31.3 C
St John's
Thursday, June 8, 2023
HomeHeadlines That MatterSkerrit calls snap general election, Dominicans head to the polls on December...

Skerrit calls snap general election, Dominicans head to the polls on December 6

Dominica News Online – Prime Minister Skerrit announced tonight that general elections will be held on December 6, 2022. Β Nomination day will be November 18th.

β€œWe cannot take chances with the future of this country,” Skerrit declared during an address to the nation. β€œThe Dominica Labour Party must continue to be the beacon of hope. It must be the option for those who wish to see our country progress.”

β€œWith that in mind,” he continued, β€œI shall lead a new-look Dominica Labour Party into freshΒ general elections that will be held at the soonest possible time. I want for theΒ year 2023 to begin with a fresh mandate, given to a fresh Labour team, toΒ commence the work of building post-COVID Dominica.”

Stating that the country needs what he referred to as a national reset, with a β€œrefreshed” Dominica Labour Party team, Skerrit said he will reveal a new slate of candidates on Tuesday November 8.

Below is the full text of the Prime minister’s address.

Fellow Dominicans, living at home and abroad, residents, visitors, friends ofΒ Dominica, Ladies and Gentlemen.

I greet you this evening, as your humble servant of 22 years. I was veryΒ moved by your positive responses to my Independence Day Address andΒ the resolve of many, to play their part in helping your government and ourΒ country, realize the goals we have set ourselves, over the next decade.

On November 3 rd , I highlighted the impact of climate change as one of theΒ main challenges confronting small states like Dominica. A problem createdΒ elsewhere but which has dramatic impact on our economy, state financesΒ and way of life.Β We witnessed yet another instance of the impact of climate change on ourΒ country affecting the East of Dominica. I stand in solidarity with my sistersΒ and brothers in the East.

The Government mobilized heavy equipment to assist with the clearing ofΒ the roads and drains and to provide general support to the residents.Β We shall spare no effort and resources to provide the necessary support. IΒ have directed that all resource required, shall be assigned to the East toΒ provide relief.

We shall continue to pray for the safety of all.

My brothers and sisters, I believe in Dominica! I have faith in the capacity ofΒ our people, to rise above the occasional challenge, to persevere in the faceΒ of adversity and to make do, with what we have, in times of great difficulty.

In my address to the country last Thursday, I set forth clearly what would beΒ expected of you the residents; you, the investors; you, Dominicans livingΒ abroad, and also of you, friends of Dominica, committed to playing aΒ meaningful role in our development.

Our vision for Dominica is clear. This is fully set out in our Dynamic DominicaΒ Manifesto, and we have been delivering on it, despite the unfavorable globalΒ climate.

The additional measures that I outlined on Thursday will help cushion the impact of the rising oil and fuel prices on the world market on our people, and will help Dominica keep moving forward and upward to a brighter future.

Dominicans have proven time and again, that we are capable of bouncingΒ back from the most nerve wracking and tempestuous of circumstances.

We have broken the back of the COVID-19 pandemic here in Dominica. WeΒ have rebounded from some of the most adverse and ferocious weatherΒ conditions of this century. We managed to stay afloat, in a global food andΒ petroleum products crisis, that has left many an economy, in a moribundΒ state.

Social media can be bad, but it can also be good. It enables us to seeΒ firsthand what is happening in the world. We have all seen the impact ofΒ COVID-19 on other countries and the combined impact of COVID and theΒ war in Ukraine, on the cost and availability of food, goods and fuel prices. ItsΒ portrayal of real-life experiences across the globe, has served to sensitiseΒ Dominicans to the very difficult conditions that we, your Government, haveΒ had to navigate in the last three years.

Yes, fuel prices in Dominica are high….but in which non-oil producing country aren’t they high? Yes, food prices in Dominica have risen, but where in the world have they not been rising?

My brothers and sisters, we have had to play the hand that nature, fate andΒ man’s inhumanity to man, have dealt us. We have been riding the tide, in anΒ ocean that’s full of turmoil. We tune in to international news each day andΒ the outlook for several countries is becoming grim.

