recommendations or other measures were taken. The large Dominican delegation included members of the National Police, the Sugar Institute, the Office of Human Rights and the Attorney General's office. Several Haitians were quoted in the newspaper, saying that they were treated well in the DR. Students, new mothers, maids and gardeners were interviewed by reporters.
According to the Attorney General of the Dominican Republic, "most public officials connected to central government, Congress and the municipal authorities, have not presented their sworn statements of net worth and many of those who have presented such a statement have not adequately described their assets in a clear manner." The AG continues by saying: "Among the most prominent officials who have not made a proper declaration are hospital administrators and directors, customs collectors and port officials, provincial governors, and high-ranking officials at the Internal Tax Office, as well as most of the bureaucrats who were appointed this year." Of the 2,600 sworn statements that have been deposited at the Attorney General's office, those that "have best fulfilled the requirements are from senators and to a lesser degree, the deputies." Sixty three deputies have yet to provide their statements. Most mayors and their deputies have yet to fulfill their obligation, according to Hoy newspaper.
The beaches of Boca Chica, between Caucedo and Andres have been affected by a small oil spill from a ship belonging to Seaboard Caribbean. According to the Diario Libre, 800 gallons of bunker C oil was spilled, allegedly from a hole in the ship's hull. The ship itself has been seized by Navy and Ministry of the Environment personnel. Minister Omar Ramirez met with the ship's captain, whose name was not revealed for "diplomatic reasons", and he reported that the captain had signed two statements of complaint, one to the ministry and the other to the Environmental Prosecutor's office. According to the statements, the accident that caused the spill occurred at around 9am yesterday when the ship was docking at Caucedo to drop off a few containers. As a result all beaches in the area have been closed. According to the paper, the ship is being held until the damage assessment and payment are determined by the courts.
The president of the Dominican Medical Association, Dr. Waldo Suero reported that nearly all the 14,000 doctors who work in the country's public hospitals and Social Security hospitals would walk out if the salary demands and the other five issues were not settled. Dr. Suero told reporters from Diario Libre that he was waiting for a call from the Minister of Health, Dr. Bautista Rojas Gomez to meet and discuss all the pending issues. Dr. Suero said that he and his team had identified the budget areas that could provide for a substantial pay increase for the doctors, and that he was waiting to hear whether the minister had anything substantial to report in response to the doctors' proposals. Suero said that he hoped that the two-day strike would not be necessary.
The Central Electoral Board (JCE) has tested its national communications system and reports that it passed with flying colors. Roberto Rosario, the magistrate who heads the JCE Administrative Chamber, said that the computer center located at the board's main offices on 27 of February Avenue in Santo Domingo, worked just fine. The test included data transmissions from all the local electoral boards, using scanners, telephone lines, servers and other equipment that is being prepared for the 16 May elections.
Over 50% of the Dominican economy is now related to the service sector. The areas of finance, communications and commerce dominate the statistics, showing the largest growth rate in relation to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, the areas of growth are not areas that have generated a large number of jobs, and some analysts are saying that the growth in the GDP does not reflect a better quality of life for the people. The preliminary report on the "Dominican Economy January-December 2007" produced by the Dominican Republic Central Bank, shows that the area of largest growth (25.6%) was in financial services, insurance and related areas. Next came telecommunications and commerce. Taxes marked a major item in the report, with a 28.3% increase. The report also shows that in the manufacturing and agricultural sectors where most jobs are, things were not so good. Farm production grew by just 1.2% and local manufacturing grew by only 4.8%, but the real bad news was that the industrial free zones saw a 10% drop.
The tunnel on the Las Americas Highway leading from Santo Domingo to the airport will be closed for repairs beginning tomorrow night. The Minister of Public Works, Victor Diaz Rua, has order the repair of the iron grating that borders the roadway that is currently in very poor condition. The work will be carried out from 9:00 o'clock at night until 6:00 o'clock in the morning and force the closure of the tunnel from west to east (from Santo Domingo to the airport). The Ministry of Public Works will also clean up the tiles in the tunnels.
The old adage, "A friend in need, is a friend indeed" was fulfilled last week as two life-long friends shared a hospital room, both recovering from kidney surgery. One friend, Karl Celestin, had just given one of his kidneys to his best friend Ricardo Manier. Manier had suffered from a kidney ailment for the past five years. A premed student, Manier had to suspend his studies because of the illness. Celestin studies medicine in the Dominican Republic, and now Manier hopes to continue doing the same thing. Both young men were classmates in Queens (New York), but had lost contact until they found each other on Facebook, the popular internet networking site.
The Dominican Republic is the official partner country at this year's Berlin International Tourism Fair (ITB), the world's largest tourism fair. Minister of Tourism Felix Jimenez told reporters from El Caribe that the featured status of the Dominican Republic would result in a larger flow of tourists to Dominican destinations, not only from Germany but from many other places as well. The fair lasts until 9 March. The role of special invitee will cost the government two million euros, but the minister is convinced that the country will get at least a 15% return on its investment in the fair. Members of the Dominican hotel sector, newspaper reporters, artists, chefs, and the National Folkloric Dance Group are just part of the huge delegation that is attending the fair.
Colorful, creative, and splendid are just a few of the words of praise in today's papers for the grand finale of the 2008 carnival season in Santo Domingo. Over 170 different troupes from across the country representing everything from the traditional to the contemporary political scene were on review. This year's parade was dedicated to the Lechones de Santiago, the traditional "devil dancers" with their big-horned costumes aglow with mirrors, tinkling with tiny bells and carrying those fearsome inflated pig bladders to smack the devil out of the unwary. Thousands flocked to George Washington Avenue to watch the spectacle. According to Hoy newspaper, every province of the Dominican Republic was represented in some way. The more topical themes portrayed George Bush and Iraq, the Santo Domingo Metro, and even President Fernandez and his wife, Margarita. Among the most popular were the Carnival King, Raudy Torres from Santiago and the troupes from Cotui, Santiago, Bonao and La Vega.
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