The Dominica Freedom Party (DFP) has announced plans to host a public forum to discuss strategies for spurring business activity in the Portsmouth/Picard area, in response to the loss of business stemming from the permanent departure of the Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) from Dominica.
On August 3, Adtalem, the owner of RUSM, which, it is said contributed as much as 30% of Dominica’s GDP, announced that it was ending the medical school’s 40 year relationship with Dominica in favour of a new home in Barbados.
The DFP discussion is expected to be of particular importance to landlords and business owners in the Portsmouth area who stand to be significantly affected by the absence of the university.
The forum is intended to provide an opportunity for business interests in the area, as well as allow other interested persons to share ideas on how to re-energize business activity in the area, and manage the adjustments that will be necessary to do so. This, in turn, will help to minimize hardships, loss of livelihoods, and loss of businesses or property that may result from the departure of RUSM.
It also aims to better organize businesses to enable them to interface effectively with the government of Dominica when necessary, while empowering them to be guardians of their own fate, have access to the support of concerned professionals and remain united as a community.
The DFP stresses that this discussion forum is in no way intended to be political. It is to be the party’s effort to help in Dominica’s time of crisis and therefore, people of all political persuasions are invited to attend and to participate, if they wish to make a positive contribution to the discussion. The DFP also appeals to the ruling administration, the Dominica Labur Party (DLP) to refrain from creating discord with respect to this event.
The forum will be held in Portsmouth at the Credit Union Hall at 7.30pm on Wednesday 15th August 2018.
Upload the accounting books for Ross and let the world analyse their actual contribution to the Dominica economy after 40 years. Move on from Ross. Move on from being a Rum and 2 beers negotiating economy. People will stand in line for Rum and Beer but will wait for the Government to clean the roads and their yard. 2 gold chain and man believe that he is awesome! Wake up people. After Eugenia Charles, Skeritt is the best you’ve got for now and possibly the next 5 years. All other parties need to start shaping themselves up to gain real respect and trust. Freedom Part, I am watching you!
I feel u. Freedom created Domlec, Uwp sold it for a few pieces of silver creating a hostile environment of high electricity rates for foreign investors .
AH skerrit u mean to tell me u take Dominica to the gotter .u and your gang must go .
Not just in the wake of Ross, and not just for Portsmouth, what we need for Dominica as a whole is Creative Thinking and by extension, Creative Solutions.
Creative thought is a delicate process. It is something radically different to what has gone before. More often than not the embryo of an idea is shouted down before it is given a fair hearing. Hence, the proposer is timid to put forward a suggestion four fear of being thought a fool.
Specialization is the death knell of creativity and the college graduate is no more capable of creative thought than the man in the street. The winning solution for a multimillion regeneration project that I was recently involved with, came from a housewife standing next to me in the queue at the town’s Post Office.
Mr. Vitals YOUR inquiry and interest in the closure of the University must be complemented . However, I just moved back, therefore I am an independent voter. I am quite open to your agenda, joining forces with the UPW will be detrimental, because I see the same old same old. My next concern is MAD MAX in Wisconsin representing the Soufiere Constituent, how can he deliver when he leaves in the US, running a business!
Florida Disposalable Diaper and %, meme bett meme pwell. This morning there was a wonderful program on education, PLEASE advise YOUR leader it’s not too late to complete high school. Barbra Saunders thanks for your enlightenment.
Yes, we need change in Dominica. However, some of us just want to see another Government in power. It does not work that way.
By just listening to Matt Program this morning with the leader of P POD, a lot of the callers just had one agenda.
The truth is the DFP is clearly setting a good example of country first. The DFP under Kent is consistently offering real help to the Government and making sure Dominica first . Unlike the UWP which is all about power. When I listen to Kent and the DFP they are addressing the issues of the day way better than the DLP and UWP. The DFP should get a lot of credit for this evening meeting in making sure a sustainable approach is taken to move the Portsmouth people and business forward. P POD do not get cut up with the DLP and UWP insulting words or war. As a voter the leader with the best approach for Dominica matters to me. Mr. Linton you need to talk with some of your supporters and ask them to stop the insulting of other political parties.
This is aa blatant lie from the pit of hell to insinuate that UWP does not address the issues. I hear them everyday. Stop trying to believe that you can trick the people.The only party that does not address the issues is the DLP. Why?The party is one man.One man,lazy and incompetent,cannot address the the issues of a country ..DLP Must Go.
Skerrit Must Go
Skerrit Must Go
Skerrit Must Go Now
I love the idea of a dialogue with the community, however Dominica is difficult to access via air at a cost effective price. That is the 800 pound elephant in the room. Unless this issue is addressed, we will continue to face the same problems.