Here in Dominica, we have begun the fight back. We have been knocked toΒ the ground repeatedly, but we are back on our feet. We have dustedΒ ourselves off and we are on the move again. We have a story in Dominica,Β we can all be proud of.Β You do not have to be economists to observe and understand thatΒ government’s revenues have been rocked in recent years by the impact ofΒ Erika and Maria, by the COVID pandemic, and now from global food and fuelΒ supply shortages, occasioned by the war in Ukraine.

Revenues were down from every sector. Yet, government expenditures remained relatively high, because we continued to meet the needs of ourΒ people. We took action to keep you safe during COVID, and we preventedΒ people from descending into abject poverty, by keeping them employed.

Yes, these challenges would have resulted in delayed payments to some ofΒ our creditors, but demands on the treasury over the past two years,Β especially from the health sector, were unprecedented. We had to act to saveΒ lives. We had to keep persons employed and their families secure. We hadΒ to provide support to persons especially in the tourism sector who lost theirΒ jobs. We were able to wrestle covid to the ground. And yes, we are now inΒ recovery mode as a result of wise decision making.

I am happy to report that we are addressing the issue of late payments toΒ creditors, and several accounts now show a zero balance.Β This government, my friends, took deliberate steps to maintain socialΒ services. We insisted that families should not go without the necessities ofΒ life, even though revenues were declining drastically.

We held steadfast to our commitments to the elderly. They were at risk andΒ we ensured that their needs were met during that period of grave uncertainty.Β These things we did, Ladies and Gentlemen, and I think Dominica is thisΒ evening the better for it, because we remained glued to a philosophy ofΒ leaving no one behind.

Fellow Dominicans, residents and friends, attainment of the goals we haveΒ set ourselves calls for hard work and dedication by our workforce. It will callΒ for confidence and decisive action of investors. It will call for policies that willΒ inspire public officers and motivate them to give of their best in theΒ implementation and administration of such programs.

I am also aware, Ladies and Gentlemen, that success of the policies I haveΒ outlined, and the achievement of Dynamic Dominica requires inspired andΒ inspiring leadership. It requires ministers of government, leading from theΒ front. It requires energy and commitment. It requires constant regenerationΒ and rejuvenation.

The Dominica Labour Party has not shirked from making changes thatΒ enables it to remain dynamic, relevant and inspiring. In the last generalΒ elections, we introduced to you a new slate of candidates that included 11Β new, young and energetic faces. The challenges that they have faced haveΒ not been for the faint hearted. They would have come into office at one ofΒ the most difficult times in our history.

What we had hoped to achieve has been in many ways set off course by theΒ COVID pandemic.Β We are at a crucial stage of national development, Ladies and gentlemen,Β and we have to ensure that we have The Right Team For These Times! TheΒ road ahead will be challenging. It will be difficult. We believe that theΒ Dominica Labour Party must look across the country and secure the perfectΒ skill set for these unchartered waters.

Accordingly, there will be some changes to our Parliamentary team. We haveΒ discussed these changes among ourselves, and the time is coming, veryΒ shortly, when they shall be revealed to the country.

Labour is not about discarding anyone. The task ahead is tremendous. WeΒ will need all hands on deck to give ourselves a reasonable chance atΒ success. All current hands will be re-deployed to assist in the navigation ofΒ our national ship to safe harbour.

But ever so often, as a people, we need to pull off the road and undertakeΒ needed assessment, refocusing and recalibjkv ration. How can we doΒ better? In what areas are we succeeding? In what areas are we falling short?

These are questions I believe a mature, experienced governing party needsΒ to ask itself and respond to, ever so often.

I believe that the reopening of our country and our economy – post-COVID,Β is the best time for us as a country and indeed, as a government, to stop forΒ a National Reset. In the game of basketball, it’s called a time out. We cannotΒ wish the COVID-19 pandemic away. We cannot act as if this country and itsΒ economy were not afflicted by the ravages of this global setback. EveryΒ country in the world has had in the last two years to go back to the drawingΒ board. Dominica is no different!!This current Dominica Labour Party administration was elected in 2019 withΒ a particular mandate. We outlined policies in pursuit of a Dynamic Dominica.

