25 Party Principles

Sisters and brothers:

Our country has hit bottom. Taxes and levies are everywhere. Jobs are scarce. Government is outsourcing. Electricity bills are a nightmare. Cost of living is high. And wages are low. VAT is crippling us. Businesses are downsizing or closing. Poverty is spreading. Our working people are under attack. Youths have no direction and are growing restless. Crime is on the rise. Family values are threatened. Respect and love for one another are disappearing. And we are no longer our brother’s keeper. Senior citizens are forgotten. Our people are losing hope and are leaving by the hundreds. The future seems uncertain.

It does not have to be so. It can be much better for our people. Our country is blessed with natural resources envied by our Caribbean neighbours. And our people at home and abroad are as capable, disciplined and patriotic as any.

The underlying problem is leadership. Our country is in the hands of a government that is incapable of taking us forward. Our political leaders are unable to understand why our country is in the crisis it is now in and they, therefore, cannot prescribe remedies that can get us out of that crisis. Overseas begging has replaced sound economic planning. And handouts take the place of providing jobs. Our natural and human resources go unused. And our enormous potential remains untapped. Government is unable to deal with constructive criticism and responds to it by victimization, open threats, and enticing persons in opposition to join their ranks. Development for the Government means setting up projects here, there and everywhere instead of raising the quality of life of the people. It has no confidence in the people’s ability to achieve. And it claims to know the people’s needs and aspirations better than the people themselves. There is no meaningful consultation with the people. And political democracy is on the line. Sisters and brothers. The PDM (Peoples Democratic Movement) offers new approaches as to how to move the economy forward and how to govern our country. The old ideas and the old way of doing things have no place in today’s world. What is required is a new vision based on new ideas.

Twenty-five basic principles guide our Movement:

  1. The Creator holds the central place in the affairs of our nation.
  2. People, rather than projects are the beginning and end of the process of development.
  3. Politics that divide our people must give way to politics that unite them.
  4. The way to unite our people is not to stifle criticism or bribe opposition parliamentarians to cross the floor.
  5. There is one way only to unite all our people: educate and organize them around a development plan and strategies which identify the pressing problems facing the country and prescribe achieveable solutions to these problems.
  6. We believe in a multi-party political system in which every citizen is free to form and join a political party to contest open elections.
  7. Our people’s democratic and constitutional rights and freedoms must be protected.
  8. All Dominicans, whether at home or in the diaspora, are equal partners in the process of national development.
  9. The development of our country in the short, medium and long terms must be founded on planning supported on deep-seated research.
  10. Our agenda for development must strike a balance between use of our natural resources and preservation of the physical environment.
  11. A full-time job, good health, proper housing and a sound education: each of these is a right of each and all our people rather than a privilege for a minority.
  12. Unemployment is the biggest obstacle to the progress of our country.
  13. We have a duty to protect the poor and disadvantaged amongst us.
  14. Our development is inextricably linked to the development of the OECS and the CSME.
  15. We must place great confidence in our people’s resilience and capacity to achieve.
  16. Political power resides in the people. Hence, political leaders and representatives must carry out their duties and responsibilities as servants rather than as masters of the people.
  17. Political leaders and representatives must be chosen from among the most capable persons of intellect, integrity, humility, and honesty. Commitment to the cause of national development is essential.
  18. A parliamentarian wishing to cross the floor must first obtain the consent of his constituents by way of referendum or by-election.
  19. Local government must be written into our nation’s Constitution, and town and village councils must be empowered to govern community affairs.
  20. We believe in the right of electors to recall representatives who fail to perform.
  21. Corruption in public office is the worst form of betrayal of Electors. It must be severely punished.
  22. Our nation’s youth need a sense of direction.
  23. P.D.M stands in full support of our Kalinago brothers and sisters in their ongoing struggle for a sense of identity and for equal opportunity in the life of our nation.
  24. Respect our women, cherish our children, honour our senior citizens and celebrate our heroes.
  25. The cause of the oppressed peoples of the world is our cause.

These are the fundamental principles on which our Movement is founded. They will guide the contents of our Constitution and the direction of our work among the masses. They will be at the root of our Development Plan for the nation and our strategies for development of the economic and social sectors. They will be the base upon which a new approach to governance of our country will be laid.

Sisters and brothers: We look forward to walking with you into the future. God bless.

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