Hipólito Mejía on cancellations in the DGII: “The president should not allow that”

SANTO DOMINGO. — Former President Hipólito Mejía, a high-ranking leader of the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM), stated that it is incorrect for mass layoffs of employees to occur with the arrival of a new incumbent to a public institution, in a statement that aligns with the complaints made by the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Alfredo Pacheco. Mejía considered that this type of practices should not occur in public administration, regardless of the changes that are made as a result of new appointments, and pointed out that the President of the Republic should not allow officials or party members to be displaced without clear justification. The former president remarked that these movements can affect stability and trust within the PRM and the public sector.

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The veteran politician’s statements come amid an internal debate within the ruling party following recent cancellations at the General Directorate of Internal Taxes (DGII) and other institutions, which Pacheco described as an unfair persecution of PRM militants and grassroots technicians, in the name of new appointments and government reorganizations. During a legislative session, Pacheco expressed his support for the relaunch of the Government headed by President Luis Abinader, but strongly rejected that these changes imply the displacement of officials with a career within the PRM to favor what he called “opportunistic officials” and “arrivistes”. He assured that he will not remain silent, even if it brings him personal or political consequences. The legislator also specifically denounced that the argument of cancellations to justify the changes has been used in various public bodies, unfairly hitting prepared militants who have served the party and the State, which has generated great concern among their colleagues.