Roseau, Dominica: Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit stated that Dominica Labour Party had nominated a fine slate of candidates. During the launch event of Cassandra Williams from La Plain Constituency, he stressed that his party had formulated the best team for these times in which they lived.
PM Roosevelt Skerrit appreciated Cassandra Williams and cited that she is one of the people of the La Plain constituency. “She is from among you. She is who you want your children to see when they look in the mirror 10 and 20 years from now, “he added.
Emphasizing the significance of voting, he mentioned that voting is their civic duty. Go out on Tuesday and vote for the Candidates of the Dominica Labour Party. It is good to be in Delices tonight. He felt proud of their choice of candidate.
He said that he called upon Dominicans tonight to judge them fairly. They were not perfect. They made some errors, but they also did a great deal of good for this country.
He asked the people to go out on Tuesday and vote for the Candidates of the Dominica Labour Party. “Put your X in the box next to the shoe, Ladies and Gentlemen. Do not let any part of the X touch any part of the box.
Put that X, dead centre in the box beside the shoe and walk out of that polling station feeling uplifted and accomplished, “said the prime minister.
He added, “I want Cassandra Williams’ name to be called on Tuesday night as the duly elected member for the La Plaine Constituency. I want Gretta Roberts’ name to be called as the duly elected member for the Grand Fond, Riviere Cyrique and Morne John constituency. I want Octavia Alfred returned as the Parl Rep for Castle Bruce and I want Cozier Frederick to receive even more votes this time than he did last elections. My dear people of the East and South East of Dominica I want all four seats just mentioned and when those four are in the bag….I want Gregory Riviere to be elected as the New Parl Rep for the constituency of Marigot.”
He stressed that he want to bring all five seats in the East and Southeast home. The other six seats, he can assure people, will be coming to Labour as well.
PM Roosevelt Skerrit asserted that the world would be watching Dominica next Tuesday, They will be looking to see how mature they are, as a people. They will even be looking to see how civilized they are, as a people. General elections have been conducted across the world, in the midst of Covid. General elections have been conducted in the midst of the global social, political and economic meltdown.
While giving example of various other snap general elections, he stated that Snap elections have been called all over the world. Snap elections have been efficiently conducted all over the world, and the will of the people was determined and honored. How is it, therefore, that nothing abnormal is happening in Dominica, yet the voters of Dominica are being made to live in fear?
PM Roosevelt Skerrit mentioned that the snap elections were called in the sister island of Barbados earlier this year,. The Opposition there was not ready…but they entered the battle field, because that is what opposition parties do. The opposition in Barbados fought the election, Barbadians went out and voted without incident on elections day. The opposition in Barbados lost in every seat, but Bajans went about their business the very next day, as a mature democracy should.
“How then are we tonight sending signals to the world that something is different about Dominica. How could snap elections have been called less than two years after polling in St. Kitts and Nevis and voters could have participated in that election without incident, “PM Skerrit asked.
The Opposition in St. Kitts was not ready for general elections in under two years. But they fought and, Ladies and Gentlemen, they won. A party that lost all but two seats 18 months before, won by a landslide earlier this year in St. Kitts and Nevis. Yet, Dominicans are being told that they are not capable of managing their own affairs and that blocking of roads and burning of tyres is the pathway to success.
“No one in this country told the United Workers Party not to contest the elections!! They heard elections were called; they knew they were not ready…and they panicked. They jumped ahead of themselves and declared that they were not taking part. They refused to nominate candidates and now, as the date for voting draweth nigh, they are feeling stupid. They are feeling defeated. It is now coming home to them, that they have sentenced themselves to five more years in the wilderness,”said the prime minister.
He said that he want Returning Officers on Tuesday night, to tell the world…who the people of Dominica want to lead them for the next five years. He want the observers to look on and determine the will of the people of Dominica. He want the international community to recognize and appreciate the opposition in Dominica for the political nuisances that they are.
“I am no political strategist but if I were a senior member of the Workers Party on November 6th, I would have demanded an urgent delegates conference and by the following Thursday night, a new leader would have been elected and the party would have been ready to field a full slate of candidates on November 19th, Nominations Day, “said the prime minister.
