According to the democracy index published by the research center of the British magazine The Economist, the Dominican Republic has risen to eighth place in Latin America since Luis Abinader became president, without any negative element being applied and with a final evaluation similar to that of countries like the United States, Spain, France, Germany, or the United Kingdom.
Although a new breed of doom prophets is proliferating in the Dominican Republic, the figures and evaluations conducted by significant international institutions show that the management carried out by Luis Abinader since he took office is having very positive effects in the country.
As we published in Diario16, the Dominican Republic is at the forefront of global economic growth, is a leader in managing the global tourism sector, and above all, Abinader’s work to contain the pandemic is used as an example in major forums like Davos or the Summit of the Americas.
However, there are power brokers serving selfish and private interests who do nothing but search for details that obscure the reality of the positive consequences of the new government style of Luis Abinader.
In reality, both from the PLD opposition side and from the forums of their supporters, the principles of Nazi manager Joseph Goebbels’ propaganda are applied, particularly the one of exaggeration, which means transforming any anecdote, even a minimal one, into a serious threat, or the one of vulgarization, which states that propaganda “must be popular, adapting its level to the least intelligent of the individuals it addresses.” The larger the mass to be convinced, the less mental effort needed. The receptive capacity of the masses is limited, and their understanding is limited; moreover, they have a great facility to forget.
Nevertheless, the facts are what they are, and since Luis Abinader came to power in very unfavorable conditions due to the pandemic, the Dominican Republic has only improved in all areas.
This is reflected in the democracy index published annually by the study center of the prestigious British magazine The Economist. The report is clear: the Dominican Republic has risen to eighth place in Latin America in terms of democratic quality, ahead of countries like Peru, Mexico, Ecuador, and Paraguay, not to mention pseudo-authoritarian regimes like Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua. Moreover, the Caribbean country achieved the same final score as countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, France, and Germany.
Source: Index of Democracy – The Economist
Quantitatively, the Dominican Republic went from 6.32 in 2020 to 6.45, which shows that the democratic regeneration measures implemented by Luis Abinader are already having an effect.
The report takes into account more than 60 aspects of the evaluation, and in some of them, such as political pluralism and civil liberties, it scores well above the national average.
In terms of evolution, during the PLD governments, there were years when the Dominican Republic’s final score was much lower, almost edging into the classification as a “hybrid regime,” a threat that is now far behind thanks to the measures implemented by Luis Abinader.
In a global crisis situation where individualism prevails over the pursuit of the common good, some may think that these evaluations do not solve the direct problems of citizens. This is not true, because in many cases, and especially in the current situation, projections on citizenship are made in the medium term.
After a pandemic that paralyzed global economic activity, generated a supply crisis, and an increase in energy prices (all this before the war in Ukraine broke out), countries need a process of strengthening their credibility to obtain new investments that will lead to job creation growth and, consequently, salary increases due to increased labor demand.
Data such as those from the IMF, OECD, or The Economist are highly valued by international investors when planning to land in the Dominican Republic. It should not be forgotten that Abinader is already securing investments and significant international agreements that will create jobs in different sectors.
Therefore, those who claim that Abinader’s administration is not up to par or “does nothing” are mistaken. First of all, because he has not yet exceeded half of his term, and the timeline to achieve what he promised is four years, especially when it is necessary to implement profound reforms to regenerate a country that the PLD left in a state of demolition. Secondly, the change promised by Abinader in his electoral campaign is already a fact, and from an international perspective, the different forums where decisions are made that affect the whole world have already placed their pointer on the Dominican Republic, which can only bring positive effects in the next two years.
Before winning the elections, Abinader already knew he had a daunting task to accomplish. What he had not anticipated was a global pandemic and a war in Europe affecting the whole world. Despite this, the Dominican Republic is moving forward thanks to the new style of government of Luis Abinader, and on this, neither the detractors nor the supporters can say anything… although they will because populism always follows the line.
