THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - IS IT PARADISE?

In recent weeks there has been an increase in the intensity level placed throughout all media outlets about the Dominican Republic, unfortunately the news is not good. Eleven American tourists have died while vacationing in the Dominican Republic in the past year and one very notable Dominican American David “Big Papi” Ortiz was shot in a crowded public bar for reasons that remain unclear. 

In 2009 I bought a home in the Dominican Republic in a small community just outside the capital city of Santo Domingo on a public beach. The development where I owned that home for many years had nominal security but nothing that would have truly protected someone from a criminal who was intent on doing harm. But then again, criminals who are intent on doing harm exist all over the world. From 2009 until 2017 when I sold the property, I along with many of my family members and friends enjoyed endless days at that home on the beach and not one of my guests ever felt unsafe or experienced anything unsavory. However, tourists are losing their lives and the media his hyper focused on the background of these deaths including the shooting of “Big Papi”.

Is the Dominican Republic unsafe? Should tourists reconsider their vacation choices? This is not about crime statistics or comparing the number of American deaths in one country to another. All countries have crime, albeit some have a lot more than others and that can be contributed to any number of reasons PR agencies will choose to utilize to promote their position. I had a close friend call me this week and ask if she should move her impending wedding this December in the Dominican Republic to a new location, after a straight forward and to the point conversation, my answer was…. No! It is very sad that 11 Americans have died while on vacation there, very sad, and their families I have no doubt will grieve their losses for a long time to come, and that is a fact. “Big Papi” was shot in a crowded public place and though we may not know the reason why, that is a fact.

Despite the fact these individuals lost their lives on vacation in the Dominican Republic I would not discourage anyone from visiting this wonderful country. However, as with any sojourn outside the United States for a U.S. Citizen there are precautions you need to take. I lived in the Dominican Republic as a diplomat for 3 plus years, and I observed millions of Americans enjoy themselves in this part of paradise while on vacation. But just like anyplace one would travel where they are not intimately familiar with their surroundings we all have to take precautions and do a little research.

I actually know personally someone who experienced a death while on vacation in a foreign land and the last thing a family needs when that happens is for it to be called “fake news”. These families need compassion and a line of communication to ensure they obtain all the possible information available about how their loved ones died, not only for their comfort but for the comfort of those of us who may be planning trips to the Dominican Republic. Hopefully the authorities in the Dominican Republic and the U.S. State Department will make very concerted efforts to cooperate with and comfort those families.

Remember death can happen at anytime and crime happens everywhere, but there are things we can do to avoid crime. I am more than comfortable telling my friends to visit the Dominican Republic but I also tell them; DO NOT leave your all-inclusive resort alone. DO NOT travel with flashy expensive jewelry, DO NOT drink until you are blind drunk just because it is free or you feel you paid for it in the price of your stay! DO NOT take midnight romantic strolls along the beach. DO NOT take a local taxi, they are for locals! If you want to leave your resort to visit historical sites, which I highly encourage you to do, then HIRE a reputable guide and one that speaks fluent English in the event you do not speak fluent Spanish. And last but not least as a U.S. Citizen register with the U.S. Embassy for the time period you are going to be there in the event a major issue happens and you need help. The U.S. Citizens Service hotline is available to U.S. Citizens 24/7 in the event of emergencies. Anyplace can be dangerous but with a reasonable approach and precaution you can and most likely will enjoy a wonderful relaxing vacation in paradise.  

You can read more about the Dominican Republic, it's incredible beauty and my experiences in my new book "Breaking Protocol - Forging A Path Beyond Diplomacy" available this summer 2019 where your favorite books are sold! breakingprotocolbook.com

International Election Observation - Ukraine

In the past four weeks I have had the honor to participate as an international election observer as a member of the NDI delegation to Ukraine. The initial election on was held on Sunday, March 31 with 39 candidates running for President. After arriving in Kiev, I spent the first four days with the delegation reviewing protocols and procedures for election observers as well as participating in meetings with journalists and other notable Ukrainians who provided indepth awareness of the party system and candidate profiles.

