SANTO DOMINGO. - President Leonel Fernandez acknowledged that heightened drug trafficking threatens Dominican Republic and regretted that it has permeated the country’s military lately, which “we cannot allow.”
Fernandez warned the members of the Armed Forces and the Police to not let themselves be won over by narcotics traffickers’ corrupting gold, since it means dishonor and shame for them, their relatives and the country.
He urged the military and police to redouble their efforts and energies to protect the country from organized international crime. “At the moment, of course, our country is threatened, not by a warlike conflict with another State, but the threats and challenges of the 21st century, essentially the proliferation of drug trafficking, everything it implies in terms of violence, infraction to our penal norms”
The Head of State said added to the threat to the national territory, “here we have a particular situation lately, and it’s that drug trafficking has permeated the Dominican Republic military institutions, and that’s something we cannot allow.”
From: United States, Richmond, Texas
What, again? Didn't he already do that with the "retirement" of all of theose generals and Colonels last year?
From: Cuba, it is a secret the censors are looking for me
this is the chance to radically alter the face of a typical LA military system that is used usually to prop up dictator ships and partake of preferred perks in lieu of salary....Unfortunately there is no jobs for the many who would be disbanded in that kind of a reform ...This country is top heavy with senior military officials with nothing to but look for opportunities to make a buck on the backs of the people
Written by: generoso, 30 Jan 2009 8:06 AM
From: United States, Santo Domingo
What we need instead is to give the military a job that they can focus on like patrolling our border to
stop illegal immigration, smuggling and drug trade.
It is well know that the majority of illegal drugs and weapons to commit crimes come from the porous border brought in by the thousands of Haitians that invade us daily.
To wisely use the many military to better monitor the border and try to put a stop to this traffic that starts in the failed state of Haiti, travels to DR and then once here some of the drug stays here and then it is transported by illegal immigrant boats to Puerto Rico and then on to the states.
This fact has been known to the military chiefs for a long time, yet nothing is done to stop it, claiming assets are few and there is no budget for border patrols. Instead the number of generals
without command increase exponentially. We in DR have more generals according to a source
than the USA.
Nip the problem in the bud instead of flip flopping around so much.
From: Cuba, it is a secret the censors are looking for me
that is a good thought....border patrols ....cheaper than a wall at this point....soon we will be showing our passports to colonels I love it ....maybe they know how to read
Written by: 2001DUCK, 30 Jan 2009 9:40 AM
From: United States
i have been living in the dr on and off for the past 12 years and have been a strong supporter of leonel fernandez,however i have become extremely disenchanted recently.yes,corruption exists in every country which has been in the spotlight of the us for the past year,the major difference is that in the dr the corruption is easily more exposed.my biggest concern is that a policeman earning a 125.00 per month,and with that has to take care of his family faces extreme temptation to steal.i can never support crime,however it is time to limit the compensation of leonels nner circle and most elected officials by decreasing there compensation and benefits in a way to increase the salary of yhe police by a minimum of 30 percent.the dr will face extreme problems due to the economic crisis throughout the world,compounded by the expected huge drop in tourism,the reduced amount of remesas,andthe lack of employment.leonel it is time to show the people that their important and immediately find ways
Written by: Username, 30 Jan 2009 11:20 AM
From: Dominican Republic
President to clean up the military? He better make sure the military don't "clean up" him.
From: United States
LF has never done anything he promised. I'll believe it when I see it.
Get rid of the 500 Generals.
From: United States, (on Sabbatical)
President Leonel Fernandez acknowledged that heightened drug trafficking threatens Dominican Republic and regretted that it has permeated the country’s military lately, which “we cannot allow.”
My opinion Mr. Leonel Fernadez Reyna;
What the country needs is food, less speeches and photoopportunities, less banquets, less masses, but, more sincere charity. Remember, "Charity begins at home".
The Politicians who are living off the fat of the land should spread some of that disporpotionate amount of wealth they've accumulated. Most of them weren't born in the lap of luxury, or with a silver spoon in their mouths, they enriched themselves by graft and embezzeling OPP.
What is needed urgently is men who will give less speeches, and will conduct themselves like public servants and serve the public. Less rhetoric, more ethics! Then, possibly the armed forces can emulate the elected officials. Soldiers, Policemen are paid a pittance for such a dangerous and demanding job; charity!
From: United States
2001DUCK, I also had great hope that LF was a man of integrity. I have no respect for him after the pardons. Transparently corrupt, poor people suffer in jail; the rich do not go to jail.
