Santo Domingo.- President Luis Abinader defended the Economic Management of his government and assured that the purchasing power of the Dominicans has improved with the increase in the minimum wage.
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This in response to criticism of former president Leonel Fernández, whom he challenged with irony to discuss his figures on food and salary in the FAO (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization), offering it to cover “Passage, hotel and per diem to go to Rome to discuss.”
The price of chicken
The controversy arose after Leonel Fernández questioned the validity of the call “Chicken Index”, Used by the Government to measure the purchasing power of the Dominicans. Fernández said that the price of chicken has had a significant increase since 2012, and that the index does not reflect reality.
The ex -president recalled that in 2012 the chicken pound cost between RD $ 35 and RD $ 40, while currently ranging from RD $ 80 and RD $ 100an increase of up to a 140 %. In addition, he mentioned that in 2021, due to shortage, the purchase was limited to four units per person and that the chicken came to quote RD $ 125 Libra, an unprecedented fact in the country’s recent history.
Salary increase
On his side, President Abinader during the meeting with the press called La Weekly, argued that, according to FAO data, subalimentation in the country has come down from 8.7 % to 3.5 %.
Regarding purchasing power, he pointed out that the minimum not sectorized salary in 2012 was RD $ 9,900, equivalent to some US $ 247. While in 2025, the minimum wage will be RD $ 27,988, around US $ 450.
According to Abinader, this represents a significant increase in purchasing power, which refutes the argument of the “Index”:
“He is worried about Index chicken Because wherever we buy you much more now, Because that is the purchasing power, you calculate it by the absolute route, by the relative, for the whole form and that is the reality. Unfortunately They did not worry before uploading the real salary of the workers … And as all the centrals and economists have said, that has been my main objective, even in very difficult times, because we touched us a pandemic and we did raise the real salary of the workers. Uploading real salary means greater Power and capacity of purchase that we have achieved ”.
The exchange between President Luis Abinader and former president Leonel Fernández puts different visions about the purchasing power and economic situation of the country. While Fernández points out a significant increase in prices of basic products such as chicken, Abinader highlights the growth of the minimum wage and the reduction of subordinate according to data from international organizations.
Under fire
However, President Abinader’s comment addressed to former president Leonel Fernández occurs in the midst of an escalation of political tensions, which has also included a recent crossing with former President Danilo Medina.
During an activity in Mao, Medina said that in an eventual debate of government works “I will not have another way to humiliate it,” To which Abinader responded by highlighting his investments in key provinces such as San Juan, where the ex -president is from.
With the most recent pronouncement, Abinader reacts to Fernández’s criticism about the purchasing power and the price of chicken, defending the increase in the minimum wage and citing figures from international organizations such as FAO. Both episodes reflect the current political atmosphere, in which main national actors publicly contrast their visions on the economy and the results of their respective efforts.
