Dominicans told to jealously guard Citizenship by Investment Program

passport moneyPrime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit has called for Dominicans to “guard jealously” the island’s Citizenship by Investment (CBI) program in the spirit of nationalism.

In a statement, last week, Skerrit defended the program as a “legitimate, transparent means of non-tax revenue,” which benefits the entire country, and condemned the United Workers Party (UWP) and its supporters for their continued criticism of the venture.

“There is politics, but there must be nationalism. There must be the spirit of defending and promoting out country,” he said. “What these UWP people have been doing—Mr. Linton and others have been doing—to undermine the integrity of the program is totally unacceptable. And, you have some people, because they do not like me or they do not like Labour, [they] are jumping on the bandwagon.”

Moreover, the Prime Minister revealed that the CBI program has exceeded the $80-million projection made in the 2015/2016 budget and was a major source of funding for the island’s recovery efforts after the passage of Tropical Storm Erika in August last year.

“The $80-million which we projected to raise in this current financial year, we raised much more than that; and the Economic Citizenship Program has been a major source of funding for the recovery efforts in meeting a number of obligations in underwriting the expenses associated with the reconstruction,” he divulged. “It is very helpful.”

Skerrit also noted that the program minimizes demands on the tax-paying public.

“…If the government is unable to raise funds through non-tax means, you have to impose taxes, you have to borrow money at high interest rates. And when you borrow money, somebody has to pay for it…If you were to remove the Economic Citizenship Program from those interventions, where would the government get the money from? Taxes, loans—who’s gonna pay for the loans?” he remarked.

He stated that the CBI program has funded several projects such as the National Employment Program (NEP), the establishment of Rural Business Enterprise Centers throughout the country, repairs to the Douglas-Charles Airport, and the ongoing West Bridge project.

The Prime Minister has promoted the program as an important tool of economic activity in Dominica and has previously described criticisms of the program as malicious and unfounded.

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43 Comments

  1. Finally
    July 20, 2016

    Prostituting our citizenship and our sovereignty is not how this country should support itself. We will pay for it down the road. The character of the country will change. There will no longer be the Dominica we have grown to love.
    I have opposed this CIP under all administrations.
    It should be STOPPED!!!

  2. d-a born
    July 20, 2016

    Looks like I was right all along. This ineffective gov’t isn’t working towards establishing new revenue streams for the country. So it’s passports and passports only? Meanwhile, there’s no transparency in the program and who are they selling all those passports to? What about background checks? The US has issues doing checks and missing terrorists, how can little Dominica do any better?

  3. Prettyangel
    July 19, 2016

    Passport been selling to other people who haven’t born in our country , I been trying to renew my passport for months now and getting a bunch of a problem.our country is going down the drain

  4. domichina
    July 19, 2016

    If the pm is doing so much nonsense which is registered in the minds of persons who has eligible voting rights what has happened to the rights to cause a peaceful demonstration to the president of the Commonwealth of Dominica. What are the responsibilities of the president if not to hear the cries if the people, and act accordingly is he a president for name or action. I mean I come on here and read of all the selfish governance and yet no one has petitioned the president to effect a vote of no confidence in the prime minister and the government. Contracts are being sold out yet there are unemployed persons in Dominica, chicken is being imported and cut in Dominica yet the prices of chicken rockets, bridges are being built by Chinese nationals, soap factories are shutting get down, banana exports are a thing of the past, why Mr prime minister the people of Dominica are being ignored. A labour party man said he done with the party because he is still waiting for pay after Erica

  5. Gros Morne
    July 19, 2016

    Selling Citizenship equals protecting nationalism

  6. john Paul
    July 19, 2016

    Who is the biggest hidden beneficiary of this program?
    The Agents? The Politicians? Just El Supremo?
    Where would we get funding from for our campaign?
    How would we be able to afford Destra and Stages from Antigua and Holy Rollers to preach to us compliments the Party?
    Oh I forgot the building materials and the chartered Flights
    Why am I so forgetful? We were already told “It is not Your Damn business ,Go to Hell ,Go to Hell ,Go to Hell”
    So All You guard it jealously if all you want it