In 5 years there has been NO change in the drug smuggling in and out of his country. We all know he knows. It takes 8 people executed to get it to surface and still nothing. All hidden again.
He continues to spend the peoples money extravagantly on cronyism and foolishness, when he promised in his first term to cut government spending.
Written by: brootto, 30 Jan 2009 11:52 AM
From: United States, South West Florida
I must said dr has too many military personnel, i wonder why they have no confrontation with anyone and what are they doing if they are not engage in any military activities besides patrolling the sea, the border and keep those drug lords and trafficker from entering dr if the presidente reduce military middle manager or officer etc it could be more easily monitor which does not mean anything.
From: United States, Washington, D.C.
In the Dominican context, w/ poor governance and w/ institutions w/ limited credibility, the anti-corruption measures can look like this:
1. raise salaries
2. pushing for non-partisan institutional reforms: e.g., Service delivery performance that ensures a certain quality of service;
3. Citizen empowerment that allows them to report/complain about lack of services and identify clientlism/corruption;
4. Information dissemination
5. external auditors;
6. Involvement of Non-Partisan stakeholders like the church, universities, and CSOs in evaluation of corruption situations.
Written by: BLANCO, 30 Jan 2009 12:35 PM
From: Dominican Republic
Fernandez warned the members of the Armed Forces and the Police to not let themselves be won over by narcotics traffickers’ corrupting gold, since it means dishonor and shame for them, their relatives and the country.
dishonor and shame these words do not exist in this country any more, the example has been set by the authorities and has set the tone . MONEY overtakes dishonour and shame.
if they want to start somewhere, they can start with the illlegal money changers on the streets who are the exchange fronts for hard currencey for the drug dealers..
I believe there is a "LAW" on the books to confront this activity, balaguer used it
god bless us all in the fight
Written by: juanb, 30 Jan 2009 1:23 PM
From: Dominican Republic
Baldoria has given the perfect list of changes to confront, contain, and eventually eliminate the dishonest military/police officials. Certainly without raising the salaries we leave these people to find creative ways to generate income, the easiest of which is involvement with drugs.
From: United States
BLANCO, "dishonor and shame these words do not exist in this country any more". Never truer words than these.
What has happened to the Dominican people? Are they so beat down, uneducated that they will just take it? The example that your 'leaders' purvey is to be corrupt, it is a good thing.
Your country will NEVER be a "mature" vacation destination when your law enforcement people can kill you and get away with it.
Written by: 2001DUCK, 30 Jan 2009 5:59 PM
From: United States
gmiller261,i guess we all had high expectations,but i have to agree the dominican government has a great ability to insulate and protect all the thieves in government and many legal and illegal ventures,but as usual the masses continue to suffer.i fear the day the people reach a point of despair,and the only solution is violence on a broadscale.i am sure that day is approaching.
From: Afghanistan, BAF
Why should the Dominicans turn their country into a blood bath to sate the DEA ? Look what good relations We have built with columbia or atleast the beseiged city state of Bogata, The war on drugs is an epic failure and to deny that fact is a falacy rooted in puritan ideaology...
Written by: josean, 30 Jan 2009 11:44 PM
From: United States
Written by: generoso, 31 Jan 2009 8:18 AM
From: United States, Santo Domingo
josean
This slime ball has been mooching off politics forever. He is a disgrace to the country and has a tail as long as Lucifer.
There is no reason why he should be rewarded with a sensitive diplomatic post instead of being thrown in the slammer where he belongs.
His continuous scams have put shame whatever public office he has held, bringing government
auditors to sue and try to recover the funds he has mismanaged to no avail.
Not only he is a thief and a con man but he is a prolific writer and speaks fluently to defend himself
like a cat upside down, creating chaos and havoc wherever he transits.
What else I can say? Thumbs down I guess. Feed him to the lions!
Written by: josean, 31 Jan 2009 8:46 AM
From: United States
"Not only he is a thief and a con man but he is a prolific writer and speaks fluently to defend himself like a cat upside down, creating chaos and havoc wherever he transits"
.
So it would be hard for a blind guy to tell him apart from Vincho and Lie-onel
Written by: generoso, 31 Jan 2009 10:09 AM
From: United States, Santo Domingo
josean
You heard the saying "In the country of the blind the one eyed man is king"
Our ignorance and naivete is terminal blindness in a way. We keep getting charmed by the snake
oil salesmen politicians that play the flute like a sorcerer charms a poisonous king cobra snake.
