Deliberately Sidelining Opposition Parliamentarians

Updated: May 09, 2018
Soon after the devastating impact of Hurricane Maria on Dominica, when relief food and material started to pour into Dominica, concerns were raised about use of Internationally donated relief food and material to gain political advantage. In response, the Labor Administration angrily and vehemently denied these allegations and accused those reporting these observations as 'hating Dominica and trying to Damage its image'. So what's the reality? It is that since the General election of 2014 this administration has engaged in systematically sidelining the Opposition Parliamentarians by installing Labor Party Caretakers in their districts. In so doing, they are saying to the electorate that the Administration does not like your choice of representation, so we will force someone you did not vote for down your throat. Like any opportunist, the Labor party took full advantage of the post-Maria crisis and their access to the seat of governance to send a loud and unambiguous message to Dominicans: 'Labor Party does not care what you think, we will do as we please.'

Take for example, the  inept Minister (Miriam Blanchard; aka Care Taker for Roseau North Constituency); her misbehavior at the last sitting of the house is nothing but juvenile and appalling. She claimed that she took care of the people while the duly elected member of parliament (Hon. Danny Lugay) was incapable of doing anything. Really! The elected parliamentarian (Hon. Danny Lugay) did not have access to government (people of Dominica) monies, relief food and material mostly donated by International organizations. Miriam Blanchard, as a member of Cabinet had this access and abused it to the fullest. In fact, she unashamedly boasted about this illegal and despicable behavior. So, what we have here are key ingredients of corruption: abuse of state resources by an incumbent administration, lying and 'dissing' the electorate, belittling opponents and doing whatever it takes to stay in power. Like the leader of the Labor Party, Roosevelt Skerritt, Ms Blanchard has learnt that there are no consequences to abusing state resources and lying at the same time. Miriam Blanchard is not ashamed of her currupt behavior. Why should she be concerned? Others in the Administration have gotten away with worse! For example, no one has yet been prosecuted for the XCD $267 million dollars owed to Venezuela through Petro Caribe; the current administration is unable to state what was accomplished with such a large sum of money; meanwhile Venezuela continues to crumple and implode.  

So what is the moral of this clownish behavior by Ms Blanchard. She has reinforced the notion that the current Labor Party Administration has violated the trust of International Agencies, Government, NGOs and Dominica diaspora to faithfully disburse Hurricane Maria relief to all Dominicans in need. Abuse of incumbency to maintain political power is an abomination that imparts a huge price on society and for which the abuse will eventually have to answer.It is time to send a strong message to Ms. Blanchard, Skerritt and all those in the Labor party who are abusing public funds and public trust for the binary purpose of maintaining political power and unfettered access to the public purse. Bad Behavior have consequences and do not go unpunished!!