  7. dominican always
    July 19, 2016

    this prime minister is clueless asking people to guard his scheme this citizenship by investment is either a joke or mr skeritt doesn’t understand what citizenship by investment means how can you give someone your passport to sell in order to raise money to invest in your country its like having a car for sale for $ 1000.oo and then give the buyer the $1000.00 to buy the car

  8. Guest of honor
    July 19, 2016

    ” where would the government get the money from? Taxes, loans….” waw!! I mean just waw!! is he seriously saying that to Dominicans?? in other words I have no other ideas how to generate income… well you well do… is they dat put you dere. KICK DEM!!! lol… Skerrit is a joke!!

  9. fester
    July 19, 2016

    It sounds like a dream come true! If I can buy citizenship, what else can I buy in Dominica?

    • john Paul
      July 19, 2016

      The Prime Minister too!

  10. Claud
    July 19, 2016

    I suppose Sir, that you will be jealously guarding your Indan citizenship (oh my apologies, your doctorate, same as citizenship) your other multi citizenship ?

    For someone who is asking us to guard something that we know so very little about, you doctor appear to be making contingency plans for when Dominica is claimed by those to whom you have sold our once beautiful sland.

  11. club cherz
    July 19, 2016

    Garcon you not shame to be asking where the government will get money from if you remove investment programs? That shows how inept and incompetent your government is at this time. Foolish .. Throw these guys out of office

  12. When a person is ignorant, and is not knowledgeable of the English language the ignorant person will continue to make a fool of himself/herself to the day their ignorance cause them to fall flat on their face!

    Here is the prime Minister of a country advising his friends, clones, puppets, and supporters to “jealously ” guard his economic citizenship program, which is nothing more than the sale of a Dominica passport to the highest bidder; all of whom are criminals!

    “Jealously” implies intolerant of rivalry, or unfaithfulness. Skerrit is still influencing hostility towards the people of the country who opposes him. He is influencing hostility towards some rival or one he believed to be enjoying some form of advantage over him.

    That is the meaning of “jealously guard.”

    Skerrit is advising his supporters to be vigilant in guarding a possession; (his possession) which must be the passports he sells. That is the definition of jealously guarding something! If the Dominicans…

    • I Still On Skerrit Case:

      If the Dominicans who support Skerrit would only scrutinize Skerrit’s vocabulary, and his lack of comprehension of the English language, they would come to realize under Skerrit Dominica is actually doomed!

      That is the man who made the claim in Dominica he majored in the English language in a University in the South of the United States, and graduated: when we check the graduating records dating back to many years the Mountain Chicken Carpaud Mentality Sly Eye Indian doctor of nothing: Sir Knight, name is not found on any graduating records; nevertheless, I read on DNO where one of his supports alleged he graduated with a Ph. D in psychology. Dr. Sir Knight is the only human on the planet to have majored in the English Language; however, on graduation a Ph. D. in psychology was bestowed him!

      How can a man like that be the prime minister of a country?

      • “Jealously” implies intolerant of rivalry, or unfaithfulness. Skerrit is still influencing hostility towards the people of the country who opposes him. He is influencing hostility towards some rival or one he believed to be enjoying some form of advantage over him. That is the meaning of “jealously guard.”—-Telemaque

        I have a feeling that DNO printed that message of yours, to expose your stupidity. Because that passage of yours above is very foolish

        Now let it be known that a synonym for \”jealously\” is anxiously and\” anxiously\” gives us
        \”conscientiously\”. Now \”anxiously\” and \”conscientiously\” both gives us \”carefully\”.

        Hence in saying \”jealously guard\” the PM Skerrit is saying “carefully guard”—–You are making a fool of yourself, but good for that the people you speak to do not know it.

      • Also, at Exodus, chapter 20: 4-5 God says to the then Israelites:

        4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God—\”

        Why is God saying He is jealous? Because He doesn\’t want the people to give worship that rightly belongs to Him to false gods. He is telling the people to be CAREFUL that they do not do that. So there goes the term careful about the term jealous one more.

        So then I rest my case.

      • Elizabeth, you are a damn fool, less educated than Skerrit. I am not an English, major, but I challenge you to produce a dictionary definition of the terminology as used by Skerrit as I define it, which can refute my definition of the word.

