Government Information Service

by Emmanuel H. Joseph
Government Information Service

Hon. Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit says that Dominicans have every reason to celebrate after thirty-one years of Independence. He made that claim as he addressed the nation on the morning of November 3rd, 2009 at the Windsor Park’s Stadium at the National Day Parade. The Prime Minister went on to list the many reasons for this bold claim.

“At the political level, we have succeeded in building a nation based on the rule of law. In spite of the debatable weaknesses of the Westminster system we inherited, we have conducted peaceful, orderly, constitutional and democratic changes of Government. This has fostered and enhanced social harmony, thereby allowing the institutions of the state to function smoothly.

We have remained firm and resolute in our respect for human rights including the rights of the child. We have placed no fetters on the rights of persons to assemble with whomsoever they wish and whenever they choose to do so. The right to freedom of speech is exercised fully and some of us do so with great abandon.

We have adopted the most insightful and beneficial policies on management of the natural environment. Today, approximately sixty-five percent (65%) of the country is covered in forest and this is not by accident. We have over the years put in place a regime of natural resource management laws and regulations that have preserved forty thousand acres of our land mass, as national parks and forest reserve.

We can take pride in this achievement as most countries cannot claim any more than thirteen percent of their land mass as forest. This unmatched approach to natural resource management was clearly articulated by His Excellency the President when he addressed the United Nations General Assembly in September. In his statement, His Excellency outlined the initiatives of Government in making Dominica a “Model for Sustainable Development”.

We have signed the Kyoto Protocol and numerous other Protocols related to the reduction of greenhouse gases, the handling and use of hazardous substances, the protection of endangered species and the preservation of biodiversity.

Ladies and gentlemen, this small island state of ours has produced nationals who have held and who continue to hold prominent positions in health, education, law, academia and the arts, in regional and international organisations. Some of our citizens head important departments in multinational pharmaceutical companies and the wider Private Sector.”

While calling out to the many achievements of his administration and those before him as part of Dominica’s progress and development, the Hon. Prime Minister reminded Dominicans that in the midst of progress, there is still cause for concern. He lamented the fact that there has been an upsurge in violence amongst our youth and took the time out to sound a clarion call to parents to assist in helping to curb the increase in violence.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, recent incidents of crime and anti-social behaviour in our midst should serve as a timely reminder to all, of our responsibilities to reign in and nurture those under our care, guidance and influence.

That is why today my plea goes out to all parents and guardians, to take charge of your homes and of your children. Be there for them before school and after school; work at gaining their trust; imbue in them the belief that success is the product of sacrifice and hard work; instil in them the principle that anything that is obtained easily is also lost easily. Work at making the home the primary zone of comfort and security for them.”

The Prime Minister also took  time off to highlight the recent achievements of students at the Dominica State College who were successful at both the A’ Level examinations and that of the City and Guilds Examinations. He admonished the students, especially those who have left college to set themselves a goal that they can aspire to in order to make a meaningful contribution to themselves, family, community and country.

The Prime Minister, who’s also the Hon. Minister for Finance, said that he decided to spend less time on economics in his address and more time focussing on a way forward for Dominica because we need to take stock of where we are in order to move forward.

“My concern today has to do less with economics and infrastructure and more with our taking stock of where we are as a nation at age 31 and charting a path forward, firstly, towards age forty and in the longer term towards the golden age of 50.

It is opportune at this time to examine some of the plans that we have in place for Dominica over the next 19 years when we will celebrate our 50th anniversary of independence. Thirty one years ago many could not have envisioned the Dominica that we enjoy today. But it took vision and fortitude to bring us to this point.

On the occasion of the celebration of this anniversary we wish to share with you the path that we are charting to take this country to the next level of social and economic development.

Some in our midst are content to put money in your pocket, food on your table and a roof over your head. For me, that’s not enough! Dominica must offer more to its citizens and its citizens must expect more of Dominica.”

