OJ Seraphin: After David–the experiences of a Hurricane (Part I)

Former Prime Minister OJ Seraphin at Conference of Donors in Barbados.

By OJ Seraphin—Former PM -Commonwealth of Dominica

I have been asked by all and sundry of whom I am connected to share an inspiration and give a message
of hopeon how the David experience can be a blue print for responding to this now experience of
Maria. I wish to thank the many bloggers who have given me Kudos for the handling of David — it is a
legacy of which I am proud to have been associated .

Whilst I did suffer like all others with losses of homes ,belongings and lifetime of memorabilia ,children
and grandchildren with homeless experiences ,I believe it was appropriate to give space to the current
PM to do his job whilst being very active in St Lucia where I am also resident, having formed the
Dominica St.Lucia humanitarian network to coordinate motivate and seek support for Dominica in this very difficult moment of our history .

Hurricane David was probably the single most destructive Hurricane ever to hit Dominica in recent
history when it visited Dominica on the 29 th August 1979-before Maria!
The hurricane David with a force wind of over 150 miles per hour ….wreaked havoc on the island
destroying homes and the very fabric of the economic life of Dominica .
The lessons learned from that experience is a roadmap for the responses now needed by the
respective Governments in the northern corridor following the passage of Hurricane Irma and Maria .
The total damage of houses, Agriculture and infrastructure led to a very urgent, aggressive
Government response and this may very well be a road map and the agenda for the respective
Governments affected by Irma and Maria.

The call to the world community and to various governments and agencies was loud
relentless and effective. The early visit of the British frigate HMS Fyffes was the facility for the call
with its telecommunication capacity to the world which together with the local ham radio professionals
gave to the world the SOS needed for a very proactive vigorous call for assistance. This is the program
needed by the respective Leaders whose countries are victims: to consistently appeal, using the
international media houses effectively and creating a presence of comfort to their people.

The road ahead will require consistent, sustained, non-ceasing efforts emphasizing the needs to the international
community but should never give the impression that all is well as seen in social media today.
In this regard the response from the French with helicopters and French military, followed by the cargo
military planes of Venezuela as well as the arrival of the Sea Bees, the military group of Engineers of
the US who were granted honorary Dominica Citizenship by my Government, and the British navy was
in response to a very loud and very focused demand for AID and assistance .

Locally the rallying of the Defense Force and the civil defense unit which was formed as a paramilitary
group of young persons under the commander Ronnie Roberts, were very organized, disciplined and
active in various levels of support to the populace including removing patients from the Princess
Margaret Hospital to be sheltered at the National Bank which had empty floors at that time .
The Civil defense Unit was also involved with the moving of dead bodies to the Convent Prep which for
a while was a morgue .

The need for local and Diaspora organizations to accept the responsibility and of taking charge of
responding to the call is what is need in the various islands affected. That effort at restoring
normalcy to Dominica was through major initiatives which continue to remain a mystery to most
citizens amid silence from historians. The trip to the UN at the September sitting where I addressed the UN and made the case for Dominica with one on one contact with leaders in the Corridors, seeking assistance is not particularly
mentioned .

This week’s UN conference is an opportunity for the various leaders affected by the Hurricane Irma to lobby and make their pitches to world leaders and ambassadors. This was done with the Cuban delegation where I Met with Fidel Castro who offered the Cuban Scholarship program .

The north American AID seeking Trip was organized and I was accompanied by a team of very qualified
persons including a personal consultant then former President – NJO Liverpool –Philip Nassief –Colyn
Bully–Judith Paestina. This was possibly the most effective lobbying effort which led to massive aid to
Dominica. That working team of very efficient persons was also able to visit the US state department
where Bilateral support was successfully negotiated with US donor agencies and the US state
department and USAID officials. My direct and very positive relationship with the then Ambassador of
the US based in Barbados –Sally Shelton was very instrumental in making the necessary diplomatic
connections .

Other persons with interest in Dominica was Billionaire now deceased- John Archibald, who hosted the
group in Virginia and did facilitate some of his very eminent senator Connections to support the
cause of Dominica and to introduce the satellite of prominent universities to seek residence as an off
shore centre in Dominica at Springfield. This illustrates a case in point for the present Leaders of the
crisis: to get facilitation from the respective connection which they may have developed through their
respective Embassies and other social and business network .

A focal point of assistance is the OAS where an address by me as PM led to the council of
ambassadors agreeing to direct support mechanisms for Dominica which led to a very large and
varied level of unprecedented aid which included equipment and support for the various sectors in the
country: chain saws, outboard motors, factory shells, sports equipment, fertilizer etc … A personal
relationship with then Secretary General Ophila was also very useful. It is expected that the present
Leaders will have had friends in high places at the OAS and other Agencies to assist in their request for
AID.

