As at November, 2nd, 2015, the Government of Dominica had received EC$16 million in emergency cash assistance in the wake of Tropical Storm Erika, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, has said.
Skerrit, who was addressing the Parade of Uniformed Groups held at the Windsor Park Sports Stadium on Independence Day, said the donations came from a wide cross section of agencies, institutions, countries and individuals, ranging from the most developed countries in the world to a young school girl in Montserrat.
“I wish to give the assurance to all those who have contributed to our efforts at response; and now recovery and rebuilding, that every dollar will be well spent and accounted for,” he said. “As you will appreciate, this is merely a fraction of the estimated 1.3 billion EC dollars needed to address the damage. We have also to be mindful that since Tropical Storm Erika, other countries have experienced natural disasters.”
According to him, although the country will receive help from development partners and friends, “we cannot rely on that alone.”
“Each and every one of us must contribute to rebuilding our country,” he cautioned. “We Dominicans must have a positive attitude, we must put our shoulders to the wheel and we must lead the rebuilding of this country!”
He reflected on the words of John F. Kennedy, “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country”.
He appealed to all Dominicans to join him in rebuilding the nation.
“We may be hard pressed but we are not crushed, we may have been knocked down, but we are not defeated, we may be set back, but by the grace of Almighty God, we are going to rebuild the new Dominica and we shall rebuild it together,” Skerrit stated. “In this our 37th year of Independence, we must ask and answer these questions, what can we learn from the mistakes of the past? And what can we do as individuals and as a country to mitigate damage in the future?”
Skerrit stated further that Dominicans are known to be a resilient people, “now we have to dig deeper into that resolve and use our skill-set to formulate strategies for rebounding from this experience.”
“We have a general framework and a plan for building the New Dominica…therefore, in moving forward we must continue to create equal opportunities for economic empowerment,” he remarked. “The lesson we have learned from our history is that even though the resources of a country may be bountiful, unless they are equitably distributed, the masses will remain poor. The well-known policy of social inclusion that we have adopted in the Commonwealth of Dominica will ensure that what we produce will be more justly shared. As many have practiced since August 27, we have to become and remain our brother’s keeper.”
He gave his unwavering commitment to treat the disaster triggered by Tropical Storm Erika as an opportunity to “Build Back Better”.
“Let us embrace the spirit of unity, enterprise and caring that was reawakened in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Erika,” he said. “Let us work together to create a prosperous, peaceful and just Dominica.Let us commit to ‘rebuilding Dominica together,'” the Prime Minister said. “And let us do it now, for ourselves and for our beloved country Dominica.”
Meantime he revealed, to date forty-nine countries, ten multi-lateral organizations and fifty-two NGO’s Diaspora groups among others has responded to appeals for assistance to Dominica.
“To date forty-nine (49) countries, ten (10) multi-lateral organizations, and fifty two (52) NGO’s, Diaspora Groups, Private Companies and Individuals outside of Dominica, have responded to appeals for assistance, with offers that include cash donations; relief supplies; technical expertise and Search and Rescue assistance,’ Skerrit noted. “During times of crisis, the family of nations goes over and beyond, to lend a hand to citizens of other nations who are in need, so too, individuals throughout the world open their hearts, homes and share their personal resources, to assist people from distant lands. I continue to be moved by the hands of friendship and the generosity of countries, organisations and individuals from around the globe during our time of need.”
The PM looks happy and satisfied by the outcome of things. Happier yet with his newborn baby girl that all went well. Thank God!
Receiving this amount of money is the commencement or continuation of rebuilding D/ca.
Sensible people know much more is required to totally re-build Dominica. In time, all will be well. As babies, we creep before we walk.
Unhappy lies the head that ware the crown!
If you consider that miserable look on that Crapo face to be a happy face, you do cannot detect stress on the face of someone burned grief. If you ask me I will tell you I see guilt protruding from miserable face!
It takes one without conscience to face a nation and try to impress that the cash receive amounts to only $16,000.000.00 dollars. The guy has no shame, his face is made out of led, polished with lies.
You Facts, should be asking Skerrit where is the rest of the money donated? You know that something is wrong, but rather than you question his honesty; you make it into a joke upholding corruption and thievery!
Are you not ashamed, why are people like you upholding corruption and evil in our country?
