By Command Sergeant Major Ralph Alcendor
My birth country, island nation, Dominica, is at a crossroads today. As a youth growing up in the 50s and sixties during colonial and statehood days, Dominica was a paradise with civility, neighborly love from each other, and a bright future. The island was booming with sustainable agriculture, lots of fish, and everyone lived in peace and harmony. Today, under the tyrannical regime of the current Prime Minister, Roosevelt Maynard Skerritt, the island is rapidly becoming like Venezuela. The political atmosphere is pitting neighbors against neighbors.
Corruption is the mode of operation in every institution of government on the island. Millions of dollars given by donor countries during disasters, and passports sale proceeds are fleeced, stolen, and used for political mileage to stay in office. Prime minister Skerritt abuses his power like no other in the Caribbean, second to Venezuela 🇻🇪, its ALBA member.
Our island nation has become the poorest, second to Haiti due to bad governance and corruption. It’s last in every economic indicator compare and contrast with its neighbors in the OECS. Democracy no longer exists in what we knew was paradise. The Prime minister is now considered a full fledged dictator as he’s known on the island with the support of China and Venezuela. With upcoming elections, he’s refused to give electoral reform which is strongly recommended by the OAS, CARICOM and OECS. Dominica’s current population of 59,000 has a total of 74,900 electors on its voting list. Yet, the Prime minister refused to cleanse the list, so that he can continue to rig the election in order to stay in office. That’s why we the people beg for salvation of democracy in our beloved nation, the “Nature Isle of the world.”