In light of the benefits from alliances Dominica has made in the past eight (8) years, notwithstanding the criticisms for doing so, Hon. Skerrit listed the following as his dream for Dominica:

• 10 years from now to live in a Dominica where there is ample and equal opportunity for the full Dominican family; those residing on island as well as those scattered across the world
• to create an environment here at home, where the urge to reside elsewhere is minimal and where Dominicans living abroad who are not thriving or who are not comfortable with his or her experience, can freely return home, confident of welcoming arms and opportunities for social and economic advancement

However, in order to achieve those goals, the Prime Minister said that there are certain prerequisites that have to be met. The first he said, is ‘togetherness’ and explained why.

“We have to begin to rise above mutually destructive strife and unite around national and common causes. I have said repeatedly that there is no place in Dominica for tribal political warfare. Our Westminster system of government provides for the functioning of political parties of differing ideological and other persuasions.

Persons are entitled to their views and beliefs, but at age 31 we must know when and where to draw the line. We must know when the interest of Dominica is compromised by our actions and utterances.

Anyone listening to the level of debate and discussion of politics in Dominica would form the impression that the divide between our parties is particularly great. It is not the case! Therefore we need to temper the rhetoric and ensure that at all times we remain focussed on the issue of what is best for the country and the thousands of persons that call it home.”

According to the Prime Minister, the second one involves remaining steadfast and true to the goal of taking Dominica to the next level.

“Secondly we must remain resolute in our goal to move Dominica to a higher level. We must remain determined and committed. Together we must make it happen. Together we must take Dominica to the next level. With that resolve, we must now zoom in on the vehicles for taking us forward. Our development historically has been linked to agriculture. For decades, our farmers produced limes, cocoa, vanilla, bay oil and coffee with relative success. In the late nineteen forties, banana was introduced and remains the dominant crop to this day.

The expansion of our coconut cultivation in the nineteen seventies and eighties supported the development of Dominica Coconut Products into a world class manufacturer of soaps and oils. This was accomplished by the labour of hardworking Dominicans.

We have been very good at producing these crops. In the nineteen thirties, Dominica was the world’s largest producer of limes and exporter of lime juice; our vanilla fetched attractive prices on the world market. However, both lime and vanilla fell victim to advancing knowledge and technology, when synthetic methods were discovered to produce citric acid and vanillin respectively.

We are now the World’s largest producer of bay oil, and we are told by experts, that our coffee has a unique flavour and that it should be able to compete with premiere brands coming out of the Caribbean and Latin America. New opportunities have emerged for coffee, and bay is managing to survive negative marketing, surrounding one of its chemical constituents.”

However, in order to achieve that level, our approach to agriculture needs to be modernised with more emphasis being placed on utilising the latest in technology and management practices.

In the meantime, the Prime Minister, took the time out to defend what has been labelled locally as “Red Clinic” stating that the “clinic” has been nothing short of a misunderstanding of a ‘rapid response to meeting the needs of the poor,’ all part of the social protection programme.

“Before I leave the subject of social protection, I want to speak to one other innovation. Some people have labelled it the “red clinic”. It is an initiative that provides a rapid response to the needs of the poor and to those urgently requiring assistance; help that can sometimes mean life or death to the one making the request.

We recognise that there are a large number of individuals who are not covered by the established social protection mechanism. Included among these are farmers and fishermen, as well as displaced banana farmers and farm workers. Many of them are no longer in their prime and some have fallen on hard times.

In 2007 therefore, Government established the Public Support Programme as a quicker response mechanism. Since then, Parliamentary approval has been sought and obtained for every dollar spent under this programme which operates out of the Office of the Prime Minister with the necessary staffing.

The Programme has provided the Office of the Prime Minister with a deeper and more intimate insight into the social and economic ills that some of our citizens have to contend with on a daily basis. The Public Support Programme has worked and it shall be extended, reaching out to those in our society who are economically and socially challenged.”

Mr. Skerrit said that the thinking is that with a gradual improvement in the economy and with the creation of new and sustainable job opportunities, more and more persons would be able to move away from the Public Support Programme and into gainful employment.

He pledged to continue the programme despite the opposition levelled at it and himself.

“But we shall not abandon the programme merely because of pressure from those whose attitude towards the poor leaves much to be desired. As long as there is suffering in this country, there will be a helping hand extended by the government that I have the honour to lead.”

More of the Prime Minister’s address can be found on the Government Information Service website.