Any suggestions Ismael?
I love your thought process but still all I hear is hear is negative where is the silver lining.
Let us brainstorm and come up with real ideas instead of retreating in a corner.
Dominica belongs to all of us
Wouldn’t it redound to the benefit of all if , for the first time, in the history of Dominica, the DFP, UWP and DLP can have a joint meeting with the affected business and potential business people of Portsmouth to put their collective brains together, come up with ideas to cushion the departure of Ross U. Why should the people always allow selfish, greedy, toxic politics to always ruin a chance to work together in the best interest of the community? Politics of division, only a very small number of people benefits. Politics of harmony, together, unity, everybody wins.
I think we missed this marvellous opportunity after Hurricane Maria,when hurricane DLP,refused to call the other oppositin parties in,and ask for this togetherness.He is the least competent of all the leaders,but he believed that he could do it alone…He has failed Dominica.He needs to go!
Where The Wicked Rule the People MOURN
This DLP is a Wicked and Evil Party
Yes %
We had a marvellous opportunity after Maria. We had an even more marvellous one after Erika when the the DLP government did just as you said and invited in all Parliamentarians to work together. Gave then license to expend funds to clean up their constituencies and the bills would be paid.
Remember what happened? People started smelling blood once they had sat in the Cabinet room and it was one debas after the next for the PM to step aside, for the opposition parliamentarians to begin formulating policy? etc. You can imagine that? Then guess who walked out of the arrangement because the PM was taking too long to step aside and had difficulty working in a secondary position?
% That’s why you all will get more and more frustrated and angry and bitter because except for the foul-mouthed, short-sighted and gullible who get caught up with you all’s toxic rhetoric, other intelligent, analytical people are not being won over by your politics of destruction. Sorry
@Barbara
Yes Barbara your puffery and hot air can’t change reality. Leaders lead. It clear that you and Skerrit are not leaders. Oops start living on land and not in space .The opposition parl reps were outshining the lazy,cannot do DLP MISLEADERS,much to the chagrin of lazy and incompetent Skerrit,so it was stopped.OK,Barbara
Skerrit Must Go
Skerrit Must Go
Skerrit Must Go Now
%
Listen, I am not trying to change your views. I am aware that is an exercise in futility.
Curse and swear all you like. That’s a choice of a way of life! We are a free country so far. don’t know for later!
Excuse me, he didn’t Have to, all the other parties should Have put there differences aside and get together to do what is best for Dominica. He didn’t Have to call anyone.
No we are waiting for the PM to call us to help. How stupid is that.
Barbara, your pungent comments should be reserved exclusively for the DLP. They are the ones with the controlling influence of the country for eighteen(18) consecutive years. They have the power and wherewithal to manoeuvre the country into the direction they see fit. This DLP administration is infamous for its insanely political divisiveness. Use your persuasive influence and close connection with the DLP to have them change their entrenched policies of exclusion.
Who is that idiot calling his self %that person is a lier corrupt nasty gutter lawime, Days after the hurricane, Lennox Linton left Dominica for the US and Africa begging for money and one generator for his self only, What do you call a person like that tell me % with all that cabbage water stinks you have been breathing every day and nights. WE don’t want Linton help he would not know where to begin, % who ever you are get yourself a 4xxxx and sing your usual song.
Ibo France
The reality is that a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, so wouldn’t it be nice if for once in the short history of the new UWP that it would think and act in the interest of Dominica, rather than looking for a crack in every situation, disaster, trauma, you name it, to implant itself in office?
It would make me so happy if that party would present itself, starting with each representative, as one which can face up to the challenges of building Dominica.
We cannot dispute the fact that our demonstrated personal ambitions; how we set about achieving self-development; our perspective on societal issues; our contribution to the community around us; our personal energy levels to face and surmount challenges such as natural disasters, etc. are all indicators of how we would fare in an environment of greater responsibility.
You appear to be an objective person, so please help me to identify where these characteristics lie when I am ready to vote.
Barbara the UWP is doing just that. Thanks to patriot Linton and the team of pstriots .DLP under lazy and incompetent Skerrit is a failed party,and with the exit of Ross,it is a DISGRACEFUL party.The greatest political blow to confront Dominica, and Dominican politics,was the departure of Ross under DLP. 30% of our GDP has gone.This was a billion dollar company.If you had any modicum of shame,your red head would have been buried in the sand.
This DLP is a terrible,failed party Barbara,it needs to be kicked out,and it will be . Skerrit was never,ever Prime Ministerial material,and he will never be .