On and on again. They feed us the same bushu every elections, they are going to clean up politics
and jail corrupted officials, lower staple prices, give everybody a job, and more lies non stop.
Once they swear in then they change their phone numbers and surround themselves with sycophants until the next elections.
These "cara dura" professional bums masquerading as politicians do not have the slightest inclinations to "serve" other than themselves, with a huge spoon.
Written by: josean, 31 Jan 2009 12:01 PM
From: United States
Professor you sound like old Karl Marx :
"The oppressed are allowed once every few years to decide which particular representatives of the oppressing class are to represent and repress them."
Written by: generoso, 31 Jan 2009 2:07 PM
From: United States, Santo Domingo
I am no marxist but the statement carries some weight. You see that is why I do not believe that you can drastically change the usual and customary way of doing business because the system itself is corrupted and needs to be jettisoned.
The PLD claims for example that they tried to be frugal and stopped cronyism in 1996-2000 and then they were labelled by allies and even PLD members as "comesolos" because they imposed certain austerity measures in the 1996-2000 period of government.
And that was the cause that they lost the election in 2000 to a more populist PRD campaign.
The system is rotten and needs to be discarded and replaced by a much more simple government
without the two chambers of do nothing senators and congressmen, and certainly without the
unlimited presidential powers given to the president by the article 55 of the constitution, which confers king like powers over public moneys to the president to do as he wishes.
From: Dominican Republic, Boycott Dominican Tourism
LF can not clean up anything, why? Because he has no BALLS. People don't respect they FEAR!!!
once you have a sitaution like this he should gave up the position.
Written by: Duane, 2 Feb 2009 7:59 AM
From: United Kingdom
Does DR have a military? Are they the lazy chaps I see outside state buildings? The ones with the rusted old guns? The ones that lean upon their rifles and fall asleep under the palms? The men that haven't ironed their uniforms or ever cleaned their boots?
They aren't military - they don't even qualify as cub scouts.
From: United States, (on Sabbatical)
Written by: Duane, 2 Feb 2009 7:59 AM
From: United Kingdom
Does DR have a military? Are they the lazy chaps I see outside state buildings?
Hey there Duane, we're not as prim and proper as you blokes;
We don't have Beefeaters or a Buckinham Palace, and all those Royal trappings;
But then again, we don't have a Queen, or a court system where the Lawyers wear wigs!
We are part of the unfettered modern times. Kno' a mean, Mate? Gud dai!
Sir Duane of Kensington...
Written by: Duane, 2 Feb 2009 11:15 AM
From: United Kingdom
What an arse. So its modern over there is it? Lets see if you can still send your mails when the power fails later on in the day. Our judges may wear daft wigs, but at least almost all of the time, the system works. Your money doesn't guarantee you a way out here like it does in DR. Is that the modern way?
And... well, if thats modern military, then you're well and truly screwed when the next invasion comes.
Written by: generoso, 2 Feb 2009 2:59 PM
From: United States, Santo Domingo
Duane
I guess you are a glutton for punishment my "superior" friend. The only thing that the British colonists left in the Caribbean islands that they enslaved, was a huge bureaucratic tradition and the propensity to stamp everything with useless stamps and seals, plus the legacy of their prized sport, the infamous "cricket" that is played by royalty and other sissies, instead of competing in the interesting and manly sport of baseball.
BTW your poor Dominican wife who has to put up with you 24/7 deserves a medal.
Written by: generoso, 2 Feb 2009 3:08 PM
From: United States, Santo Domingo
And one more thing, if you think Dominican military are a pushover for you Brits, don't make the sad mistake thinking we fight like Argentinians. We are lean and mean and know how to use the silent machete in more ways than one. We make your famous "gurkhas" or the other blokes and wankers you pay to do your fighting for you nowadays look sick and anemic compared to us.
Written by: Duane, 3 Feb 2009 5:57 AM
From: United Kingdom
You hit the nail on the head - we'd pay your fellow countrymen to fight themselves. And understanding Pedro he'd jump at the chance to 'machete' his fellow countrymen for a few pesos.
You could probably storm the presidential palace with 500 pesos.
