Rants again show Dominican leader´s lack of mettle to curb officials

Sano Domingo.- The scandalousrants of a deputy minister who´s has yet to be fired once again revealspresident Danilo Medina´s lack of mettle to curb even mid level officials, andcomes just weeks after threats and aggression of several traffic cops by Eduardo VillamanFadul, a NewYork Consulate official who´s also on the National Police payroll still.

On Wednesday Industryand Commerce deputy minister Alfonso Crisostomo (El Querido) again justifiedhis threats caught o video against several Metropolitan Transit Authority (AMET)agents, when he went to retrieve a vehicle impounded in Puerto Plata owned byhis girlfriend, which he described as his "second base," and called PLDmembers "assholes and timid."

Referring to theheated discussion with several AMET agents and their commander Nelson Morilloat the impound yard, the official said he never intended to penalize the trafficcops but to teach them respect for the law.

All the agents andtheir commander were transferred to Santiago on Monday.

"They trappedthe car owned by Maribel Burgos, a girl romantically linked to me, a secondbase such as 80 percent of you have, large and midsize like us …" said thealso former deputy of Dominican Republic´s ruling PLD party.

"When thereformists (PRSC party) governed they went to the precincts and said I’ll takethat one because he is red and a colonel would say, Amen. Yes sir. Theperredeistas ( PRD) would punch them and the PLD are assholes," Crisostomosaid.

Interviewed onColorVision´s Show del Mediodia, the former lawmaker started ranting abouteveryone having a “second base” lover, but was taken off the air.

In a subsequent interviewin Santiago´s "El Cafecito" program, the also president of the PLD inPuerto Plata province said even discrete Dominican men such as former presidentLeonel Fernández have a “second base.”

More rants

Medina´s weakness tocontrol his officials was also evident in the case of the recently-fired CooperativeInstitute (IDECOOP) director Pedro Corporán, whose rants and threats to killjournalists went unchecked for years.