Dominica: PM Roosevelt Skerrit highlights achievement of govt post general elections 2022
Dominica: PM Roosevelt Skerrit highlights achievement of govt post general elections 2022

Dominica: Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica Dr Roosevelt Skerrit attended a radio show after winning the snap general elections 2022 on December 6, 2022. While having conversation with the panellists, Prime Minister Skerrit highlighted the achievement of the government.

He stated that during the initial years, only 44 percent of the students had access to the secondary schools, which witnessed massive increase in the numbers in the upcoming times. He further notified that the Dominican government extended the boundaries to the world, which were limited to Russia and Cuba.

“We have worked to provided world-class and improved infrastructure, health sector and education to people of Dominica,” PM Skerrit said.

He added that the government has done a lot, from providing access to housing to doing number of things in response to the natural disaster. PM Roosevelt Skerrit mentioned that 90 percent of the economy of Dominica was effected in 2015 and in 2017, the country witnessed loss of 226 percent. He added that in the matter of 2 years, everyone felt like, Dominica was devastated beyond repair and reconstruction.

Furthermore, he outlined that then pandemic hit the world and Dominicans were standing as a small country without resources but still fought because of the longstanding spirit of all the people.

While informing about the upcoming times, he outlined that the nation will see development and upliftment of many projects, including the International Airport. “We will be pushing it heavily. I’m hoping that we will be able to work for the Dominican public,” he said.

“We have to go out of the notion that only one person – Prime Minister, is responsible for every wrong doing in the country, we must work collectively. We have to make people for accounts, they cannot blame me for everything. My responsibility is to provide resources,” he added.

Prime Minister also took the platform to congratulate all the winning candidates of the Dominica Labour Party and the Independent candidates. While outlining the results of the general elections, PM Skerrit said, “My party concede defeat in Marigot and Salisbury as the two independent candidates won, and we accept those results because the people exercise their franchise and decided they wanted the two independent candidates and it is not bad for Dominica.

In addition to this, he said that the victory of two independent candidates will provide a different vision. He stated, “I welcome them and whatever guidance support that they will need, I will offer to them, because it doesn’t have to be contentious as they will need me to help advancing some of the projects and programs in the constituency which we will engage them on. But we do not allow ourselves to enjoy some level of congeniality to be able to speak to each other and so forth.”

Prime Minister Skerrit further said that he will have discussion with the Independent candidates and will hear their vision for their respective constituencies. He assured that his government will provide full support to the independent candidates.

In addition to this, PM Roosevelt Skerrit talked about the ‘major’ raised issue of the electoral reform. He stated that there are two fundamental issues, one National Identification cards and second the verification process to address the issue of the voter list.

While pointing out the time when economy fall in Dominica, he stated that in 2016, Dominican government provided the entire resources to the electoral commission which was worth of $ 7 million. Furthermore, he invited to the Commonwealth to review the legislation, which gave use approval that will meet the recommendation that made.

He asserted that electoral reform and voting are such fundamental issues as they people that he has the majority in the parliament. But the governemnt need to have broad-base consensus on this issue. He said that “I will make sure that nobody gonna accuses me of lacking electoral reform as, by the next year, we go into the parliament, we will pass the legislation, and we will have a consultation come January for all the stakeholders.”

On consensus, he considered Dominica’s public, and he has already written to the Commonwealth, OAS and CARICOM asking for technical support to review the report Dennis Byron that they could capture what they would recommend about the national best practices.