"If you don't have a godfather, you die without being baptized." To get ahead in the world you have to know someone.
Dominicans use it with the resigned air that you use when acknowledging an unpleasant but long learned truth. This is especially true in a country that struggles with corruption as much as the Dominican Republic. Political favors, employment, even healthcare can depend on who you know or how much you pay.
I don't drop the C-word lightly. I have a disclaimer on the side bar of this blog stating that the opinions on this blog doesn't reflect the opinions of the Peace Corps but this is still very much a PC project. This means that I take responsible representation of my host country very seriously.
Peace Corps service is incredibly rewarding but it can also be baffling, frustrating, and disappointing. Sometimes you just need to vent but that isn't what this is about. Because corruption in the Dominican Republic isn't a matter of my opinion or my frustration but fact: it ranked 120 of 176 countries on Transparency International's "Corruption Perception Index." This means that there are 119 countries less corrupt than the DR and only 56 more corrupt.
The classic example of corruption is la botella ("bottle"): a job for which you are given a title and a paycheck but don't have to do anything. I once met a store owner who was also a prominent campaign organizer for the political party in power. As a token of appreciation for his efforts he was appointed "Assistant Ambassador to Canada" despite not speaking English or French or even having traveled to the country.
This example might be a little comical but corruption is a much bigger that that. The DR was one of 11 countries involved in the 9 billion Odebrecht bribery scandal - the largest such scandal in recorded history. . Seven people went to jail.
I feel OK talking about corruption because Dominicans talk about it. A lot. Corruption is a widely acknowledged problem that enters virtually every political conversation that doesn't involve a politician. And, rather awesomely, Dominicans not only talk but take action. The Odebrecht case appears to be the last straw for many. There is currently a nationwide protest movement (La Marcha Verde - "Green March") demanding el fin de la impunidad: "the end of impunity."
I have written admiringly about Dominican politics before and that hasn't changed. It is, in fact, quite heartening to know that they haven't given up on their young democracy despite everything. The people take to the streets to make their voices heard and voter participation is higher than in the United States.
Still, the folks in the green t-shirts and ballcaps have a long march ahead of them.
Today, here in the mountain village, far from any other Americans except Cat and any fireworks, I am grateful to have grown up in a country where where my education, employment and health didn't depend on my having a "godfather."
By CPI standards the USA is not the least corrupt country in the world but certainly far less corrupt than the DR.
We're number 18!
Happy Independence Day.
Thanks for the link to Transparency International.
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