Venezuela is now a failed State. But, did anyone not see this coming ? It was all around us. Venezuela, a State that has all the resources that should make it thrive, is a chaotic mess, a Failed State. This started under Hugo Chavez, who initiated the bad habit of 'freebees' for every thing: food, housing, education, entertainment. In the process, all means of production were destroyed, local farmers and entrepreneurs were starved and driven out of business and conditions deteriorated rapidly. Now, Venezuela is unable to take care of its people and so, they are flocking to neighboring countries inundating the social, health and welfare services of these neighboring countries.
Characteristics of a Failed State
When the term 'failed state' is uttered, many consider a picture of chaos in the street, factions at war or civil war and scarcity of basic commodities, like food and water. Indeed, this is the end result, extreme manifestation of a Failed State; it represents the total collapse of the state. Before a state arrives at that juncture, there are two key characteristic that must be met in order to be considered a failed state. Firstly, the Executive must become dysfunctional and secondly, the state must become incapable of executing the administrative and organizational tasks required to control its resources and manage the well being of its people.
Dysfunctional Executive
So, is the Executive in Dominica dysfunctional? The answer is Yes! In its current administrative configuration, the Cabinet serves the role of the Executive. At present, one person decides what happens at that level. The most blatant and atrocious example of this was the recent revelation that a New Administrative Vehicle, the Housing Option, was established under Dominica's Citizen by investment (CBI) program. It turns out that this 'Housing Option' is a Diversionary vehicle (in local parlance, voler), in which monies (>XCD/EC $1.2 billion) from Citizenship sale for 2018-2019 Financial period was aberrated to an Account controlled by Roosevelt Skerrit and a non-elected Foreigner (Anthony Hayden of Montreal Management, MMCE). Many members of CABINET and the Opposition members in Parliament were unaware of the 'housing option' as was the general public. No legislation were passed to establish this 'housing option'. Its existence came to light when the opposition discovered the missing funds and, the prime minister was forced to fabricate an explanation. To date, no one, except Roosevelt Skerrit who has a penchant for lying, knows the real story or the whereabouts of the missing monies. Dominica is run by one man, an unhinged maniac with sticky fingers and an affinity for International Crooks and Scoundrels.
Dominica is one of a two Commonwealth Caribbean nations that is a Republic; the other is Trinidad. In a republic, power resides in the hands of the people and their elected representatives. The people have the Supreme Power. Is that the case in Dominica? Again the answer is NO! Not only do the People and their Representatives in the Official Parliamentary Opposition have no say in the management of the countries resources, most representatives on the Governing Faction (DLP) of the Assembly are essentially useless. Contrary to the constitution, Power in Dominica resides in the Prime Minister office, his cronies on the Outside of government and a small cadre of Barbadian Suckers and Advisors. At present, the PM is the only person who has been sworn into office since the rigged election on December 6th, 2019. What about the other DLP parliamentarians? They are place-holders of no significance, whose names or faces are immaterial including PM's cranially - challenged spouse. This is the epitome of a dysfunctional Executive. For the aforementioned reasons, Dominica has met the first criteria of a failed state.
Dominica now lacks ability to manage its resources and take care of its People!
For a country with an abundance of water (A River for each day of the year), rich, fertile soil, Dominicans on island are dependent on remittances from abroad (approx XCD $150 million yearly) and handouts from government. Yet, over the past 20 years, the government has had more funds at their disposal than any other time in the history of this islands. Government funds have been derived from the value-added tax (VAT), Petro-Carib (now destroyed thorough thievery and the collapse of the Venezuelan economy) and CBI.
Why are things so dire? The main reason is that the country produces very little for export and foreign exchange. Agriculture, Tourism, small / light manufacturing have all declined in the past 20 years under a corrupted, 'don't-care' DLP administration. The result is that Dominicans have continued a relentless outward migration to neighboring islands and the North American mainland. The population has dwindled and those remaining on island are poorer and more dependent. The island has the lowest minimum wage at $4.05/hr in the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), one of the highest poverty rate in the Caribbean and, in particular, unemployment rate among young adults (18-24 years old) is as high as 50% in some areas of the island, Bodies like Public Works are shells of their former self such that roadway maintenance is non-existent, while those with connections are reaping off the country and pillaging its resources through 'No bid contracts'. A small grouping of persons and companies with close DLP contacts are thriving, while the rest of the nation spirals in a race to the bottom.
Dominica is indeed, A Failed State
Accordingly to the most recent World Bank estimates (2018), Dominica is now the poorest country in the OECS grouping. At present, Dominica is incapable of caring for its people and in this sense satisfies the second important criteria of a failed state. These two critical components defining 'Failed State' status gelled in the past 20 years and can only change with a change in the culture of corruption that has engulfed the island under successive DLP administration. Dominica no longer has control over its resources including human capital, persons on island have lost confidence in its systems and the country is incapable of managing its internal affairs. This is one of the reasons the RSS was called in during the recent election. Dominica is a failed state, that may be on the verge of collapse unless drastic structural, political and governing changes are implemented in short order. In this failed state, Roosevelt Skerrit, his DLP cronies and leeches will continue doing the only things they know: lying to the population, stealing in broad day light and cheating to survive. At the same time, these sub-human suckers will pretend they care through various dead end manipulative schemes like the National Employment Program (NEP) and Yes We Care Program for seniors. Like all failed states, which has lost internal checks and balances, those in power get rich while the population scrapes the barrel. That is, until the population decides that they have had enough and make the decision to take back their country. By then it may be too late!
