Government and Opposition

In the speech where President Bill Clinton presented President Barack Obama to the American people at the Democratic convention, he spoke, almost obliquely, on governance and political figures. The approach is valuable for democratic countries. It is associated with the nature, extent and quality of relations between political leaders, the government and the opposition.

Regardless of the current situation, in which the Dominican opposition is not cohesive and the main party is divided or in transition, these ideas are crucial.

The first statement addressed has to do with feelings. President Clinton deplores the attitude of hatred of the Republican leadership toward President Obama and the Democrats. The political process should never be based on hate. It is a clear path to violence.

Faced with a temperament like that, to suggest collaboration between government and the governed would be an aberration. But Clinton says that is exactly what he did and explained how, as a Democrat, he worked constructively with Reagan and Bush from the foundation he leads to solve problems.

Clinton thinks that confrontation can be good for politics, but in the real world, cooperation works better. He regrets that the faction that now controls the Republican Party does not think so. “They think the government is the enemy.”

While the confrontation is required, especially in election time, that instrument stops being valid in daily life, as we try to interpret. There need to be debates, but from a constructive standpoint.

Politics should not be exercised on the basis of the disqualification, which prevents dialogue. Likewise, hatred and resentment must be eradicated because it takes the debate to a primitive state.

In the Dominican case, things would be much easier. We have approved, at a constitutional level, a National Development Strategy which can be an opportunity to work for the country. With the support of this strategy, government and opposition can build a better nation.