1. Plunder of the Treasury for personal gain? 1.2 billion dollars is missing? The government is yet to account for that passport sales money or state with charity why it is not now in our Treasury.
2. Destruction of our reputation as the nation which harbors and abets international gangsters, money launderers and criminals as diplomats to represent us. Several have been convicted. The latest was ambassador Monfared the Iranian who was given 20 years in jail just last week by an Iranian court and ordered to repay 1.2 billion dollars.
3. The devastation of our agricultural economy by an inept government. Our agriculture now in the tomb.
4. The eradication of our major industries. Industry now in the grave.
5. The doling out of passport money, money that should belong in the national treasury, to family, friends and political cronies to build hotel and the like. Who really own these hotels built with the people’s money? Should not those hotels be at least partly owned by a Dominica national trust? By this conduct the regime is creating a new oligarchy.
6. The impoverishment of Gordon Henderson’s hometown of Portsmouth by the departure of Ross University. The inept regime sent not one high level delegation to the US to engage robust lobbying to save the school, nor enlist the service of the many US based Dominicans in academia, some of whom serve on university boards.
7. The destruction of rule of law by the arrest on bogus charges of leaders of the Opposition and civil society by a police force increasing reduced to being the thuggish strong arm of the regime. Just on Independence Day 2019, in a squalid descent into thuggery, a policeman out of uniform roughed up Dr Pascal and ejected him and nurse Sandford from a public event in which they committed no crime other than standing silently in protest with a flag of Dominica stretched between them.
8. The cruel exclusion of trained medical doctors like Dr Sam Christian, Dr Irving Pascal, Dr Dale Dangleben and Dr Hazel Shillingford from the national hospital because they have criticized government. Foreigners can practice at the national hospital but not local people. Dominicans have lost the right to freedom of association or freedom of expression. Our democracy at the abyss.
9. Millions for foreign artists but crumbs for locals in way of culture – while the public library remains uncovered two years after Hurricane Maria and the Marigot Hospital is now closed. Where are our priorities?
10. The destruction of our democracy by one man rule and the refusal of the Government to hold commissions of inquiry into any of the scandals such as the bin bobol, the fertilizer bobol or the attempted murder of retired Judge Glenworth Emmanuel and his wife Greta. They died and never got justice.
11. The victimization of civil servants and police officers who do not support the regime.
12. The development of a beggar culture and the destruction of a professional civil service as citizens are made to line up for money in the Red Clinic presided over by the Prime Minister. That insidious culture of mendicancy is cultivated to make captive those dependent on handouts and so beholden to the regime for their very survival. Beggary is a rebuke to our culture of industry, creativity and hard work.
What an inspiring message. Gordon Henderson must repent for his error of judgement. I too was appalled by his comment coming on the hills of his participation in this year’s creole music festival. I wondered if that was his way of saying thank you. So sad!