Eddy Alcántara, executive director of the National Institute for Consumer Rights Protection (Pro Consumidor), publicly questioned the opposition’s narrative regarding economic turbulence, pointing out that their criticisms lack international context and seek to generate mistrust among Dominican citizens.
During a conference on consumer rights at the Chamber of Commerce of Sánchez Ramírez, Alcántara argued that the economic turbulence affecting the basic food basket is not exclusive to the Dominican Republic, but rather the result of exogenous factors impacting the entire Latin American region.
Regional comparison reveals lesser impact in the Dominican Republic
The official presented data from international organizations to support his position. According to information from the Central American Council for Consumer Protection (CONCADECO), the countries that make up the Central American Integration System (SICA) have experienced an inflationary impact higher than that of the Dominican Republic.
Similar studies by the Ibero-American Forum of Government Consumer Protection Agencies (FIAGC) corroborate this trend, demonstrating that the Dominican economy has better resisted the blows of the international crisis compared to neighboring nations.
“They want to make the Dominican people believe that inflation is an exclusive problem of the country, when it is a global crisis caused by external factors,” Alcántara emphasized, referring to events such as the coronavirus pandemic, geopolitical conflicts in Europe and the Middle East.
Economic management under political scrutiny
Defense of the Government’s economic policy
Alcántara attributed the relative performance of the Dominican economy to the measures implemented by the administration of President Luis Abinader. He argued that these policies have made it possible to cushion the effects of global economic turbulence affecting multiple economic sectors.
Regarding the claims about increases in 130 products, the head of Pro Consumidor maintained that such fluctuations align with historical inflationary projections of the Central Bank, considering market volatility since 2020.
Context of international volatility
The official emphasized that economic turbulence must be analyzed considering specific global events. The war between Russia and Ukraine, tensions in the Middle East, and the post-pandemic recovery generated inflationary pressures on supply chains and basic product prices.
Alcántara called on government officials to respond politically to opposition criticism, suggesting that purely technical responses are insufficient to counteract narratives that, from his perspective, seek to manipulate public perception.
The director urged Dominicans to recognize state efforts to mitigate the impact of global economic turbulence, arguing that the current administration has positioned the Dominican Republic in a better relative situation compared to comparable economies in the region.
