GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION

The Dominican Republic: Government Corruption

The Dominican Republic: Government Corruption

We know that no Dominican government in history has had so many cases of corruption as in the crooked land deals, the garbage bin bobol, the fertilizer bobol, and the Portsmouth Villas bobol.

We know that many government ministers have refused to run again in this election so as to avoid arrest and prosecution for participating in a corrupt regime.

We know the party to be supported by foreign interests, and foreign emissaries some of whom have been arrested by the FBI for fraud such as Rudolph King. We cannot allow our country to be bought by mobsters.

Population

9,650,054 (July 2009 est.)

Life expectancy

Female: 75.6 years

Male: 71.88 years

Average: 73.7 years

Age structure

0-14 years: 31.4% (male 1,543,141/female 1,488,016)

15-64 years: 62.7% (male 3,087,351/female 2,960,319)

65 years and older: 5.9% (Male 247,738; Female 285,407) (2009 est.)

Population growth rate

1.489% (2009 est.)

Birth rate

22.39 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)

Death rate

5.28 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)

Net migration rate

-2.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)

Urbanization

Urban population: 69% of total population (2008)

rate of urbanization: 2.6% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and older can read and write

total population: 87%

male: 86.8%

female: 87.2% (2002 census)

Merit, achievement, and competence, therefore, were not always the main criteria guiding government appointments. The public bureaucracy was often characterized by genuine incompetence, even at the highest levels. Nepotism and corruption--defined as a favor in return for a favor, the granting of special governmental privileges to favored persons, private enrichment stemming from public service, or outright bribery--were also widespread (Matibag, 2003). Those who tried to be honest were scorned; they were considered foolish by their colleagues.

Indeed, government service was thought of, not so much as an honored career, as a brief opportunity to indulge oneself at the public trough. The frequent failure of government programs could often be attributed directly to the corruption and incompetence of the bureaucracy(Luna, 2002). Patronage and related activities were often tolerated at lower levels, so long as they were kept within reasonable bounds; however, when the corruption became blatant, as it did under President Jorge, the government was likely to suffer at the polls.

Under the president, were a number of technical offices-- administration, planning, budget, personnel--designed to help him perform his job more effectively. These offices generally did not function well, however, and most Dominican presidents continued to operate as personalistic and patronage leaders.

The size of the cabinet could vary; in 1989 it consisted of sixteen secretaries of state, three without ministerial portfolio. There were also an administrative secretary of state for the presidency, a technical secretary of state for the presidency, and twelve additional secretaries of state administering various ministries (Matibag, 2003). The cabinet did not function as an independent arm of, nor very often as an advisory body for, the presidency (although some of its individual members might); rather, it was a loose collection of administrators, operating almost entirely according to the wishes of the president.

In addition to the cabinet ministries, there were in 1989 fourteen autonomous agencies and eleven semiautonomous ...