On multiple occasions in the past 2-3 months, either in response to media inquiry or unprompted, Mr Skerrit has made the following statement about the now-departed Ross University: "the Campus belongs to the State, the property belongs to the State and the State is in a position to dispose of it however it wishes". This a a direct quote from Roosevelt Skerrit, current PM and self-perceived Lord of the Commonwealth of Dominica. This statement was most recently repeated on October 4, 2018. Indeed, the land on which the former RUSM campus sits does belong to Dominica. However, do all RUSM buildings belong to the state?. When did the State expend capital to construct the many buildings of the sprawling Campus in Picard? Or, was this part of the agreement that Dr. Ross had with the people of Dominica? That is, if / when RUSM departs, the campus buildings would be handed over to the State. If so, why has the campus not been handed over to Dominica? Mr. Skerrit must know something that we do not. He must be forthright and clarify his repeated pronouncement that the property and campus belongs to Dominica.
An alternative thought is that Mr. Skerrit believes that he is in Venezuela and can use the power of the State to take over private property without due process. We know how well that practice went down in Venezuela; the country's economy continued to spiral downward and Maduro keeps blaming every and anybody but his inept administration. Mr. Skerrit must be honest and explain to Dominicans how the State came to own all the buildings of the RUSM campus on the island. Or, is his statement reflective of a new scheme to bring in more 'dark monies' into Dominica for the dual purpose of laundering and escaping International Scrutiny?
We are being told that there are four interested parties for replacing RUSM, but the identity of these parties remain a big secret. Is this going to be another Alireza Monfared fiasco? This international scammer, now imprisoned in Iran, was supposed to bring all sorts of great development schemes to Dominica, including state-of-the-art hospitals in multiple locations. Skerrit is obliged to clarify this issue to Dominicans. Deals done on behalf of the country must be public knowledge. He and his henchmen are not running a Syndicate.
If the PM, his misguided Cabinet and Advisors are planning to simply take over RUSM buildings on the grounds that the land belongs to Dominica, there may be some major surprises lurking in the dark. Skerrit may have signed a misguided agreement thrusting Dominica into the faltering ALBA alliance, but he is neither Chavez or Maduro and Dominica is not Venezuela. Be forewarned! Foreign investors and their home-based governments don't look kindly to that sort of behavior!