Stamps? The Spanish are the experts in useless forms & stamps - a legacy that still remains in DR. My wife sails through our airports, whilst after I've dodged the merengue band begging for cash, I have to deal with Pedro that tells me he is going to empty my cases unless I cross his palm with silver. Then I fill in a selection of very silly forms, (last time I signed them Mickey Fucking Mouse, no one noticed) then I go through a series of different passport checks. Finally after dodging people selling coconut ashtrays, I get to sit in the lounge with no air conditioning.
If I'm lucky when I get to the other side, my valuable items haven't been stolen.
British bureaucracy has nothing on DR. You are experts with the worthless stamp.
Written by: generoso, 4 Feb 2009 7:36 PM
From: United States, Santo Domingo
Duane or Mickery F..ken Mouse as your immigration form says.
If you dislike everything Dominican so much, how come you married one?
Where you that desperate? O was she?
Or was it a mail order bride?
Just curious.
Written by: josean, 4 Feb 2009 9:42 PM
From: United States
I thought Sir Duane was going to grace us with his absence for three months after he was crying because his racist gibberish was deleted?
Written by: generoso, 4 Feb 2009 10:22 PM
From: United States, Santo Domingo
josean
His highness was not used to high caliber exchanges from us "vulgarians" and retreated until further notice. I am afraid for the safety of his Dominican wife now. LOL.
From: Afghanistan, BAF
One just needs to slide a 500 Peso note in the Ol passport to ease the concerns of the authorities, Many countries have an "Airport fee" or escape tax to board the plane, DR is not that exceptional in this regard, One must take the bad with the good...
Written by: Duane, 30 Jun 2009 6:58 AM
From: United Kingdom
Yes - well I'm back now. When my comments get taken down or censored I don't post for 3 months.
I'll censor myself I don't need to get them to do it for me.
Generoso - The reason I married a Dominican woman was because she was, and still is the best woman I've ever met.
Josean - Whats so racist about laughing at the lazy looking military?
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stop illegal immigration, smuggling and drug trade.
It is well know that the majority of illegal drugs and weapons to commit crimes come from the porous border brought in by the thousands of Haitians that invade us daily.
To wisely use the many military to better monitor the border and try to put a stop to this traffic that starts in the failed state of Haiti, travels to DR and then once here some of the drug stays here and then it is transported by illegal immigrant boats to Puerto Rico and then on to the states.
This fact has been known to the military chiefs for a long time, yet nothing is done to stop it, claiming assets are few and there is no budget for border patrols. Instead the number of generals
without command increase exponentially. We in DR have more generals according to a source
than the USA.
Nip the problem in the bud instead of flip flopping around so much.
LF has never done anything he promised. I'll believe it when I see it.
Get rid of the 500 Generals.
My opinion Mr. Leonel Fernadez Reyna;
What the country needs is food, less speeches and photoopportunities, less banquets, less masses, but, more sincere charity. Remember, "Charity begins at home".
The Politicians who are living off the fat of the land should spread some of that disporpotionate amount of wealth they've accumulated. Most of them weren't born in the lap of luxury, or with a silver spoon in their mouths, they enriched themselves by graft and embezzeling OPP.
What is needed urgently is men who will give less speeches, and will conduct themselves like public servants and serve the public. Less rhetoric, more ethics! Then, possibly the armed forces can emulate the elected officials. Soldiers, Policemen are paid a pittance for such a dangerous and demanding job; charity!
2001DUCK, I also had great hope that LF was a man of integrity. I have no respect for him after the pardons. Transparently corrupt, poor people suffer in jail; the rich do not go to jail.
In 5 years there has been NO change in the drug smuggling in and out of his country. We all know he knows. It takes 8 people executed to get it to surface and still nothing. All hidden again.
He continues to spend the peoples money extravagantly on cronyism and foolishness, when he promised in his first term to cut government spending.
1. raise salaries
2. pushing for non-partisan institutional reforms: e.g., Service delivery performance that ensures a certain quality of service;
3. Citizen empowerment that allows them to report/complain about lack of services and identify clientlism/corruption;
4. Information dissemination
5. external auditors;
6. Involvement of Non-Partisan stakeholders like the church, universities, and CSOs in evaluation of corruption situations.
dishonor and shame these words do not exist in this country any more, the example has been set by the authorities and has set the tone . MONEY overtakes dishonour and shame.
if they want to start somewhere, they can start with the illlegal money changers on the streets who are the exchange fronts for hard currencey for the drug dealers..
I believe there is a "LAW" on the books to confront this activity, balaguer used it
god bless us all in the fight
BLANCO, "dishonor and shame these words do not exist in this country any more". Never truer words than these.
