By Bert Wilkinson
Dominica’s neighbors Wednesday
appealed for calm and good
order in the wake of stifling opposition
led protests ahead of general
elections on Dec. 6.
Riot police fired tear gas canisters
and rubber bullets at protesters,
most of them linked to the
main opposition United Workers
Party (UWP) of former broadcaster
Lennox Linton. Police reported
no fatalities.
The protesters are angry that
the island of 72,000 is heading
into another election cycle without
reforms of the elections system
and fears that if the UWP participates
in the polls, it could in
fact remain on opposition benches
for another five years.
Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit’s
Dominica Labor Party (DLP)
is seeking a fifth consecutive five
year term and has called a snap
elections, hoping to cash in on
the success of the reconstruction
of the island’s infrastructure after
the devastation from Hurricane
Maria in late 2017.
Gaston Browne, prime minister
of nearby Antigua and current
chair of the nine-nation Organization
of Eastern Caribbean
States (OECS) of which Dominica
is a member, called for “an end
to violence and other disruptive
activities. These are essential to
ensuring that general elections
in Dominica are conducted in an
atmosphere free from fear,” he
said in a statement appealing for
calm.
Police said that the protests
have effectively disrupted life in
the so-called nature island as
UWP supporters, determined to
deny Skerrit a fifth term, have
blocked several main roads into
the capital, Roseau, and have
blocked streets leading to the
home of ceremonial President
Charles Savarin, a former veteran
government minister. Protesters,
he said, have also been stopping
emergency vehicles like ambulances
from reaching hospitals.
The clash with riot police came
amid heightened tensions this
week as candidates for various
parties and constituencies filed
papers on nomination day on
Tuesday.
Anger has also spilled over into
open clashes with police after
Savarin refused to meet with protesters
to discuss grievances.
The DLP is heading into the
polls with 15 of the 21 seats but
could be in for a rough time
Caribbean L 26 ife, NOVEMBER 22-28, 2019 B
despite the brilliant reconstruction
efforts of the administration
in the wake of super storm Maria.
A shaken up Skerrit, 47, took
to the airwaves to address the
nation, noting that the situation
will have a great impact on the
economy and could frighten away
both cruise and long stay tourists.
“What really is the reason for
these protests? Why are they seeking
to destroy the image and economic
well being of the country?
Something about their behavior
does not add up,” the PM said,
noting that international hotels
were forced to place facilities on
lock down as tear smoke filled the
air and as rubber bullets whizzed
by.
He fears the December-January
cruise peak season could be affected
if the demonstrations continue
as some vessels may bypass the
island for other destinations.
“No responsible political party
seeking to form a government will
engage in this type of irresponsible
behavior. I call for peace,
calm, respect for law and order
and for the protestors to refrain
from actions that cause persons
harm and destruction to property.
Put our country first. Your love of
Dominica’s President Charles Angelo Savarin addresses
the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly,
Thursday, Sept. 26, 2019, at the United Nations headquarters.
Associated Press / Frank Franklin II, File
country will guide you as to how
to behave and vote,” he said.
The latest rounds of unrest are
not isolated. A year ago, protesters
also clashed with police as they
demanded the elections commission
mandate voters to use identification
cards to avoid fraud. Such
a recommendation was contained
in a report from international
electoral observers who witnessed
the 2014 polls amid allegations
of fraud in favor of the governing
party.
As the cabinet was rebuilding
after Hurricane Maria, the
opposition was also questioning
government about what has happened
with about US$500 million
in cash from the sale of passports
and citizenship from the
island’s Citizenship by Investment
Scheme. Dominica and several
other Caribbean nations have
similar programs through which
they raise development finance by
selling national passports and citizenship
to wealthy foreigners.
Riots in Dominica