Where are Skerrit’s so-called friendly countries, they bail out on us
The only friendly countries Skerrit has to obtain money like the thirty-two million dollars he used to bribe people, and buy votes are the government treasury, and Petro Carib; that’s his only source!
Now that he is crawling…………begging for money that thirty-million dollars the utilized, giving each one of the recent candidates over a million dollars each to buy people, and who kept most of it…………he should ask (them) to return the left overs.
He cannot, because Birds of a feather flocked together………
If all the donations we heard about only amount to sixteen million dollars, in cash, one should realize that something is wrong! What kind of currency is he quoting? United State Currency, or East Caribbean; if that’s all this man is reporting the stupidest person on earth need to ask Skerrit “where is the rest?”
You see, I knew this was an opportunity for them all to get rich, in another few months some government or their member of the cabal, if not all of them will have a multimillion dollar house, and the most expensive motor Vehicle on the island with tainted windows wearing their dark sunshades to hid the thieving eyes!
When the United States, gave them just a few dollars in the interim, many wondered why! Nevertheless, such are the reasons. Nations such as the United States, are reluctant to donate to the disaster because they know that the money was going to end-up in the pockets of the Dominica politicians thieves! Skerrit believe every dumb like him and cant…
You are a fool only nonsense you can write .You claimed to be smart Wesley man but you write like the biggest fool from Wesley .
One thing for sure I am not a thief; neither can I be manipulate, and surely I do not hold on to any politician coat tail for my or be friends with them for my survival!
I retired at age forty-sevens, I will live on my investments to the day I die! It is because of my smarts, my academics which afforded me to stop working for people! Can you say the same?
I know you can’t; you are a piece of human garbage without a name, perhaps dressing in red to get a bloody handout from some thieving money politician give to you for your survival. What comes light goes light, all of you the labor party puppets; dependencies on Skerrit for food, will remain dirt poor for the rest of your miserable life, while the politicians get rich and live in there mansions!
You will continue to yearn for the rest of your life, wishing Dominica was a place where you could find a job and live halfway decent like a human; instead you crawl and lap the crumbs from the dirt where Skerrit walk for you to…
but didnt these guys have 30 million for election?
I thought we had someone appointed as head of international relief? Any updates on her work so far??? Has she closed any deals, obtained any grants, had any major public calls for support?
That should just about cover the hospital bill.
Mr PM two things here:
1. Your face does not look too bright nou. You look like deep inside you are disturbed about something. fresh fro a NY trip where your wife gave birth to yet another American baby, I expected to see you happy; but you really look troubled about something.
2. Out of the $16 Million, did you get anything from our Chinese/NY friend NG Lap Seng? I am asking because two weeks after you all were having fun in Macau he was arrested by the FBI with a briefcase of money, I think $4US Million to be exact. Please advise
For God’s sake! it is a picture taken by the Media. What do you expect?
What about your face? How do you look? Why not have a picture of yourself taken and place it near your comments to show us if you are handsome or not and what type of face and body you have?
Some of you who make sarcastic and derogatory comments I wonder what you look like? Need I say more?
I do not trust this Prime Minister and this government……not even with $5.00
Can anyone trust you with $1.00? Can you trust yourself with $0.50?
Dominicans need to learn from Romania, THE PEOPLE OF ROMANIA PRAYED AND CHANT -ROMANIAN GOVERNMENT STEPS DOWN.
What about them? How well this uprising assisted them? They still keep running away, migrating to countries as US and Canada of all. So much for them.
The saying: “You know what you have but you do not know what you will get. The grass is always greener on the other side.”
Change could be a hanger for their jackets.
Look at what is happening in Syria of all? When you speak of one country, look at the bigger picture elsewhere, in other countries.
Everything is welcome, of course but E.C.$.16 million is just U.S.6 million, a pittance. It is now over two months since the Erika disaster. The P.M. left us for seventeen days, ostensibly to be with his family and now he is on his travels again to promote economic citizenship? That should not be the priority now and he should be calling on friendly organisations and governments instead for direct assistance. before they forget Erika ever happened! How about his friend, Baron Scotland’s efforts? Has she even visited Dominica since the disaster. You lost all credibility in my book Mr. Skerrit.
Checks and balances have to be put in place.
Cheques would be more appropriate I think!