[majestictwelve]

A tersely-put excerpt :

--------------------------------

In a part of the country where unemployment is rock-bottom and the private sector takes up much of the government's duties, executives said there is little political incentive for the government to face its responsibilities.

Instead, when President Hipólito Mejía attended the inauguration of a commercial strip at Punta Cana, he jokingly accused Mr. Rainieri of not paying taxes. The presidential crack made the news, but not Mr. Rainieri's retort.

"Excuse me, but we pay millions in taxes and not one cent is invested here," he said. "The ones who do not pay taxes are your friends. Here, political friendships are the source of privilege."

Those cozy relationships have lasted through various governments, he said, and have held back the country, which faces a mammoth $2.2 billion bank fraud that financed a host of insider businesses. Add to that, he said, the failure of privatization in many Latin American countries, where a favored few reaped fortunes while services declined.

---------------------------------

For full article, go to:

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/29/bu...ss/29punt.html

(you need to register (free) to read the contents)