Dominican Republic big business ratchet demands for reforms

Santo Domingo.- The business sector on Saturday said itsupports the National Business Council’s (Conep)call for political and economicreforms they affirm the country demands, mostly changes that contribute tostrengthen democracy.

The statements from the various business groups respond to critiqueFriday from ruling PLD party general secretary Reinaldo Pared, who insinuated thatConep president Rafael Blanco’s complaint stem from the fact that “hiscandidate didn’t win the election.”

For the American Chamber of Commerce (Amcham-RD), “socialand economic wellbeing is based on solid, transparent and accountable institutionsand consequently stability, which means that the CONEP’s proposed legislativepackage would strengthen the institutional aspects and raise the confidence ofthe citizenship in the system, in addition to legitimizing it.”

Amcham-RD said CONEP’s first proposal involves the passingof a new electoral law, with established rules for electoral processes, to bemore organized and avert the unchecked use of taxpayers’ money.

For its part, the Employers Confederation (Copardoom) urgedthe Government and Congress to push to approve pending institutional reforms,to effectively implement the pacts under the National Development Strategy.

Copardom president Joel Santos said the passing of laws tostrengthen institutions with higher transparency in governance are key issueson its agenda. "In Copardom we’re convinced that the education,electricity and fiscal pacts require institutional reforms that contribute totheir proper implementation; the same applies to the reform of labor law, whichmust be done within the framework of a broad consensus."

For the Herrera and Santo Domingo Province Industries Association,a policy and institutional reforms must come as soon as possible, “in a sequentialand chained manner to ensure the success of the electric, fiscal and education pacts.