Conare on Ley de Lemas

Although the Ley de Lemas is said to be on hold, it shows no sign of fading from view. The National Committee for State Reform (Conare), whose director Tirso Mejia Ricart is one of the main movers behind the Ley de Lemas, has come out in defense of the proposed law. Conare has taken out advertisements in today's press extolling the controversial legislation (also known as the Preferential Presidential Vote) for its judicial, democratic, representative and constitutional validity, and calling it an "innovative electoral system." It describes how similar systems were introduced in Uruguay in 1910, followed shortly after by Honduras and Argentina, with the aim of ending intra-party rivalries. El Caribe reports that, according to sources in Congress, the law is now set to go to the Senate, despite having been rejected by diverse social, political and economic sectors. This follows its removal from the lower chamber after a mass boycott by deputies, which led the PRD's Henry Sarraf, the main promoter of the law, to withdraw it from the Congressional agenda. The newspaper points out that the proposed law has a much better chance of success in the Senate, as 29 of the 32 senators are PRD members, and of those 29, 27 are loyal to President Hipolito Mejia. Hoy's Francisco Alvarez Castellanos exclaims "Balaguer was right!" in reference to the famous statement by the late President that the Dominican Constitution was merely "a piece of paper." Balaguer, dubbed the "Father of democracy" by his former adversaries and the current government, only changed the Constitution once during all his years in power. This government, however, will have amended it twice in six months should the proposed Ley de Lemas go through. Alvarez Castellanos is acerbic in his criticism of the President's tendency to make adjustments to the Constitution - with the help of the "so-called honorable members of the Senate" - to suit his purposes.

Fernandez backs the strike

Former President Fernandez voiced his support of the two-day nationwide strike called for Wednesday, 28 January and Thursday, 29 January. "The people have reasons to protest. We can say that this government has mistreated the people so much when what we see is the civic and honorable behavior of the Dominican people. There is no way to stop the Dominican people from morally supporting this strike," he said during the Duarte Day march on Monday. The march, which was the first mass event organized by the PLD after the opening of the presidential election campaign, received the support of thousands as it passed through the Avenida Duarte, Avenida Mella and streets in northern Santo Domingo. Fernandez urged the population to go about the strike in a peaceful manner. "Everyone should stay at home, and let the government see this strike as a plebiscite." Many businesses have announced they will take the two days off as a means of protesting the handling of the economy and the recent moves by the government to change the electoral law. Elementary and high schools could remain closed on the days of the strike as well. Government offices will operate as normal, and the OMSA government bus operation said that 900 OMSA buses will be running to offer transportation if the transport units decide to take the two days off. In the past, nationwide strikes have not affected tourist enclave destinations, which continue to offer services, although certain excursions may not operate as normal for the duration of the strike.

A dictatorship in the making?

As reported in El Caribe newspaper, former President Leonel Fernandez, who most polls show garnering more than 60% of voter support, has accused the PPH (PRD faction that supports the re-election of President Hipolito Mejia) of purposely fostering conditions to impose a dictatorship on the country. "In their attempt to create the foundation of a dictatorship in this country, they started with the modification, by force, bribery and corruption in Congress of the Republic's Constitution," said Fernandez, first referring to the amendment to the Constitution made in July 2002 to allow re-election. He then mentioned the plan to control the Central Electoral Board (with a new panel of judges elected by the PRD-majority Senate), followed by the advent of the Ley de Lemas. Tomorrow, they will want to change the members of the Supreme Court of Justice, he mused, during what is regarded as his first speech since the opening of the presidential election campaign. "The people have said 'no' to the PPH and the PRD," he concluded at the end of an enthusiastic and substantial crowd of his followers paraded through low-income barrios of the northern part of the capital city.

instability in a neighboring country doesn't concern you?

wasn't there a post last year with the amount of weapons and troops the US sent into the DR for boarder patrol training...etc...?! There are Many Many Haitian in the DR for work and other things..... I'm concerend but that's just me.

