HONOURABLE ROOSEVELT SKERRIT
PRIME MINISTER OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF DOMINICA
On the Occasion of the Launching of the Dominica Labour Party Manifesto
Thursday December 3, 2009 Dublanc
Voters of Dominica, on the night of May 5, 2005, you spoke. You trusted the Dominica
Labour Party, and had such confidence in its leadership and programme, that you gave
to our Party the mandate to govern this country for another five (5) years.
We were satisfied that the decision you took was based on the fact that you were
pleased with the results we had delivered to you during our first five (5) years in office.
We accepted the responsibilities of that mandate with humility, and immediately
continued the task of bringing development to our beloved Dominica and caring for you
in the manner we had been demonstrating.
We set out on the new five year journey of development together; it was not always
smooth sailing. We had to contend with the destructive forces of nature: hurricanes,
floods, landslides, earthquakes and sea-swells. They ravaged our crops, damaged vital infrastructure, laid waste churches and homes and set back the economic advances we were making. But we did not give up.
We stuck together. With sweat, determination, the proactive interventions of your
Government, and the generous assistance of our friends, both old and new, we
replanted our crops, repaired our homes, rehabilitated our roads and bridges, reequipped our fishermen and rebuilt some of our churches.
In spite of the ill will of our critics and detractors, we completed the Windsor Park
Stadium and constructed the first phase of the new Dominica Grammar School. The
elegantly designed Soufriere, Tane Tane and Fond St. Jean sea defence walls, have
lifted the ambiance of these villages.
Parents, children and inhabitants of the town of Portsmouth speak with pride and joy of their state-of-the-art Roosevelt Douglas Primary School.
Together, we confronted the worst that was thrown at us by a global financial and
economic crisis, and we stood tall. Fiery darts of slander, innuendo and character
assassination have been hurled at us, but we remained focused on the job you had
given us to do.
The reward for our steadfastness has been vindication by the Law Courts, steady and
sustained economic growth, an increasingly proud people and a new excitement all over the country that it is now Dominica’s turn to make that great leap forward that so many generations have dreamt about.
History and a future that looks promising with Labour are calling on you to join in a
movement of endeavor to take Dominica to the next level. My dear friends, the sun has set on the days of economic irresponsibility and fiscal gambling. There will be no return, for now you can clearly see the road to continued progress being paved by the political party of choice, the Dominica Labour Party.
Whether you are a farmer, fisher, small entrepreneur, single mother, student, cultural
artist, vendor, huckster, tradesperson or an elder citizen, the Government has listened to you and has responded to your call for support and assistance. We intend to continue to do so.
The manifesto we launch here tonight is a blueprint of how we intend to bring Dominica to that next level of development over the next five years. It builds on what we have been able to accomplish during the last five years, and identifies many new areas for investment that can rapidly improve on our standard of living and hopefully surpass the targets we have set for economic growth and job creation.
We are presenting to you a team of candidates who are well respected in their
communities and have a sound record of service and performance throughout
Dominica. Each of them is committed to be your humble servant for the next five years.
Together, we must continue the journey to take our country to a level where no one
goes in need of food, clothing, shelter, or a satisfying job.
Dominica’s future is in your hands; I invite you to be part of the making of this new
Dominica. With Labour, you can’t go wrong!!
Comrades and Friends, tonight we shall dissect this document in the hope of detailing to ou our plan for taking Dominica to the next level.
We have invited some of our seasoned campaigners as well as some of our new and
bright talent to assist in the task of outlining the details of this document. I invite you
now to join us on this journey…taking Dominica to the next level.
I thank you.
