Santo Domingo.- Although the group Citizen Participation’s (PC) today hailed president Leonel Fernandez’s announcement  to seek help from international organisms to study government corruption and recommend measures to fight it, its General Coordinator has no hopes it would materialize as reports by organizations consulted will always be ignored.

“The action will not have any effect because there’s no political will to stop it,” said PC General Coordinator Samir Chami Isa.

Interviewed this morning in the program Diario de la Mañana, Chami Isa said if Dominican Republic’s senior officials had any political will, “we would see a government executive taken to court every day.”

The Coordinator of the civic group said despite what he called the country’s “good laws” to deal with corruption, none or very few are enforced, and cited the Free Access to Governmental Information among the “good legislations.

Chami Isa also listed the Dominican people’s for great challenges next year, in the areas of the economy, the reduction of foreign loans, education, health “and above all in the fight against corruption.”

The PC executive said to manage a transparent and ethical campaign for the May 16 elections is another important challenge. “We Dominicans have that commitment and we must make a great effort so everything transpires and culminates according to the law on electoral activities, because otherwise we’re going to regret it.”

As to the new Charter to take effect at the end of January, Chami Isa said the elimination of what he described as some faults wasn’t discussed. “It’s true that it’s a modern Constitution, but the mechanisms leading to political cronyism, (abuse of) presidential powers and government corruption remain.”