        You cannot; so shut your damn mouth! You never sat in a secondary school, nor a college or university, in your entire life, and will never because you are an old woman who can’t even enroll and go at night, cause you will sleep in class, your time has passed.

        I ensured I went to college, and university; when I write something of this nature, it cannot be refuted, not even by a dunce like you!

        Take a hike!

  13. Favoured
    July 19, 2016

    I really don’t see all the force about Skerrit and the selling of passports if that fails we can revert to selling crabs. A guy is on oath in court testifying that he built multi million dollar villas by the sale of crabs and operating a hardware store and the entire country believe him. Another guy said he framed the police in the GUn Emmanuel case and to date nor the AG, the DPP and or Commissioner of police seem to take action therefore it is fair to assume they believe him because nothing else pertaining to the case is being pursued nor charges laid against the guy for public mischief and or wasting the courts time. Police pursues LInton for leaking out PM personal file from the IPO when it was determined that the SC was the one who did it Skerrit intervened by saying he gave permission for the documents to be leaked guess what we the people accepted that. So if that doesn’t qualify Dominicans as being the most dotish set of people I honestly don’t know what else will.

    • Favoured
      July 19, 2016

      Added to that we have been promised under four different 300 million projects the building of a new hospital while we still await the designs of a new one to replace the one that has been shut down in Marigot and we believe that. We were promised the start of a new international airport after the 2014 election we believe that. We were promised frequent meetings of parliament and monthly press conferences and we believe that too. We were told that 300 hundred jobs would be created for the people of Portsmouth as a result of the opening of the Morrocan Hotel. We believed stuff about the reconstruction of the layout river hotel after the BVI case etc etc. So apart of us being dottishh we are all heaven bound because we are true believers

  14. Reasoning
    July 18, 2016

    :?: Prime mistake scarit is running the country like a drunkard who runs a rumshop and every time someone comes to buy a drink,the drunkard drinks one; at the end the shop fails, cause the the drunkard ends up drinking both profit and capital! I’m making that point to say that there is no way he scarit has shown any investments of the monies collected that can generate any income. This is the same type of economy that mad-uro rogue government is running Venezuela with,this is why Venezuela collapsed! Scarit do not have a clue about governance and economics,he’s neither qualified to be a prime minister nor a finance minister. Shame on the people of Dominica!!!

  15. selling De Nature Isle
    July 18, 2016

    The scheme to sell our collective property, our passports, without the expressed consent of the citizens of Dominica, is questionable and geared to enrich only a selected few nationals, foreigners and their companies. Citizen-By-investment programme is a misnomer. It is plain SELLING OF OUR PASSPORTS. It is plain SELLING OF OUR SOVEREIGNTY.

    Skerritt and his DLP Gov’t, and all Dominicans are aware that transparency and accountability are absent in that scheme. Whose fools are we? It has to be so, so that Dominicans remain in the dark about the millions that are made quickly by those few involved in the SELLING of our passports.

    Diplomatic immunity is being sold. Remember Susan Olde, who gave US$400,000.00 to ……….. for our diplomatic passport? Recently the Nigerian Minister arrested for fraud has, Several others involved in problems with the Law abroad have. NJ Lap Seng, Corallo et al have our passports.

    Jealously guard a few making MILLIONS?

  16. Reasoning
    July 18, 2016

    :?: Where is the economic activity that the selling of passports and the$80million has generated :?: Is building a bridge by foreigners with passport monies putting money in the hands of Dominicans and the local economy :?: Garcon,it’s time for you to go! I don’t wanna see you anymore, i’m very angry about you and anything can happen!!!

  17. July 18, 2016

    CBI is labor party cash cow that’s why they will always guard it jealously .

  18. Real!!!!!
    July 18, 2016

    Something must be coming down the pipe…..And before it reach our PM seems to start setting up the opposition for the blame.

    Because for years he has this program selling passports and always kept it away from the public and the revenue collected.

    HOW CAN YOU ASK A PEOPLE TO PROTECT A PASSPORT SELLING PROGRAM THAT IS NOT TRANSPARENT.

