Good Evening.
Comrades and Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen, I was reminded a few days ago that it has been less than 100 days since the family of the Dominica Labour Party descended on the constituency of LaPlaine for its party conference.
The logical question was therefore asked ‘why are we going back there so soon?’ The logical answer was ‘because we like what we are feeling and sensing in LaPlaine!!’
Residents of LaPlaine are reflecting an advanced level of political maturity, where, despite them being represented by a high profile member of the opposition party, they are willing to acknowledge the tremendous work that has been done in this constituency by the government of Dominica, at the behest of Hon. Petter Saint Jean.
There is nothing more gratifying in public life than to see an expression of appreciation for what you have done for persons and on their behalf. No matter where I go in Dominica and I meet a person from the constituency of LaPlaine, I am told how grateful they are for the attention given to this constituency over the past four years, even though it did not return the candidate of the Dominica Labour Party to Parliament on the last occasion.
I am inspired by this, because it is precisely what we seek to do as a government. We never crave false praise or credit for things we did not do.But, by the same token, we need truth and honesty in the appraisal of our work. We want persons to acknowledge when we have done well and to factor this into the equation, when evaluating our overall performance.
I am happy to be here in LaPlaine tonight because I like the vibes that I receive. I like the vibes because your government is at work in LaPlaine and you are appreciating it. You also appear to appreciate the constraints under which we have worked as a government over the past four years.
Several party supporters say we are guilty of not thoroughly explaining the severe financial challenges we have encountered over the past four years, during what was easily the worst economic depression in most of our lifetimes.
Not since the 1930s have we had such a slump in global economic activity as the world has experienced in the past 36 months and yet, Dominica’s economic indicators suggest that we may have weathered the storm much better than others.
This is the modern age of communications where, at the flick of a button, you can be brought abreast of developments in neighboring countries as well as regions farther afield. I invite anyone within the hearing of my voice to pick up your phone tomorrow morning and call any relative of yours anywhere in the Caribbean, North America, Europe or farther afield and have a casual conversation with them about their economic plight over the past 24 months. Ask them about the state of the economy in the community or country where they live.
Let them speak first and then tell them of what has been happening here in Dominica and judge for yourself their reaction. I am not saying this evening that we have not made errors and that on reflection we could not have done some things differently. Of course not! We are not perfect and many of us have learnt valuable lessons along the way.
What cannot be said, however, is that when, once having made a mistake, we were arrogant or indifferent about it. On each occasion that we slipped up, we have sought to correct the problem and put systems in place to avoid its reccurrence.
What I am saying to you this evening is that, overall, Dominica has weathered the global economic challenges admirably and the results are there for all to see. We have survived the worst of the recession because we took wise, calculated decisions, even in the face of stiff opposition from our detractors. We did so while continuing to pay special attention to those in dire need of assistance.
Let us face it, Ladies and Gentlemen, had we listened to the detractors, Dominica would still today be begging alms of Taiwan, and following major natural disasters in that state in recent times, those alms would perhaps by now have dried up.
Had we listened to the detractors and not followed the voice of wisdom, petroleum prices in Dominica would have gone through the roof and there would be no Alba accord from which we could draw down resources ever so often.
Had we listened to our detractors, we would have stood clear of friendly relations with Cuba and thousands of Dominicans would today be experiencing advanced levels of visual impairment and in some cases total blindness because we would not have been able to provide them timely and efficient optical care.
Had we followed the bad examples of our predecessors we would not have honored commitments and obligations to multi lateral institutions, and would therefore not be in a position tonight to access loans at highly concessional rates from those institutions.
In other words, Ladies and Gentlemen, Dominica has not ridden out the roughest of economic seas by chance or peradventure. We have been able to stay afloat because we have acted wisely and in the best interest of Dominica and Dominicans. That is why today Dominica is out of the mouths and away from the lips of those who point to economic failings and failures in the Caribbean.
I am happy to be in LaPlaine tonight because residents of LaPlaine appear inclined to give credit where credit is due. You appear willing to want to acknowledge that, in spite of the tough times, your government has worked hard and accomplished much; while at the same time sparing you the burden of additional taxation.
Across the Caribbean and the world, you hear daily reports of drastic hikes in the cost of living and the rate of inflation. You also hear of the imposition of new direct and indirect taxes on incomes. Here in Dominica, the reports have been quite the reverse. In almost every budget that I have delivered, there has been a reduction in the rate of personal income tax, together with other concessions and subventions to special interest groups.We have not demanded more from taxpayers but we have given them more. In addition, we have made Dominica more aesthetically appealing.
