ROSEAU, Dominica, the opposition United Workers Party (UWP) has told supporters to be prepared to take to the streets “in the not too distant future” to demand that electoral reform takes place in Dominica and renewed calls for fresh general elections on the island.
The UWP, along with the Dominica Freedom Party (DFP), boycotted the December 6 poll that Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit called two years ahead of the constitutional deadline in support of their demands that electoral reform should have taken place before any fresh general election.
Skerrit’s Dominica Labour Party (DLP), which had enjoyed an 18-3 majority in the last Parliament, increased its majority in the Parliament by one, with the other two seats going to independent candidates.
Speaking at a UWP rally in Salisbury on the west coast here on Sunday night, UWP leader Dr. Thompson Fontaine defended the decision to boycott the elections, reminding supporters that the demands for electoral reform were not new.
“Given the behavior of the Prime Minister, we must be prepared to fight and to fight hard for electoral reform. There may come a time in the not-too-distant future when we will have to call upon you to take to the streets in mass protests.
“There may come a time in the not too distant future if we do not get electoral reform that to take it we will have to take to the streets. We, in the leadership of the party, are prepared to lead that fight, but you must be prepared to join in.
“This fight, ladies and gentlemen, has to do with our survival as a democratic country and that of our party,” said Fontaine, an economist, who is on EC$75,000 (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents) bail on a charge of inciting violence and obstruction of justice, dating back to 2017.
Fontaine recalled that the party had evidence of a bloated electoral list that he had said had been used in the 2019 general election.
“We had the evidence; we had the list of persons who came down illegally; we had the list of dead persons voting. In most countries, the conduct of the 2019 election, any court worth its salt would have overturned those results, but not so in Dominica, and you expect us to keep on fighting a losing battle.
“Hell no, we will not. The Electoral Office failed us, the High Court failed us, the Appeals Court failed us, and you are asking us to go back to this, as my friend would say…no way. But let me remind you, Dominica, that our cause is just, our fight is the right one, and we shall overcome,” Fontaine said, pointing to the report of the Observer Team from the Organisation of American States (OAS) on the just concluded general election that raised the issue of electoral reform.
“At the end of the day, the observers heard us,” he said, adding that the UWP had, for the first time in its history, boycotted a general election here “because we were certain it would be fraudulent and rigged based on our past experiences.
“So we thank you, our supporters, for heeding the call that has now been heard across the world. For the first time, governments, organizations, and people across the globe are taking notice of what is going on in Dominica. They are witnessing an administration bent on destroying its opposition and on staying in office at all costs,” Fontaine said.
“They are seeing a prime minister who promised one thing on electoral reform and then another. It is clear that this country of ours cannot continue to go down that path,” he added.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Skerrit has held discussions with the two independent candidates and members of Team Unity Dominica (TUD), who contested the December 6 poll following his statement that he would seek the cooperation of all political stakeholders in the efforts to advance the country’s development agenda.
“I was very impressed with the contributions of those present. The exchanges were respectful and focused on results and solutions. I have always said that these are the types of constructive engagements we need to move this country forward,” Skerrit said following the meeting last Friday.
“We face many challenges as a government and country associated with global economic uncertainty and the devastating impact of climate change on our small island. Therefore, more than ever, we need all ideas to contend, greater stability and unity, and the collective will to pursue policies to transform Dominica into the best place to live in peace and prosperity,” he added.
Prime Minister Skerrit is expected to name his new Cabinet later on Monday.
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