    The program transparency has always been in question under this GOVT and still is……so what has change why his new revelation is to protect it.

    LET US WAIT AND SEE

    • Gary
      July 19, 2016

      Do you know how how silly you are when you say quote “for years he has this program selling passports and always kept it away from the public and the revenue collected”. How ignorant are you making such statement. If you understood the bureaucracy involved in the process of obtaining a passport you would never make such a statement, wallow in your ignorance. Why make your partisan political beliefs override your intelligence writing such nonsense as though it’s fact.

      • Real!!!!!
        July 19, 2016

        Gary….The TRUTH hurts I see.

      • Gary
        July 19, 2016

        To Real!!!!!

        What truth are you talking about that hurts. You made a statement that’s not factual and you consider this to be the truth,wow.

  19. The Real Thing
    July 18, 2016

    So,the CBI project raised more than the projected $80 million dollars.OK let us know the TOTAL AMOUNT.
    No need to make it a state secret.
    Also how much has been donated from the ERICA Appeals??
    The British Government has allocated £20MillionPounds,we’re will this be spent? (80 Million EC Dollars)

  20. Shameless
    July 18, 2016

    Garson stop trying to people and give us the documents showing details of who are selling our passports and for how much, how much the sellers are pocketing, who owns our passports and how much kickbacks are going to alleged greedies . We also want the exact amounts raised since u, Duckt.her Punjabee of En-Bar , Vielle Case took over as PM . Until u can do that put your mouth in Park sir twisted:

    Always Assertive! :twisted:

  21. DomiChina
    July 18, 2016

    “and the Economic Citizenship Program has been a major source of funding for the recovery efforts in meeting a number of obligations in underwriting the expenses associated with the reconstruction,”
    NO, NO NO PM… you wrong on this one wee!

    I am not Labour, Neither am I UWP, but give Jack his Jacket and he will wear it when it is cold. If it is hot, you don’t have to tell Jack to take it out.

    The Major part of the relief came from overseas donations PM, and my question is, what has happened to that money.

    Now if the CBI program is compromising the status of the genuinely BORN TO THE LAND DOMINICANS, then you have to weigh out the risk as opposed to $80M. What is going to happen to indigenous culture, what is going to happen to our creole when all hear is chin chun wing peng ling ping and zing beng.

    Hon PM, you adamantly defend this thing, but, is it because there is a kick back for you and others?

    These ops require investigation from higher authorities.

  22. street side
    July 18, 2016

    This is how Dominica is being laughed upon a PM in office for over a decade lacks any sort of vision and is talking about passport sales…smh

    why not invest into water, agriculture, develop your sports etc..how long can a island continue to sell is national pride?

    that’s why St.Vincent’s PM had to be against that program, it’s only a droll lazy PM would sit back and boast that stuff, Dominica is the poorest and slowest in the eastern caribbean block? where is the economic impact in the island…

    why have a bloated wage bill monthly…haha just to stay in power what a joke..
    do when he can’t meet the payment which will happen soon? we will be like Venezula

    oh boy..dominica will continue to be the laughing stock of the world with it’s juvenile and lack of vision PM. sadly dominicans are brain dead so they are blind folded bunch.

  23. Yah
    July 18, 2016

    Transparent???? :-D :-D

  24. Dave Bertrand
    July 18, 2016

    It is so sad that this Government’s only means of raising money is to sell Dominica through their Economic Citizen’s Programme. What will happen when all his money has been used up? Are we going to resort to selling more passports? How many criminals have put their hands on a Dominican passport? Are we not entitled to know how many “Dominican” have obtained their Economic Citizen passports?

  25. %
    July 18, 2016

    Hiroshima in Japan..
    Who will be the owners of Kempinski?Have you told us? And the conditions upon which the 15 acres of land was given???As you righly said a country gets the government it deserves.But don’t worry, political power is transcient.I am feeling for the YOUNG PEOPLE you duped with sewo,and bon temps,to get their votes..Guess they too are to be blamed for their indiscretion!!!THE WHEELS OF JUSTICE TURNS SLOW,BUT IT TURNS ALL THE SAME!!!!

