The Peoples Democratic Movement, Commonwealth of Dominica (PDM)

PDM Press Statements

Opposition Unity

P.D.M’s recent statement that an electoral arrangement with other Opposition parties cannot be ruled out for the coming elections has driven fear into Prime Minister Skerrit. And it has put him and the ruling Labour Party on the defensive.

So, the Prime Minister has come out with his usual childish remarks. You will remember when the new Freedom Party had its Delegates Conference in August last year? Prime Minister Skerrit tried to use the P.D.M to attack the Freedom Party. He said then that the P.D.M and its leader, Dr. Para Riviere, meant well and had a contribution to make to the development of the country. In the same breath he said that the new Freedomites were rebels who would soon disappear because they had nothing to offer, since the greater majority of Freedomites would remain linked to his Labour Party. The Prime Minister thought that P.D.M would take his foolish comments seriously and somehow make peace with the Labour Party.

Well, now that P.D.M has made public its position on Opposition unity, Skerrit has forgotten his earlier statement and is once again on the back of P.D.M and its political leader. Like the spoilt child he was brought up to be, and still is, he is now saying that on his return to Dominica in the late 1990s Dr. Riviere had told Rosie he would stick to law and not get involved in politics again. The Labour leader is also saying that all Dr. Riviere now wants is to become a member of Cabinet. More than this, Skerrit is now fooling himself into believing that P.D.M does not exist. Talk about mental imbalance. Today is one thing. Tomorrow is something else. And the Prime Minister has got his Labour Party cronies to cleverly try to convince P.D.M supporters that in any Opposition accomodation P.D.M will be gobbled up by the United Workers Party.

If all these things were true, the Labour Party would have nothing to worry about. They would go about their merry way and start to plan their next election victory party. But the fact Prime Minister Skerrit has come out crying and begayaying on the radio. And the fact that top Labourites are now talking nicely, as never before, to P.D.M supporters. This tells you one thing: Labour Party is scared of an Opposition accomodation. They see this as writing on their wall.

After all, didn’t Labour link up with Freedom to kick out U.W.P in the 2000 election? And didn’t Labour do the same thing in 2005 to keep themselves in power? So, what is wrong with the parties in opposition doing the same thing to remove Labour at the next election? What is good for the goose is most certainly be good for the gander!

The truth is: After almost nine years of Labour rule, particularly after five years of Skerrit rule, our people can’t take it any more.

The cost of living keeps going up from day to day. Food prices increase from shipment to shipment. DOMLEC bills rise from period to period. And we have been warned to brace for another increase in rates soon. Gas and diesel continue to rise. And Government continues to collect its $3.00 on every gallon sold. Bus fare just gone up. And VAT is still there. In fact, one-third of all Dominicans now live in poverty. Two-thirds of all Kalinagoes are forced to live in misery on just about $1.00 a day. Thirty per cent or so of our population remain unemployed. And a further significant number are under-employed. And our youths, the future of our country, go from graduation to liming on the streets.

It is clear that: our economy has all but collapsed. Agriculture, both banana and non-banana, exists in a state of limbo. In the absence of concessions to the private sector, manufacturing can hardly be described as a sector. There are elements of small-scale manufacturing. But there is no viable sector. And, judged by the recent and more recent resignations of the heads of Invest Dominica and Discover Dominica, tourism is now thrown into further crisis.

What is even clearer is that our population on the whole has never been as badly off as we now are. And Government does not have the vision to take the economy from where it now is, first, to ground zero level and, then, put it on a path towards forward growth and development.

To add insult to injury, while our people are kept in poverty, our leaders seem to be concerned only with enriching themselves and their loyal supporters. By all accounts, as far as bribery and corruption are concerned, this Government will go down as the worst in the short history of our country since Independence.

All over the country, state assets such as public money, housing and building materials, are handed out to Party faithfuls, instead of to those in need. Contracts are awarded to favoured supporters without bidding. And, for reasons best known to Government and not disclosed to the public, ownership of our key resources, like tarrish and geothermal energy, are sold out to unknown and untested foreigners, rather than placed in the joint hands of the State and local private interests.

But that is not all. Remember the land transfer transactions of our Prime Minister? That was just the beginning. Now, we are told, land is being bought all over the place, and registered in the names of family, friends and newly formed companies. And massive apartment buildings and spacious villas are going up in great hurry. Go to Picard. Come to Guillet. Day after day allegations of corruption and misuse of public funds have been leveled against one Minister or another. Government has time and again denied any wrongdoing. Yet doubts remain in the minds of the population at large. The only way to clear up these doubts once and for all would be to put the Integrity in Public Act into effect as of June 2003 when the legislation was gazetted, rather than today September 1st 2008. But Government has firmly refused to do so. And we are left to believe that they have something to hide. We in P.D.M believe that Government has failed miserably. And judged by the Labour Party’s fear of making public the findings of the Cadres Poll, the greater majority of Dominicans are beginning to believe the same.

Economic mismanagement. Corruption. Arrogance. Contempt for Dominicans at home and overseas. Five more years of Labour, and our country is bound to become another Haiti. Enough is Enough. If our country is not soon to become a failed State, we must remove the Labour Party from office. Collaboration among Opposition parties is much more urgent now than it was in 2000.

In 2000 Labour and Freedom came together to remove United Workers Party at all costs. Nothing was said about a new vision to take the country forward. United Workers Party was removed. But the country has not moved an inch forward. In fact, things have got worse.

P.D.M takes the position that for the coming elections we must go beyond the Labour/Freedom 2000 arrangement. We must put our people first. This means that we must not only remove Labour from power. We must at the same time lay out a new vision to take our country and our people forward. Nothing less will do.

William Para Riviere (Dr)

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