Consider the volume of infrastructural projects underway in Dominica today. Not only have we attracted large foreign capital inflows and investments, but we have also ensured that small Dominican businesses benefit from these projects.Several of the sea defenses, walkways and resurfaced roads completed in urban and rural Dominica were executed by small Dominican companies, created and nurtured by this Dominica Labour Party administration.
The same applies to farming bodies. We have minimized the bureaucracy and brought meaningful help and assistance to farmers in rural Dominica, to a degree never witnessed before. Unlike in previous years, farmers in Dominica today do not have to put up ‘house and land’ as collateral to benefit from state assistance.
We have ensured that once you are serious about agriculture and you have the required record of consistency and productivity, that you are assisted in every way possible in remaining viable during these difficult times.
The same applies to tourism related ventures. If you have a business idea and you take it to the relevant agency of government, you will be assisted. In other words ladies and gentlemen, today in Dominica, government is working for the people.
This is the first time in the history of Dominica that people can go to a government agency and apply for assistance and if that assistance is not forthcoming they can contact a Parliamentary Representative or the Prime Minister and get meaningful action on that application.
Some people say the Prime Minister had no right getting involved in the dispensing of assistance to ordinary people. They say that is too mundane for a Prime Minister. I object fundamentally to that! My obligation, first and foremost, is to secure a better quality of life and an improved standard of living for Dominicans, and I am committed to doing whatever is required on my part to make that happen.
Persons on the other side of the political fence believe that these are mundane issues and that the Prime Minister should be speaking techno babble at all times. They would like me to appear on television ever so often, reeling off statistics presented to me by technocrats in the Ministry or by consultants from a multilateral agency. That sort of techno babble is not for me. Such may excite them, but relieving the strain on ordinary Dominicans excites this Prime Minister!
I have never and will never lose sight of my purpose and goal in public life. I welcome the opportunity to walk the foothills of LaPlaine and discover for myself the issues that concern and affect the daily lives of residents. I am not going to send any team of technocrats to LaPlaine to find out what is wrong. I will call Petter Saint Jean and come investigate myself, and then request the technocrats to do whatever is required to solve the problem.
The same applies for ministers of this government. They are among the most hands-on ministers Dominica has ever seen. It is perhaps because of this hands-on approach that they are sometimes accused of not following through on matters because of the volume of people with whom they come into contact on a daily and weekly basis.
Previous ministers of government sat at their desks and hid from people. Ministers of this government get out among the masses, and they interface with hundreds of people on a weekly basis.
That explains their tremendous workload and why it is not always practical for them to get back to you when they say they would or deliver in as timely a manner as you would like. But I invite anyone critical of my ministers to have a look at their work load and appointment books and get a true picture of the volume of direct public interactions they each experience on a weekly basis.
Ladies and Gentlemen, my thesis this evening is that you have a government in Dominica that is working for you. You have a standard bearer here in LaPlaine, in the person of Peter St. Jean, who has worked for you.
Look around this constituency and you would be amazed by the transformation that has taken place in the last four years.
Projects that immediately come to mind include:
- The rehabilitation of the Balizay Back Road, the Old Playing Field Road in La Plaine and the Ma Jolly Road.
- The approval of funding for the rehabilitation of the Dix-Acres Road, the Lower La Roche Road in Delices and Crete Fond Road in Boetica.
- The Construction of farm access roads in La Plaine, Boetica and Delices.
- The Boetica Rural Integrated Development Programme funded through the Dominica Social Investment Fund.
- The provision of a new vehicle for the La Plaine Police Station and a new ambulance for the Health Centre.
- The rehabilitation of the Police Station in Delices and the Health Centre’s in Boetica and Delices.
- The Housing Revolution Program.
- The twelve (12) students who have been given government scholarships to pursue studies at Universities overseas.
- Provision of a new school bus and payment of private buses to transport students to school in Roseau.
- The “Yes We Care” Program and the monthly assistance of $500.00 to elderly persons.
So, Ladies and Gentlemen, we are in LaPlaine tonight to further celebrate the achievements of our government in this constituency as well as to hear from you about the concerns you have in relation to our unfinished work. Financial resources are slender and we have 20 other constituencies to service, but I would still like to hear from you this evening what more we can do to make LaPlaine better for you.
Senior members of the government are on hand to assist me in fielding your questions…so, without further anticipating your issues and areas of concern, I would pause at this moment to entertain your questions, comments and suggestions as to how, together, we can work to make LaPlaine better.
I thank you!! |