  26. Shaka Zulu
    July 18, 2016

    Here goes carribean unity.

  27. %
    July 18, 2016

    Mr Skerrit brother,I love you a lot,,I honestly believe that there are THOUSANDS WHO LOVE YOU TOO…In fact I do not believe that ANY DOMINICAN HATES YOU..But brother I hate to the bone, your leadership style.To say it is terrible is an understatement…Dominicas CBI programme is probably the worst in the world…You needed to chronicle for us our achievements under this fetid CBI,that we have now,which largely lacks both transparency and accountability…You need to stop seeing HONOURABLE Lennox Linton in your dreams and try to create jobs in this failed economy…Under DLP,Dominica has obtained more money than any other time during its history..Yet you and your incapable highly incompetent clowns,do not know of ONE way to stimulate the economy by creating jobs..You don’t know how to provide the enabling environment for the Private Sector to TAKE OFF either!!! I can tell you brother that you have destroyed Dominica by your bad governance,in the same way the ATOMIC BOMB destroyed

  28. Shaka Zulu
    July 18, 2016

    To guard jealousy is for fools who do not know better and those who have no vision. Was it not the same PM who talked about caricom needing strong leadership. Now he comes here talking about Nationalism. You guys wonder why caricom is a waste of time. Seems like things did not go too well for the Punjab doctor at recently concluded regional meeting. Skerrit is admitting above that the country is broke and passport selling is our saving grace. What a bloody shame. This guy is beyond lost. Productivity builds a country not charity. Dominicans should ask themselves a question when they see what is happening to Venezuela. When will people freaking get it. Skerrit is the dumbest finance minister i have ever seen in my life. Dominicans will pay for thier stupidity soon. Laziness, dependence, jealousy, and stupidity should be a crime. Skerrit government is to Dominica what sour sour calypso is to our road march. Pure BS yet they like it.

  29. blog
    July 18, 2016

    workers trying to dry up the source of Skerrit largesse life style. he will defend that jealously. $80m he can only point to 3 programmes that he got funding for. all that CBI money is in the Panama Banks. Dominica does not benefit from it. fools alone that digest his lies.

  30. Ba Yo Bwa
    July 18, 2016

    I am not one to call for referendums, generally speaking; but my attitude towards the strategy is changing. I no longer believe that a group (party) can simply offer up and promote its platform for national development via its manifesto at election time; and then rule as it will for the ensuing five years without going back to the people for their opinion (through the vote) on momentous undertakings, such as selling its citizenship to the highest bidder. Furthermore, I believe more and more in what I call “retail democracy.” I almost feel that we should find ways to solicit, encourage and promote the people’s agenda (truly democratize governance) on a day-to-day basis; even as, thinking logically, that would be somewhat disruptive to everyday life. I could go on – it’s a theory that I’m working on, but suffice to say that this selling of our birthright, whatever name consecutive governments want to call it, ought require national consensus which can only be decided by a…

    • Ba Yo Bwa
      July 18, 2016

      ..national referendum.

    • Dalit
      July 18, 2016

      You fool seem to not understand that an election is the ultimate referendum.

      This forum is polluted with UWP supporters who seem to forget that Henley and partners are funding UWP.

    • Gary
      July 20, 2016

      I do respect your opinion, but your concept on “retail democracy” is somewhat based on wishful thinking.Who are you going to sell such concept to. Democracy is a very perverted form of government, because the people can be misled. There is no democratic institution on this planet The most powerful institutions on this planet do not operate democratically.There is no Government on this planet that operates transparent. When last you heard that The US Government had any referendum.

      Democracy can be described as a religion, it is the worship of jackals by jackasses. If voting made any difference they wouldn’t let us do it – Mark Twain.How selling our passport can be considered selling our birthright, this just shows how brainwashed you are believing such nonsense.We are divine beings by birth, a passport which is a legal document issued by a state has nothing to do with our birthright. A consensus does not establish truth. Due to limited space got to end.

  31. cameron
    July 18, 2016

    Skerrit give us the exact amount,and how many sellers you have out their,you know that the government only gets a few pennies from your corrupt dealings,cant fool me dude.

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