Nadine; the political situation in the DR should be of interest to anyone interested in Haiti and in the survival of new fragile democracies.

As Amber pointed out, there is a large population of Haitians living in that country.  That population has often been used as scapegoats by politicians and the ruling classes in times of trouble.

My main reason for starting this thread however is to afford us the opportunity to look at how another new democracy is handling possile tinkering with its constitution.  The DR which shares with Haiti a history of one-man rule and dictatorship is a perfect learning tool for our new democracy.   How they handle this developing crisis and what happens in their May 16 election should serve as a case study for us Haitian Democrats.

As we defend our Constitution, it is eye opening to see how a Constitution can indeed be amended and manipulated to reflect the ruling party's view.  The "Ley de Lemas" proposal is a daring yet legal push by the ruling party.  That country's supreme court would probably have to decide wether or not it violates the spirit of the Dominican Constitution.  As we have learned in the Bush/Gore election debacle, judges are not impartial.

The question is, will the people, the political parties, the military, and the economic elite accepts any "legal" ruling that they see as not being fair or constitutionally sound.

kreyolbro@aol.com

Strike roundup

The 48-hour protest strike that brought the country to a virtual standstill on Wednesday and Thursday came to an end at 6:00am today - not 6:00pm yesterday as was reported in Thursday's DR1 news. Friday's newspapers are reporting up to eight dead, dozens injured and 500 detained during the strike period. The dead range from innocent bystanders hit by stray bullets or flying objects to people shot in confrontations with security forces or "masked individuals" allegedly linked to the PPH (supporters of President Mejia). One of the injured was a young man who blew off his own hand with a home-made bomb he was planning to detonate. The support it received from the public, which was almost universal, means that the strike is being classified as a success, but the violence and resulting casualties are highlighted by the media as a regrettable toll. The deaths occurred in Nagua, Santiago, San Francisco de Macoris, La Romana and in the Santo Domingo slum districts of Capotillo and Los Alcarrizos. Some areas - like Navarrete and Licey al Medio near Santiago, traditional hotspots for violent protests - were patrolled by over-flying helicopters as well as an increased military presence. The strike organizers detained by the authorities earlier in the week were all released yesterday.
Jose Alfredo Rizek of the Foundation for Institutionalism and Justice (Finjus) criticized the police actions, which had been described by the authorities as necessary for the leaders' protection. Rizek said that in the absence of evidence that pointed to a specific criminal plot against the detainees, such arrests could not be justified. "The authorities' duty would be to alert the police for them pursue the suspects," said Rizek. The organizers called the two-day strike in protest of the IMF agreement and to demand price reductions and salary increases. In a statement yesterday they condemned the "brutal repression" which has taken place and announced that they would meet in early February to assess the impact of this strike and to plan further days of protest.

Explanation for the violence?

El Caribe newspaper focuses on the upsurge of the so-called "bandas blancas", or paramilitary gangs, that according to Capotillo slum barrio community leaders are financed by well-known drug dealers operating within the barrio and other hotspots across the country. Capotillo community leader Abel Rojas attributed much of the violence that shook the district during the Wednesday-Thursday strike to such gang members who entered the barrio several times in possession of weapons, anti-bullet jackets and PPH (pro reelection of President Mejia) caps. Rojas blamed these thugs for imposing fear on the population and demanded that the government clarify these occurrences and that justice be done. Ivan Rodriguez, another community leader, said that barrio-dweller Joselito Vasquez was murdered by the paramilitary gang. Police spokesman Colonel Ramon Francisco Rodriguez confirmed to El Caribe: "We have the information on the death of Joselito Vasquez. We know that it was Luis Quitatenis and Neno, two known drug dealers operating in Capotillo." He said the investigation is being carried out by the National Police's homicide department. Neighborhood leaders say that the "white gangs" operate in Los Mina, San Luis, Santiago, Navarrete and Nagua, places where there deaths and injuries occurred during the two-day protest. Colonel Rodriguez confirmed that nine people had died in strike-related clashes.