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Rafael Hipólito Mejía Domínguez, former president of the Dominican Republic, and newly appointed presidential candidate of his country’s political party PRD (Partido Revolucionario Dominicano) recently visited New York City as part of his campaign.
Story by Debralee Santos and Adrian Cabreja
Report from sister publication The Bronx Free Press
Hundreds of local residents gathered recently for an early morning breakfast – and an avid political discussion.
But their immediate thoughts were not on the recently concluded legislative session in Albany.
Instead, their discussion centered on the electoral process of the island nation many of them still call home – La República, as in the Dominican Republic.
Dominican nationals and Dominican-American residents of the Bronx and northern Manhattan convened this past Saturday, July 2nd in the Bronx’s Eastwood Manor to welcome former Dominican president Rafael Hipólito Mejía Domínguez, who is mounting a political campaign to retake the country’s executive chamber in the upcoming elections, to be held in May 2012.
Mejía was President of the Dominican Republic from 2000 to 2004, and while his advocacy for many popular issues such as social security, the growth of small businesses and agriculture, and overhauling education, garnered the former agronomist considerable electoral support, his administration also oversaw one of the country’s worse economic crises in its history.
In 2004, he sought re-election, but was defeated by Leonel Fernández, of the opposing Dominican Liberation Party (PLD).
The event was sponsored by the New York Hispanic Clergy, an organization of Hispanic religious leaders. The breakfast meeting was one of many visits Mejía, of the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD), will make throughout the region as he motors through a multi-city American tour in an effort to capture votes.
Just last month, the right of Dominicans living abroad to elect the President, the Vice President and several deputies, was approved into law by the country’s Chamber of Deputies.
Moreover, Mejía’s visit comes one month after having been officially declared his party’s presidential candidate on May 8th at its convention in which the “Comrades’ Agreement” that he and his opponent within the PRD party, Miguel Vargas Maldonado, was ratified on March 3rd. The Agreement effectively ended Vargas’ candidacy and ceded the party’s nomination to Mejía.
“I don’t ask you to vote for me, but if you don’t, you’ll throw your vote away,” said the perpetually jocular Mejía as the audience laughed.
It was a warm reception that the charismatic presidential candidate was granted, as attendees responded enthusiastically to Mejía’s characteristic plain-spoken humor.
“For breakfast [today], I ate something that I only eat when I’m here in the United States,” said Mejía , with a broad grin.
“Today I ate pancakes.”
Still, despite the banter, Mejía soon adopted a far more serious tone when he began to outline his plans for the Dominican Republic’s future.
“Our economy is bad for one reason,” he said. “We need to work on [our] education.”
The former President emphasized the need for an ever more educated and skilled work force in an increasingly competitive global economy.
Mejía, who attended North Carolina State University in the States, made clear what he painted as an urgent need for young and educated Dominican-Americans to come back to the homeland to contribute in the construction of a “new” Dominican Republic.
“The young here will be welcomed with open arms by my administration. We need your help,” said Mejía . “We need to rebuild this country from the ground up. Your “patria’ needs you.”
Mejía will face off against the Dominican Liberation Party Presidential (PLD) candidate and current Secretary of State Danilo Medina.
Mejía and Medina are no strangers to such a race. In the 2000 elections, the two also ran against each other, with Mejía the ultimate victor in securing the Presidential nomination.
But while the focus of his discourse was overwhelmingly on the issues in the Dominican Republic, Mejía did not shy away from taking up the current events of his host city, and of the United States.
He expressed his strong disapproval of the recent decision made by New York lawmakers to legalize same-sex marriage.
“I’m not against homosexuality,” said the presidential candidate. “[But] I will never support same-sex marriage.”
Mejía also quickly went on to discuss his opposition to abortion.
“The issue was brought up recently in the Dominican Republic and I showed my disapproval of it,” he explained. “I am pro-life.”
In concluding his remarks, Mejía thanked the crowd for its support, and acknowledged the millions of Dominicans who live here in the United States.
“We are all following a dream, and you’ve decided to find it here,” said Mejía. “For that, I acknowledge your sacrifice.”
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