I've been on this forum for about 1/2 months and something just doesn't sit right with me. The whole matter which is Leonel Fernandez.

When I was in DR I pretty much thought that guy was a God. Everywhere I saw pictures of him and heard good stories about him. That he was helping the infrastructure a lot and that DR was prospering as a country.

But after I joined this site I saw that a lot of people hate him. That he is a corrupt politician and hasn't done all that much for DR.

So I ask which one is true? Is he really a slacker that makes a lot of money off of criminal endevours?
Or has he done a lot of good for DR?

And one thing I also would like to hear you guys' opinion about if what you personally would do to:
A: Tackle corruption
B: Improve DR
This from the perspective that you are the president of the Dominican Republic

Do not put much weight on what the folks on this site say about Leonel. The people on this site would be critical of anyone who is president. Leonel has done an awesome job as president. The infrastructure has been upgraded significantly during his tenure and the Dominican Republic has avoided most of the impact caused by the finanacial crisis. Yes, we do have a drug problem, but who doesn't. Yes, we do have a corruption problem, but who doesn't.

Leonel has done a great job.

Leonel has done a great job to impress the international community. He is a wimp and ass kisser. Everybody outside of the DR thinks he is great, and those within his party who directly benefit, love the guy just like lopez. However, don't just ask the people on this forum, but everyone else, the average Jose on the street and let him respond and you will know, learn and see the real, true sentiments of the people.

I will to give a few examples of our frustrations and insatisfactions. Leonel with his government revenue policies is overtaxing the legitimate, small business sector where it has been next to impossible to make a respectable profit. He has been lax with the illegal Haitian migration, where the influx has overwhelmed our population putting a strain on our public services. Leo has not attacked crime and the drug problem with enough severity but has rather facilitated their operations on Dominican territory and allowed the released of dangerous criminals without just cause. He has mingled and has been seen in the press shaking hands with high level drug operators. He has used up millions of dollars to build a subway system while Domincan public education is in shambles. Our students are among the lowest in academic ratings of most countries in the world. Most of the progress and development that we see in the DR has been strictly limited and concentrated in the capital city of Sto Dgo while the rest of the country is in precarious conditions. He has looked the other way on corruption and acts as if nothing happens.

Look I can go on and on about his leadership, but the point is the Dominican people are fed up. They got a raw deal. We thought we were getting the king of the Jungle, the ferocious Leo the Lion, but we ended up getting a little pussy cat. The man has no balls and won't stand up to nobody.

I have been a supporter of LF until the last 12 to 18 months and I have seen first hand how poorly he has managed the domestic affairs of this country and the only offsetting good point is that he has assisted in the diversification of the local economy and has instituted some very good road ,bridges and water pipe projects . But is that really enough to counter the increased crime, the appalling law and order issues and the corruption problems..Just as Baniter always will haunt Mejia so will the increased lawlessness always haunt LF . he is very weak

I live outside DR, but my parents always go there in summer. I go with them when i have the $$$, and when I can. I watch the news of DR every night and I go online as well to read newspapers. So im pretty aware of what;s happening in DR. But DAMN, i never heard about a leader as bad as Leonel. Its sickens me how he doesn't make an effort to fight the crimewave in the country. And the drug trade? forget it I'm sure he have a loyal following of druglords that sees him as their friend. What the hell about the acts of corruptiont that his cronies commit? He doesn't say anything, he doesn't cancel their pay, he doesn't punish them, if anything he changes the official's position and still keeps paying the bastard. And let's not forget the nerve of him selling parts of Quisqueya to foreigners. This guys obviously is a traitor. Leonel don't give a rat ass about the future of the kids in his country because he refuses to invest in education, but yet he does have money to have many generals in his disposal. I However acknowledge the investment of bridges, roads and the metro, but this is just a minute problem that has been solved, he fails to see the bigger picture like helping those who he is governing. I dont want to talk about the fuel issue.

Just like Perez I've lived most of my life outside of DR but have often gone back since the time I first learned to reason...with that said, I've NEVER seen the country so crime-ridden as it now. People are scared. People stay away from their neighbors. Dominicans live more secluded as a result. The whole culture of interaction has changed out there under Leonel's watch because of his failure to reign in crime..which is defenitely tied into a corrupt security apparatus..and when the fish stinks, it stinks from the head. I'm no fan of Balaguer but none in the armed forces would've dared to be so brazen in their criminal enterprises under the old man. Based on crime alone Leonel is a dismal failure of epic proportions and my gut feeling tells me that he's more crooked then many would like to believe.

Dominican politics has had a dramatic history that has been cultivated and established through time, the accumulation of power based on paternalistic relationships and traditional elite blood-lines. Though not as influential today as in the past, surname, family ties, friendships and business relationships, informal as it may be, carried a lot of weight and determined who would win elections.

It would be interesting to ask the average person on the street, if he would want a Trujillo back in power, and surprisingly a very good, large proportion of the people will respond in the affirmative. There is no doubt that Dominicans love democracy and freely elected governments, but they still deep down crave the force, discipline and authoritarian rule of chieftains. They believe that people in general are still politically immature, incapable to handle the responsibility of a participatory self-government. This is somewhat understandable, particularly after suffering centuries of traumatic political turmoil and the social chaos evident in our present day history that only an autocratic ruler is believed to be the only one to take charge, control and get rid of the vermins for good.

What we really need is a candidate who holds a combination of leadership qualities, the carisma of an Hypolito Mejias, the intellect of a Leonel Fernandez and the balls and forcefulness of a Rafael L.Trujillo. Is this too much to ask?

Crap, I think it IS too much to ask! If the people's mentality doesn't change, it won't happen. I wonder if it is even possible to for a being to exist with such qualities u mentioned above?

TOTALLY INCORRECT Dominicans hate authority or laws ,,,they are very independant minded people ,,,you can see this in every aspect of living here

Can you blame Dominicans for hating those with authority that can be bribed and hating the Laws applied to them and not to those that can "buy" the Laws?.