A View from the North East
"We made good progress there... very soon we will make public a document and contents of that document which we have been able to sign which speaks to the international airport, which speaks to the financing of the international airport, which speaks to the managing of the
airport,”. Who uttered these words and when?
How about this: " ..An MOU of the Roseau and Portsmouth Enhancement Project of the Government of Dominica is to be signed on Thursday, October 23, ..."
For those who followed the unfortunate and shameful degradation of politics in Dominica, they would know that both emanated from the mouth of Roosevelt Skerrit of the deceptive Labor Party during the 2014 election. These were not promises; they were stated as fact. Five years later, none of these have materialized. Yet, in the run-up to another election, they are at it again.
So Roosevelt Skerrit, Liar-in-Chief and Vince Henderson 'Moocher Extraordinaire' are convinced that fibbing is beneficial and that people like it. So, why stop? Dominica and the Dominica Treasury belongs to him and his 'Group of Enablers'. Indeed, as recently as this week, the minister (of Environment, Climate Resiliency, Disaster Management and Urban Renewal) Joseph Isaac (JI) who is the candidate for Roseau North Constituency, has been openly promising housing and other goodies to potential voters, in anticipation of General Election. This is, without doubt, corrupt and abuse of government resources to gain political advantage. The current parliamentary representative, Danny Lugay, who is member of the Official Opposition has made no such promises because it is illegal under the election Act. Joseph Isaac and other candidates who are making these promises should be called out for abuse of incumbency and dragged before the courts.
One particularly vexing issue deserves special attention; the many hotels being built with Passport Monies. It is curious that these structures seem to be the only focus for development of the island Tourism product. Why? Is it because they provide a convenient avenue for Money laundering by prospective passport holders and resource diversion by those managing the program? Are these so called Developers paying 'kickbacks' to buy election, bribe people or spend as the recipient pleases? Who knows? There are no rules, except possibly for fast-tracking passport sales. Are there any links between the bottomless coffers of the Dominica Labor Party and these developments? Something just does not smell right! For the past several election cycles, the Dominica Labor Party, which never has visible local political fund raising activities always seem capable of doling out wads of cash, producing flashy paraphernalia in foreign countries (especially Barbados) and paying candidates to serve as Cabinet Placeholders. Any links to sales of thousands of Dominican passport by Fast-Taking 'Developers' to who ever comes forth (crooks, criminals, scoundrels, people running from international law enforcement)? In some cases, for example Kapinsky Resort, Developers are given Dominican land. How sweet?
Are there any links between 'No bid' contracts and Labor Party largesse? Recall, that no bid contracts are prone to irregularities and illegalities. The costs of a specific project is over-estimated so that excess funds can be funneled back to key personnel involved in procuring or staring funds to the recipient of the No-bid contract! In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, numerous no-bid contracts have been handed out by the Labor Administration, almost exclusively to non-Dominican companies. Is this what International Donors envisioned? More than XCD $100 million have gone to companies doing 'river dredging' and other infrastructural project with very little of that money remaining in Dominica; or so it appears. Local Truckers are always clamoring for their pay, while the 'red' Dominica-Strong labelled guys are rolling in dough. Why? Could it be that some of this Internationally donated funds for reconstruction remains in Dominica, except in a 'dark underworld'? The public needs to start digging for funds due to them!
Roosevelt Skerrit, in his deranged state of existence, continues to believe that Dominicans are dumb and have 'memoir poussin'. He and his co-conspirators (Anthony Astaphan, Vince Henderson, Bajan Adviser Harley Henry, and a handful of crooked lawyers) are downright disrespectful of the citizenry and believe they are stupid and superfluous - ' Dominicans will believe anything they are told'. So, come election time, a few dollars and materials are handed out or ground is broken on a project and the recipe for another election win is established. At this very moment, this movie is being played around the country on multiple capital projects that will never be completed.
Dominicans are once more being bombarded with ridiculous promises about International Airport, Energy sector development (with focus on the faltering Geothermal Project), Impractical housing schemes and, 'Five-Star hotels' without the needed infrastructural support system to ensure viability. The electorate is susceptible to these promises and bribes because many have been rendered poor and indeed destitute by the criminal mismanagement of island's financial resource. So, any promises of 'freeness' is likely to snag vulnerable persons who see no way forward in life.
So, how are Dominicans to take these lies and manipulations? For those who have the strength and means to fight, no energy should be spared to get the Roosevelt Skerrit-led Administration out of the Administrative offices of Dominica; the island will not survive another five years of this Administration. Like Buccaneers, this Labor Administration have pillaged the island for the past 20 years. Is this what Rosy Douglas had in mind when he called the United Worker Party (UWP) Corrupt in 1999? Was it Rosy's plan to set the groundwork for the most corrupt Administration that has ever being hoisted on the OECS? A regime in which ministers, ardent Labor Party Supporters and their Legal Protectorate are now multi-millionaires despite living in a small Caribbean island with no industries, few products to bolster its coffers and little foreign exchange? An island state where persons are still living under Tarpaulins 2 years after a Hurricane Maria. Secondly, the expansive diaspora, who has properties and families on island, should initiate an extensive international campaign to rid the island of this pestilence called the Labor Party Administration. For, without this effort, Dominica is doomed to eternal damnation. The island needs to be saved from this long running pillage and rise out of the ashes of the past 20 years of mismanagement and selfishness.
