President Louis Abinader assured that the thermoelectric plants of Catalina Point they will not be privatized while he is head of state and that the people are and will continue to be the sole owner of all assets and rights contributed by the government for the creation of the trust that will manage it in a transparent manner.
In a brief speech to the country last night, Abinader emphasized that there is no trust submitted to the National Congressa single loophole that suggests the privatization of that precious public good.
He stressed that the dominican stateis and will continue to be the sole owner of all assets and rights contributed by the government for the creation of the trust, which it will manage in a transparent manner Catalina Point.
“It is surprising that many, out of interest or ignorance, say that a Technical Committee has the legal quality to privatize. It is known that the alienation of a public asset implies, by constitutional mandate, the approval of the National Congress”, expressed the head of state.
He stressed that among all the opinions about the trust there are some coming from people who should give many explanations about their role in that project and who are totally disqualified from giving advice.
He explained that the Punta Catalina Trust seeks to manage an asset that belongs entirely to the Dominican State, and any type of benefit derived from the management of said asset will be received by the Ministry of Finance.
“In this sense, you should know that after months of bidding and studies, last Tuesday, January 25, we received the preliminary technical audit, from the international firm which had been awarded, on the state of the Catalina Point. These results will be made public in the coming days,” added President Abinader.
He announced that in a few days an international company will carry out an audit that will show all the financial details of that project and that he also gave instructions to request another financial audit of the project from the Chamber of Accounts, so that the Dominican people can know every detail of invested in those plants.
“You have always heard me say it and today I repeat it: with the money of the Dominicans you do not play. You have the right to know how it has been spent in the past and how we will spend each peso, because it is your money,” insisted the president.
They will strengthen regulations
President Abinader reported that on February 27 he will submit to the National Congress a bill to strengthen the existing regulations on public trusts, so that no temporary tenant of power can harm the sacred interests of this people, as has happened on other occasions.
“We are going to provide solutions, we are going to do it together and we are going to create new capacities for the efficient management of properties and public interests,” he said.
Transparency stands out
The president highlighted the transparency that has characterized his exercise of government and that the explanations that the population demands and deserves are always offered and that the people, as the sole owner, always have the right to be accountable and much more about a project whose transparency has been so questioned since its inception.
“I want to make it clear to you that Catalina Point It is an issue that we are going to solve in the way that best suits the interests of the Dominican people, who are the ones who have paid for the dishes that others have broken. And as we did with the shadow toll, on this occasion we are also proceeding with rigor, seriousness and moral solvency”, he assured.
Abinader also said that the government is focused on solving problems, providing solutions and fulfilling the mandate that the people gave it to manage their money in the most rigorous and efficient way possible, always showing their faces.
“Catalina Point it already exists and it cost us Dominicans a high price. We cannot eliminate it; therefore, now we are going to manage it with transparency and efficiency. We are going to make this enormous sacrifice of citizens become a useful heritage for the whole of society”, concluded the president Louis Abinader.
Highlight advantages
The Association of Dominican Trustees (Asofidom) highlighted that the figure of the public trust is one of the most versatile and transparent tools that governments have to develop different types of initiatives and projects, providing confidence and security to the operation.
In a statement, the entity assures that the administration of assets by a Trustee ensures that what is stipulated in the contracts is complied with and that due to its proven transparency and efficiency, it is a widely used tool in Latin America.
They point out that one of the main advantages of the public trust is that the resources that are provided by the State, or generated by the trust itself, are dedicated exclusively to its purpose and cannot be used for other purposes.
“It is a vehicle that, being managed by a trustee, and constituting a separate estate with private accounting, promotes transparency in the use of public resources and mitigates the risks of administrative corruption,” indicates the entity.
They favored strengthening the regulation applicable to public trusts and trusts in general.
In his seven-minute speech from the National Palace, which was broadcast on radio, television and social networks, President Luis Abinader reported that he will ask the Senate of the Republic to postpone knowledge of the Punta Catalina trust project until the The Economic and Social Council (CES) receives the opinions of all the sectors that want to contribute to search for the most appropriate and transparent mechanism in the management and preservation of thermoelectric plants. “I have always listened to them to make important decisions,” said the president. Abinader emphasized that all citizens who want to comment on the trust must be heard at the CES and later in the Senate. At the end of his speech, the president repeated that “Punta Catalina will not be privatized nor will it be privatized while I am its president” and added “we are changing this country. Nothing and no one is going to stop us.”
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![“The right decision of the president that I welcome from the Senate of the DN. Punta Catalina must remain public, always clarifying and regulating the doubts of the population. Its construction process was flawed, so it's time to dissipate any coming noise”.]()
FARIDE RAFUL“The right decision of the president that I welcome from the Senate of the DN. Punta Catalina must remain public, always clarifying and regulating the doubts of the population. Its construction process was flawed, so it’s time to dissipate any coming noise”.
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https://diariolibre.blob.core.windows.net.optimalcdn.com/images/2022/01/31/a-man-with-a-green-tie-85ab9eb5.jpg![“I salute the government's decision to annul the privatization of Punta Catalina in the face of widespread pressure that opposes said process. This was a great deal for certain business groups.”]()
FULGENCIO SEVERINO
“I salute the government’s decision to annul the privatization of Punta Catalina in the face of widespread pressure that opposes said process. This was a great deal for certain business groups.”
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LUIS M. PELLERANO
“The Young Entrepreneurs see the government’s decision that a transparent and efficient administration of all public goods, including Punta Catalina, must be ensured”
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RADHAMES JIMENEZ“We welcome the announcement by the President of the Republic Luis Abinader, who in his address to the country welcomed our organization’s proposal to consult all sectors of national life, in relation to the Punta Catalina trust project”