We set ourselves goals, within a specific time frame, that cannot now be metΒ because of the unforeseen global circumstances. The reality is that ourΒ country was paralysed for months. Things we wanted to do, we could not do.Β Some things we started, have not yet been finished. This is not a game ofΒ juvenile rounders. Running a government and a country is serious business.

We have to operate in the realm of reality and practicality. We have, as aΒ nation, to press the reset button.Β We are determined to achieve all that we set ourselves to do in 2019. Indeed,Β the reality today is that we must do everything we promised back then, andΒ much, much more now, as a consequence of the challenges we enduredΒ over the past two and a half years.

We NEED A NATIONAL RESET, if we are to fully recover from COVID andΒ put this country back on a trajectory of real and sustainable developmentΒ over the next 10 to 15 years.

Towards this end, we have done our own internal analysis. I started first withΒ myself. I have been your chief servant for 22 years. I am eternally humbledΒ and very grateful for the opportunity you have given me to serve. I hope thatΒ my efforts will be judged fairly and within context.

On this occasion of National Reset, I have listened to the views of all, and IΒ have made a personal decision, which I have shared with some of my partyΒ elders. You have given me a mandate that constitutionally allows me toΒ remain in office as your Prime Minister until April, 2025. I do not intend to goΒ beyond that date. I have run my race and I intend to finish the course, withΒ Dominica safely back on a road of sustained progress and prosperity. ThatΒ is why, I am calling for a National Reset!

I would like, however, to preside over a peaceful and dignified transition ofΒ Prime Ministerial leadership to someone of my party and my colleagues’ choosing.Β We have as a party and a government to prepare for the next five years ofΒ covid rebuild and rebound. It will not be easy, and will require commitment,Β dedication and perseverance.

There is need for a blend of experience, energy, youth and positive attitude.

This is the desired formula for carrying Dominica over the proverbial line.Β It is my intention to stay on for another two and a half years, if it is your will.Β But some of my colleagues who have been with me throughout this journey,Β and others whose stint in elective politics has been much shorter, haveΒ collectively agreed that the time for renewal of the team is NOW.

We need a refreshed Dominica Labour Party team, for these veryΒ unpredictable, unprecedented and very challenging times. Following theΒ changes we made in 2019, there shall next time around be other changes,Β to ensure the continued renewal of our Labour Party frontline, and maintainΒ our continued relevance and the achievement of the visionary goals that weΒ have set ourselves and our country.

The Dominica Labour Party must continue to be the beacon of hope. It mustΒ be the option for those who wish to see our country progress. The challengesΒ that we face are Now…they are already upon us. We cannot take chancesΒ with the future of this country.

We have set ourselves on a progressive path of development and growth, that will see prosperity for our people and our country.

I shall be honored to use the benefits of my 22 years’ experience in politics,Β to lead the Dominica Labour Party and this country, through this period ofΒ global social, political and economic uncertainty.

We shall be the change that the country requires as we continually reshape,Β adjust, and correct course, as we move steadfastly towards that DynamicΒ Dominica, a resilient Dominica.

With that in mind, I shall lead a new-look Dominica Labour Party into freshΒ general elections that will be held at the soonest possible time. I want for theΒ year 2023 to begin with a fresh mandate, given to a fresh Labour team, toΒ commence the work of building post-COVID Dominica.

With this in mind, today I met with His Excellency the President and advisedΒ that he dissolves the current Parliament of this country effective immediately.

I have asked that a fresh writ be issued on Monday 7th November, 2022 forΒ the holding of general elections in the Commonwealth of Dominica. TheΒ Dominica Labour Party will reveal its new-look slate of candidates in MahautΒ on Tuesday, November 8th. Nomination Day in Dominica shall be Friday theΒ 18th of November. General elections day in Dominica, the day on which theΒ Dominica Labour Party will be seeking a fresh mandate, with a fresh team,Β is Tuesday 6th December, 2022.

May God Bless us all. May God continue to guide and bless the preciousΒ nature isle of Dominica.

I thank you

Most Popular

Recent Comments