Government tightens the belt and launches an official austerity plan

SANTO DOMINGO. President Danilo Medina announced yesterday a series of austerity measures that imply limitations on the use of official vehicles, credit cards, governmental publicity, foreign travel, expense accounts and others.

The decision was taken during the meeting of the expanded Council of Government, held in the Presidential Palace, the scene where the Code of Ethics was officially installed. The objective of the code is to establish a transparent conduct in the exercise of the public administration.

According to the austerity measures contained in Decree 499-12, parties, receptions, luncheons, celebrations or any other similar activities are prohibited with the exception of those carried out by the President or the Chancellery for chiefs of state.

The acquisition of vehicles of any kind is suspended for a year, except for a greater cause, and the substitution of vehicles of less than five years of age is also prohibited.

There will be not presents, Christmas baskets, no rental of private installations for official acts, nor publications in newspapers (paid notices) as well as the rationalization of the consumption of energy, cell phones, internet and fuel all form part of the measures.

The decree, which has 16 articles, was read by the Presidential spokesman Roberto Rodriguez Marchena, and indicates that for a fuel allowance, the authorities will have to take into consideration the purpose for which the vehicle will be used; it prohibited the remodeling of the offices of officials and the purchase of furniture, and it orders the Ministry of Hacienda to take an inventory and establish the necessary policies for the evaluation of the feasibility of selling off the luxury and high consumption vehicles that belong to the state.

The expense accounts that are assigned to the high level posts that are covered in the Law of Public Function, cannot exceed 15% of the base salary. Regarding credit cards: Credit card use is prohibited for all high level officials with the exception of the President and Vice President, ministers, directors and administrators.

The order establishes that the dispositions are applied to all public agencies, as well as to the autonomous and decentralized organizations, but it leaves the Reserve Bank, the Agriculture Bank and the National Housing Bank out of this requirement.

Quarterly reports will be presented on the finances of the institutions, which will allow for the evaluation of the compliance with these measures, and in the case of finding any lack of compliance the Controller General will establish the civil responsibility.

In its article 16, the decree says that these measures will be valid for one year, starting with the date of its publication, and the previous article (15) calls on the legislative power to carry out readjustments internally.

Code of Ethical Standards

This Code was created during the Council of Government, and was signed by the President, the Vice President, Margarita Cedeño de Fernandez and the official that were present. In this proposal Medina says that he will work with honesty, fairness, efficiency, transparency and dedication.

The initiative was read by the President’s announcer, Jose Guillermo Sued, and instructs that the President in less than 30 days will present his sworn declaration of assets and will demonstrate the origin of these assets before during and after the end of his term of office, as well as present each year the fiscal reports and his tax commitments. All of these measures, some 18 points, will have to be undertaken by all of the officials.

Purchases

Medina will personally watch over the integrity of the processes of purchases and public contracts that are carried out in the public institutions.

The commissions

The Council of Ministers approved the creation of 13 commissions. These were the Reactivation of Farming; the Fiscal Pact; the Police Reform; the Availability of Credit to the Mipymes; the Adquisition of Construction Equipment. Also, the Presidential commissions on: Property Titles; Unique Window for Property Investments; the Evaluation of Public Works and the State of Property Executions; the National Literacy Program; the National System of Technical Professional Training; another commission for the import of products for technical corrections; and a commission to review the assignment of military personnel to civilian and military officials.