Following the initial four days in Kiev I was dispatched to Odesa, a large city in southern Ukraine and the countries largest port city on the Black Sea following the annexation of Crimea. Our indoctrination in Kiev provided us with a solid background of candidates, party supporters, disruptors and potential security risks we could possibly encounter in our observation locations. Upon arriving in Odesa I discovered that the southern region and specifically the city of Odesa is primarily a Russian speaking population and the city’s architecture reflects relics of the Soviet era. We arrived on Friday, March 29^thin time to familiarize ourselves with the polling locations we would observe as well as meet some local elections officials we would be engaging with on election day. 

During the course of the day on Saturday we took the opportunity to explore some of the city center to evaluate if the campaign blackout period was being respected and if there were any signs of disruption or roaming para-military groups present who would intimidate voters.  Election day as an observer is extremely challenging, the polls in Ukraine open at 8:00am and close at 8:00pm. We arrived at the initial polling station at 7:15am to observe the opening procedures, which I will for go the details of, as they are extensive and procedural in nature. I will say these procedures at the polling station we observed were executed perfectly and without disruption in the full spirit of cooperation. 

Once voting begins observers simply watch for signs of procedural violations while noting the understanding of the procedures by the election officials present. At this point our team began the process for the next 12 hours of traveling throughout Odesa visiting a total of 9 polling locations and returning to our initial starting point at 7:45pm just in time to see the last ballot cast and the closing procedures begin. I might note at this point that ballots used in Ukraine are physical paper ballots that contained all 39 candidates names that appeared similar to the Dead Sea scrolls! The voting booths are designed in a similar 1950’s fashion where one enters and draws the curtain closed behind them and the ballot boxes are clear transparent containers in plain view of the entire polling place. 

The real fun begins after the polls close and the counting begins. The polling station where we observed closing procedures had approximately 2200 registered voters with a 70+% voter turnout. The ballots are dumped in the middle of a large table and one by one the ballot is collected from the table by the designated election official and the name of the candidate voted for is read aloud to the room. This process continues as each ballot read aloud is then placed into a designated candidate location on the table and repeated until all ballots are allocated according to the vote. Should a ballot be unclear or intentionally voided it is presented to the entire group of the designated poll officials and either discarded into a invalid pile or the voter intention is unanimously agreed to and submitted for counting. 

Shortly after midnight the final tally was concluded and the closing procedures were completed and transported to the central location where all polling stations delivered their results. We returned to the hotel at approximately 2am only to depart for the airport at 5am to fly back to Kiev for our debrief with the entire delegation. Lets just say we were a bit tired! 

The observation of this first round did not unveil any attempts by nefarious actors to delegitimize the results. In fact, I have to say our observations reflected a true pursuit of transparency and goal of moving forward real democracy for Ukraine. As for paper ballots U.S. Congressman John Shimkus R-IL stated in a press conference following the runoff on April 21 that he would actually support returning to paper ballots with transparent ballot boxes in U.S. elections. I rarely agree with Congressman Shimkus but the purity of the Ukrainian system leaves little path to voter fraud. If Congressman Shimkus is a supporter of transparency in elections that begs the question of why he voted against H.R. 1, a comprehensive anti-corruption and voting rights bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives.

The second round on April 21, or final runoff between Poroshenko the incumbent, and Zelensky the challenger, was extremely similar to my initial experience with the following exceptions. I was dispatched to Lviv an extraordinarily beautiful city in western Ukraine that reflected the architecture of a mini-Paris. The city has a very youthful population and the primary language in the west is Ukrainian. The procedures were extremely similar and the outcomes nearly identical.  

Ukraine has elected a new leader, a television actor with no previous experience in the government sector. The overwhelming consensus of Ukrainians was the current president Mr. Poroshenko had not fulfilled his previous campaign promises by curbing corruption and was responsible for squashing the momentum of the 2014 Ukrainian revolution. Mr. Zelensky has promised to reignite that momentum and having accused President Poroshenko of failing to address corruption among the oligarchs in the country, a promise he had made in 2017 by stating he would “cut off the hands of those who steal in the army,” Mr. Zelensky questioned President Poroshenko, “Why do your people all have both their hands?” Let’s hope for Ukraine and it’s democracy that the now President Zelensky is capable of keeping both his hands.