What has happened to the Dominican people? Are they so beat down, uneducated that they will just take it? The example that your 'leaders' purvey is to be corrupt, it is a good thing.
Your country will NEVER be a "mature" vacation destination when your law enforcement people can kill you and get away with it.
Hum, emassador to Columbia!
Does his luggage not get check because of diplomatic immunity?
http://www.listin.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=89510
This slime ball has been mooching off politics forever. He is a disgrace to the country and has a tail as long as Lucifer.
There is no reason why he should be rewarded with a sensitive diplomatic post instead of being thrown in the slammer where he belongs.
His continuous scams have put shame whatever public office he has held, bringing government
auditors to sue and try to recover the funds he has mismanaged to no avail.
Not only he is a thief and a con man but he is a prolific writer and speaks fluently to defend himself
like a cat upside down, creating chaos and havoc wherever he transits.
What else I can say? Thumbs down I guess. Feed him to the lions!
.
So it would be hard for a blind guy to tell him apart from Vincho and Lie-onel
You heard the saying "In the country of the blind the one eyed man is king"
Our ignorance and naivete is terminal blindness in a way. We keep getting charmed by the snake
oil salesmen politicians that play the flute like a sorcerer charms a poisonous king cobra snake.
On and on again. They feed us the same bushu every elections, they are going to clean up politics
and jail corrupted officials, lower staple prices, give everybody a job, and more lies non stop.
Once they swear in then they change their phone numbers and surround themselves with sycophants until the next elections.
These "cara dura" professional bums masquerading as politicians do not have the slightest inclinations to "serve" other than themselves, with a huge spoon.
"The oppressed are allowed once every few years to decide which particular representatives of the oppressing class are to represent and repress them."
The PLD claims for example that they tried to be frugal and stopped cronyism in 1996-2000 and then they were labelled by allies and even PLD members as "comesolos" because they imposed certain austerity measures in the 1996-2000 period of government.
And that was the cause that they lost the election in 2000 to a more populist PRD campaign.
The system is rotten and needs to be discarded and replaced by a much more simple government
without the two chambers of do nothing senators and congressmen, and certainly without the
unlimited presidential powers given to the president by the article 55 of the constitution, which confers king like powers over public moneys to the president to do as he wishes.
once you have a sitaution like this he should gave up the position.
They aren't military - they don't even qualify as cub scouts.
From: United Kingdom
Does DR have a military? Are they the lazy chaps I see outside state buildings?
Hey there Duane, we're not as prim and proper as you blokes;
We don't have Beefeaters or a Buckinham Palace, and all those Royal trappings;
But then again, we don't have a Queen, or a court system where the Lawyers wear wigs!
We are part of the unfettered modern times. Kno' a mean, Mate? Gud dai!
Sir Duane of Kensington...
And... well, if thats modern military, then you're well and truly screwed when the next invasion comes.
I guess you are a glutton for punishment my "superior" friend. The only thing that the British colonists left in the Caribbean islands that they enslaved, was a huge bureaucratic tradition and the propensity to stamp everything with useless stamps and seals, plus the legacy of their prized sport, the infamous "cricket" that is played by royalty and other sissies, instead of competing in the interesting and manly sport of baseball.
BTW your poor Dominican wife who has to put up with you 24/7 deserves a medal.
You could probably storm the presidential palace with 500 pesos.
Stamps? The Spanish are the experts in useless forms & stamps - a legacy that still remains in DR. My wife sails through our airports, whilst after I've dodged the merengue band begging for cash, I have to deal with Pedro that tells me he is going to empty my cases unless I cross his palm with silver. Then I fill in a selection of very silly forms, (last time I signed them Mickey Fucking Mouse, no one noticed) then I go through a series of different passport checks. Finally after dodging people selling coconut ashtrays, I get to sit in the lounge with no air conditioning.
If I'm lucky when I get to the other side, my valuable items haven't been stolen.
British bureaucracy has nothing on DR. You are experts with the worthless stamp.
If you dislike everything Dominican so much, how come you married one?
Where you that desperate? O was she?
Or was it a mail order bride?
Just curious.
His highness was not used to high caliber exchanges from us "vulgarians" and retreated until further notice. I am afraid for the safety of his Dominican wife now. LOL.
I'll censor myself I don't need to get them to do it for me.
Generoso - The reason I married a Dominican woman was because she was, and still is the best woman I've ever met.
Josean - Whats so racist about laughing at the lazy looking military?