Skerrit Must Go
Skerrit Must Go
Skerrit Must Go Now
Ibo
If you are saying that the people who are putting themselves forward to manage the country are above criticism before they even smell the seat of office; and if any opposing voice is some beneficiary of Skerrit’s “largesse” and must be silenced with insults; and if the leader who jumps from one controversy to another as if that is his lifeline cannot be called out, then Dominica is going to be a frightening place with the change some of you are asking for.
My last word actually. Don’t plan any further exchange with you. Made a misjudgement of your calibre.
Barbara, for Dominica to overcome its plethora of challenges, all hands need to be on deck along with the collective brain power of the citizens, diaspora included. The only reason that I am a fierce critic of the current administration is because the leader and his Cabinet of ministers and close advisors use their present positions to accumulate as much wealth for themselves, their families and party diehards. Meanwhile, thousands of citizens are jobless and have enormous difficulty to put a decent meal on the table. After 18 years under a one party unbroken stewardship, the country looks like a God forsaken place. Access is being denied for great local physicians to work at Princess Margaret Hospital, for local contractors to build roads and bridges, for serious farmers to tend their crops and I can continue ad nauseam. Dominicans have been severely shortchanged by this do nothing regime. Their time is up!
Ibo
That is an incredible idea if that could be possible but when people put their personal feelings into politics and offend each other on all sides then that breed hatred and so coming together may not happen. Besides all the politicians in Dominica are too simple and nasty and want to destroy each other so they can get in power anyway.
I think we need to move away from the Ross topic because they made a business decision that was in their best interest just like people made a decision to leave Dominica after the hurricane, and just like other companies have left and Dominica is still standing. Dominica will survive post ROSS also.
We Dominicans like to beat down a story Ross have not been in Dominica for almost an entire year and it is only a hot topic because they finally left and politicians see a loop hole to bash each other and try to play the blame game when the only person to blame is Ross University and the only people who are suffering are people from Portsmouth.
Good job and good effort.
I do like the policies of the UWP,but the DFP under the leadership of Mr Vital is doing a good job. I listen to their Wednesday programmes, and they are there for country…They impress me!!!This DLP is terribly bad….!!!!
Keep it up DFP.
Skerrit Must Go
Skerrit Must Go
Skerrit Must Go Now
Ross contributed about 30% of Dominica’s GDP. That same Ross will contribute only 1% to Barbados GDP. That speaks volumes for itself. It indicates how much larger their economy is than ours and how much more successful they’ve been over the years. In an island like Dominica, Ross contributing approximately 1/3 of the GDP meant that there was not much otherwise going on in this country and with Skeritt rejecting business proposals from certain individuals due to their political affiliation it looks like they became over reliant on Ross while not developing the country. Maybe they thought Ross would stay forever even though they failed to do basic things like fix the potholes in roads. Remember clear harbor has threatened to leave in the past so let Skeritt them stay there and mess around. I know if clear harbor go Dominica finish because the last time they were leaving Skeritt go and beg them to stay because he know he didn’t have jobs to give the potentially unemployed.
DFP
For what it is worth, at least you are making an attempt to show how an opposition party interested in its country’s welfare and not just grabbing power at all costs, operates.
I do hope that beneficial ideas and proposals will emanate from the discussions so that our brothers and sisters, freedomites, UWPites, Labourites, Pappyites, PPODites who have invested in student accommodation and other business ventures in the Picard area can see a light at the end of the tunnel.
You see, for me a voter, the past, current and emerging issues are not about Mr. Skerrit and the Labour party, we all agree we need a change (preferably for the better). My analysis must, of necessity, focus on those who are putting themselves forward. How they deal with crises in opposition is a good indicator of their capacity to manage were they to assume office.
The things which they did or didn’t do after Maria are my areas of scrutiny. I have no blind allegiance either way. I keep watch!
Yes Floridian Diaspora
I understand that Clear Harbour’s departure is the next nail in Dominica’s coffin that you people are salivating over. I am praying to the good Lord not to let that happen. I am just so amazed that people who try to convince others that they have an interest in Dominica can be so gleeful about a misfortune that will impact Dominicans so drastically.
Floridian, do you know that I know of opposition supporters who have investments in Picard? Can you explain to those people how on earth your attitude and that of your cohorts is demonstrating an interest in their welfare and how they can be expected to support the party you seem to be promoting at the next election?
You see Floridian, although I have done a bit of travelling and living in other countries
I have no desire to be anywhere else that little DA, so sorry for you and others like you, I cannot join this politics of destruction that you people propagate.
Hope Trump keeps you in Florida.
Whenever something happens people like you celebrate but when you enemy house is on fire take water and wet yours. Today is not the PM is DA tomorrow is yours. When Erika hit Barbuda I recalled someone called and said that they wish it was DA see what happened month after Maria killed DA, keep wishing Da bad one day it will return back at you.