Since taking over the presidency of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader has stated and set dates for the presentation or construction of several projects that, with the passage of his first semester in government, have not materialized.
Situations and problems such as police reform, the presentation of the tourism plan in Pedernales, the promises of the arrival of a certain type of vaccine for January, among other topics, were one of the problems that the government administration has with Abinader.
This list could include the Electricity Pact, which, although signed on Thursday, did not have a social sector presence.
President Abinader called for work to resume in October 2020, waiting for the agreement to be signed before the end of that year.
2020 has passed and the pact has not been signed.
In early January, on the 6th, the Minister of the Presidency, Lisandro Macarrulla, said that it would be signed by the end of the month.
Police reform is another important issue that has fallen by the wayside. It was to be announced on the 15th of this month.
One of the first proposals made by President Abinader was that he would carry out a “new” police reform and that this project would begin to take shape in February.
This would be almost five years after the government of President Danilo Medina promulgated, on July 15, 2016, Law 590-16 which will “completely change” the organization of the National Police.
This law changed the figure of the “head” and was appointed instead general director, since the entry into force of the reform project of the institution. It was also ordered to reduce from 17 to eight the members of the Superior Council of Police (CSP), responsible for the Minister of Interior and Police in turn seven with voting rights and one vote only, who will be the Legal Adviser of the The executive, who will act as secretary.
The legislation still in force establishes that there will be no reinstatement of police officers, except for the exceptions in the Constitution, and the maximum time in the institution is limited to 40 years. The play called for better social security, regulates the use of force, prioritizes crime prevention and strengthens “confrontation with crime and punishments for police crimes.” In addition, it eliminated demotion as a disciplinary sanction for law enforcement.
The reform in anticipation of Abinader would improve wage conditions (one of his first kept promises).
During a special television program, in which he gave an account of his first five months in office, the president announced that this new reform will be announced on Monday, 15 February. However, this announcement was never made.
Pfizer vaccines to arrive in January
Pending the announcement of the coronavirus vaccination plan (Covid-19), Abinader said on January 8 that he hopes that the government will be able to receive about 25,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine manufactured by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer.
Abinader said on that occasion that these doses would arrive as an “emergency shipment” and would be initially applied to doctors and vulnerable groups and that he would be the first to be vaccinated. However, these vaccines have not arrived. On February 15, 20,000 doses of Covidshield arrived, using the same AstraZeneca formula but produced in India. Another 30,000 doses donated by the Indian government arrived on Friday 19th.
Undated subway and monorail
In late January, Abinader announced that he would extend the second line of the Santo Domingo subway, which would “help” decongest the streets of Santo Domingo.
As explained at the time by Abinader, collected in a press release from the Office for Transport Reorganization, the extension corresponds to the west side of the María Montés station, located at kilometer 9 to Los Alcarrizos, while the eastern part extends to the Los Mameyes sector of Concepción Bona station.
The President of the Republic has never revealed the date on which its construction will begin.
During his speech, he mentioned the specifications that will extend the extension of the second line of the Santo Domingo subway, but did not say when construction will begin. The word monorail was not mentioned a single time in which it lasted almost two hours.