Mejía offers Medina conditional support

Santo Domingo.- Former oppositionpresidential candidate Hipólito Mejía has offered president elect Danilo Medinahis support in the implementation of actions that benefit the vast majority ofDominicans.

“President Danilo Medina, we have acommitment to the country, for which we are always willing to offer ourcooperation in any actions directed at benefiting the great majorities,” hestated.

In a speech made two days beforeMedina takes power, Mejía said that the new president would need toconcentrate on all the nation’s strengths in order to solve the problems leftby the Fernández administration and stressed that facts, not words would definehis attitude towards the president.

Hesaid that the Dominican Republic could not cope with the new governmentcontinuing on the irresponsible path of “extravagant expenses of the PLDadministrations”.

Mejía, who represents a PRD partyfaction, said that he would not support any tax reform that harmed the publicor the productive sectors.

He warned that he would be alert inorder to save the people from paying the price of the financial disaster hesaid had been left by president Leonel Fernández.

“Our economists are predicting thatby the end of December, this deficit will stand at RD$118 billion, which willhave serious consequences for Dominican families”, he stated.

Mejía was critical of the Fernándezadministration. He blamed the president for the collapse of theagricultural sector, the unrestrained increase in imports and the enrichment ofgovernment figures and for issuing food importation permits.