1. The UK was making 2 grants available to rebuild the water system. First, one of £10 Million and another of £15 Million for a total of ($98 Million Eastern Caribbean Currency, XCD). This is a generous offer by the UK to help Dominica improve its water system in a more resilient manner and to ensure that the island is more capable of withstanding the ravages of future tropical storms and hurricanes.
2. The EU is giving €11 Million and another €2 Million for total aid package €13 Million to improve climate resiliency in Dominica. That amounts to (approximately $48 million XCD). According to the Prime Minister, that money was "ready to be transferred". Mr. Skerrit said that he would take €11 Million Euros (approximately $37 Million XCD) to construct hurricane shelters before the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season which start June 1, 2018. The shelters will have large halls with water tanks, beds, kitchens and generators; each center will be ran by a manager.
Click the link to read the press release. Dominica PM Update Press Release . The pertinent information is contained in 2 paragraphs towards the end of the Press release.
From this press release and, subsequent dearth of information on the aforementioned donations and plans, one can see that Mr. Skerrit is back to his games; not much information has been subsequently presented on these important matters. The Press Release of January 19th, 2018, does not appear to have been given to the local media in Dominica. Why? Is it because Mr. Skerrit may have been trying to impress the EU officials who were attending the Tenth EDF CaRIFORUM being held around the same time in Barbados? As if to say, here is my transparency report card. One would think that, something this important to Dominica's recovery from the Hurricane Maria and future development, would be also released in Dominica so the people could discuss it. Whatever the reason, Mr. Skerrit did not see the need to provide this release to the Dominican public. As usual, the Dominican people are left in the dark with unanswered questions.
Building Shelters for Dominicans before the next hurricane season is an urgent matter, especially when the money is being made available. Mr. Skerrit needs to get on with it and stop playing games. Is he trying to dilly dally in order to award another no-bid contract to his friends in Barbados? What is the big secret? No one should have a problem with Mr. Skerrit giving information to Caribbean News Now. However, simultaneously making the same information available to the local press in Dominica would be the mature thing to do as, Skerrit is not running his personal business. He travels and negotiates on behalf of Dominica; Dominica pays his monthly salary and travel expenses though he demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of this simple fact. Mr. Skerrit must stop his juvenile game of 'shak, shak, marbel'. Dominica needs competency, maturity, and openness if it is to accomplish goals of keeping the people safe and secure and achieving climate resilience. The Dominica people need to know when the Hurricane shelters are going to be built. This guessing game must stop!