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10 Comments

  1. Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
    October 23, 2017

    “That was then this is now:”
    Then: “Whilst I did suffer like all others with losses of homes ,belongings and lifetime of memorabilia ,children and grandchildren with homeless experiences”

    Admin; the two response you cleared and posted, the authors shared the same sentiments I expressed, and though I suspect I was first to respond to that article, my comments are still floating around. If what I wrote constitutes a law suite, then the number one and number two votes which states the same as I wrote only in shorter versions, they too may constitute a law suit.

    Judge for yourself!

  2. Iloveda
    October 23, 2017

    Former prime minister or former premier? I thought all the pms were John, E.Charles, James, Douglas, P. Charles, Skerrit

  3. Dominican Straight-Shooter
    October 23, 2017

    Thank you OJ. You did a fantastic job after Hurricane David. We remember clearly you rising to the occasion with remarkable statesmanship. People are calling your name favorably in that regard. So keep givin* Mr Skerrit advice from your experiences. But I doubt he will take your advice, well-manning as you may be. He isn’t too haughty and full of stupid pride and arrogant and unable to perform like you did. So Dominica continues to sink. But tahini you again and again. Hate to say it, but how I wish you were there right now.

  4. Dr Clayton Shillingford
    October 23, 2017

    Thanks Oliver..O J SERAPHIN..the immediate question that comes to mind is were you consulted by present Government??? Much has been done in same way ..UN etc but can you give other advise now?

  5. Then verses Now
    October 22, 2017

    I have heard so many supporters of the Skerrit Labor Party saying, “If not Skerrit who else can help us?” Well it’s a FACT that SKERRIT SURE CANNOT! Since you all hate Lennox and the UWP, is it time for Skerrit to get out and allow OJ Seraphin to come back as interim PM, to lead the discovery and prepare us for general election, just as he professionally did in 1979? He has the experience and success not only in leading us but even more importantly to UNITE us! Skerrit CANNOT DO THE JOB!! SKERRIT IS ONLY CONCERNED ABOUT STAYING IN POWER to protect his personal interests!! SKERRIT IS A DIVIDER and keeping us divided works well for him and his interests

    • militant dominican
      October 24, 2017

      i must say that i have NEVER heard anything that makes more sense than that

  6. Then verses Now
    October 22, 2017

    That was then this is now:
    Then: “Whilst I did suffer like all others with losses of homes ,belongings and lifetime of memorabilia ,children and grandchildren with homeless experiences ..” Now: Skerrit says he too was homeless LOL! Also your children and grand were homeless. Well in the first place Skerrit’s family is comfortable in the US and NEVER had to deal with our daily problems here in DA.

    Then: “The north American AID seeking Trip was organized and I was accompanied by a team of very qualified persons including a personal consultant then former President – NJO Liverpool –Philip Nassief –Colyn Bully–Judith Paestina.” Now: ONE MAN ! Skerrit
    Then: “Other persons with interest in Dominica was Billionaire now deceased- John Archibald, who hosted the group in Virginia and did facilitate some of his very eminent senator Connections” Now: NG lap Seng and Monfared are both in jail. Then: “A focal point of assistance is the OAS” Now: We replaced OAS with ALBA. Well done…

  7. Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
    October 22, 2017

    Yesterday is gone, we cannot rely on time past; the time is now; it is the dawn of a new day, David is simply a distant memory: reminiscing  on what one did and where they traveled to and who they talk with cannot help to solve our intimidate dilemma! 

    Many of us remember hurricane David, and are aware that Maria was worst than David, it caused more damage than  David caused! No amount of talk of the past will resolve our present situation! The difference between the time of David, and now are totally different.

    In the day of David the people of the country, easily rebound; agriculture was messed up, nevertheless, we still had a very good market for our bananas, which was the backbone of the economy; so, in less than two years Dominica was practically back to normal. Today our main industry, and dependency is the sale of passports, and charitable handouts to the government diehard  supporters, the rest of the nation does not count.

    Finally, I must ask what sort of significant…

    • Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
      October 22, 2017

      Conclusion:
       
      Finally, I must ask what sort of significant advise one of the most incompetent former prime minister of Dominica  can give today; to help return the country to normalcy after he cowardly quit when he had a chance to do something to improve the country?
       
      Evoking the names of people such as the late Liverpool has no relevance to problem matters at hand, okay! It is the responsibility of the present Prime Minister to bend or break and find the resources “money,” in large amounts to rebuild the nation infrastructure.
       
      He need to find a way to provide housing for the thousands of people who lost their homes, or whatever shelter the occupied prior to the hurricane, evoking what transpired more than forty years ago is irrelevant  in the year 2017! The way things worked more than four decades ago can’t be utilized today!

  8. UK Dominican
    October 22, 2017

    OJ, sorry mate, but you are past tense.

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