Antiguan minister describes PM Skerrit as “a jewel”

Michael was one of the guest speakers at the swearing-in ceremony of the new cabinet
Michael was one of the guest speakers at the swearing-in ceremony of the new cabinet

Minister for Tourism, Economic Development, Investment and Energy in Antigua and Barbuda Asot Michael, has given Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit high praise, calling him a jewel that must be cherished.

Michael was one of the guest speakers at the swearing-in ceremony of the new cabinet of ministers on Saturday at the Windsor Park Sports Stadium.

“I say to you tonight you have the right captain to sail the ship,” he said. “You should be proud of him, he is a God-sent to the people of Dominica. I say that Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit is a jewel that you Dominicans must cherish and I congratulate you the Dominican electorate from Cottage to Grand Bay for demonstrating the wisdom that you are known for.”

Michael described the prime minister as “youthful, vigorous and full of vitality.”

He said Skerrit exudes intelligence and intellect and has a love for the poor, the downtrodden and the vulnerable.

“He came from humble beginnings and has lifted himself up by his very own boot straps, to elevate himself as one of the most outstanding leaders in the Caribbean region,” he stated.

The Antiguan minister stated that he also wants to salute Skerrit’s move to the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA).

“I also want to salute the vision of Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, for Sir, it is with your extraordinary foresight that made you not only catch the vision but lived the dream when you were among the very first in CARICOM and certainly in the Organization of the Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) to make that bold and strong and back-then controversial and unpopular decision to join not only PDV (Petro Caribe) but also to become a full-fledged member of ALBA,” he pointed out.

“You sir, took that bold step and encouraged other CARICOM and OECS leaders to embrace the vision of the eternal commander, the late Hugo Chavez,” Michael said.

He stated that his country, Antigua, has benefited from the friendship that exists between between Dominica and ALBA adding that without Petro Caribe, Caribbean islands would have “driven off into a fiscal cliff.”

Michael also encouraged the new Dominican government to create “jobs and opportunities in abundance.”

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44 Comments

  1. Titiwi
    December 17, 2014

    How much good is a jewel when you are hungry, it just give you indigestion.

  2. complainers
    December 17, 2014

    Can’t we just find things to be positive about so our country can move forward.

  3. BRAIN DAMAGE
    December 16, 2014

    Mr. Minister, do you have records of Antiguans living and working here?
    One Antiguan I know living in Massacre.
    Do you have records of Dominicans living and woring in Antigua?
    Mr Minister , thousands plus!
    Do you really mean” jewe”l or “bowel”?

  4. December 16, 2014

    That is so funny this antiguan man thinks that we do not know the difference between praise and flattery ?

  5. fedup
    December 16, 2014

    while i agree with mr michael with the praise heaped on our beloved PM. in antigua the labour party is a duplicate copy of the uwp except in my opinion the ablp is more corrupt..i lived in antigua for 22 yrs and under the late prime minister vere bird sr. i would compare both pm skerrit and bird sr as caring for the less fortunate of their respective countries. under lester bird and most of the present ablp crew antigua was labelled as the most corrupt island in the caribbean and it was a fact..asot michael was one of those who destroyed vere bird legacy.thank god i never voted labour during lester reign..pm spencer was made scapegoat by ablp..i hate when people even the pm associate dlp with ablp..in my view labour is just a party name but the governments do things differently..i am a dlp supporter and is a upp supporter in antigua

    • No name
      December 17, 2014

      You must be one of those Dominicans if given position in antigua you would kick all foreigners. How can you support a government that is so anti foreigners?

  6. Moi
    December 16, 2014

    DNO. i laughing so hard, do u know Asot Michael? Asot just saying what he think all you want to hear, he doh care…. youall can never be Asot Michael. he just laughing at u, did his job, gaston not going to embarass himself on the stage saying nice things just to be diplomatic, he sen asot, cause asot can relate to people who want to be wanna be gangsters,, lol, lol, lol, i still love u asot

  7. Anne dell
    December 16, 2014

    Dominica Booming, do u know the expression,, the emperor has no clothes.

  8. Dawn
    December 16, 2014

    Mr. Minister you may want to define the meaning of ‘Jewel’ or at least spell it. I respectfully disagree with you on all counts. What we have witnessed in the elections is a clear path to being a despot if this guy is not stopped. So there you go Mr. Minister. I will check back with you in a couple of years.\

    Respectfully

  9. Bee
    December 16, 2014

    You welcome to take the jewel and bring him Antigua. We’ll see how much of a jewel he is then.

  10. Pedro
    December 16, 2014

    The minister considers him a jewel because he needs an island that is worse than his to point finger at. Does he think we are all dumb.

  11. Dominica bomming
    December 16, 2014

    antigua is way way way ahead of Dominica why oh why these tricker stars telling our people that we are the best thing happening in the Caribbean.

    • Blue Angel
      December 16, 2014

      Exacly like St. Vincent pm you don t need a intl AirPort bc to difficult to manage but run and build one. A falling dominica is always good for antigua s développement

  12. Da queen
    December 16, 2014

    His name speaks for itself. Asot. Say it in creole. I rest my case. :roll:

  13. A Doubting Thomas
    December 16, 2014

    Thank You Sir. I can tell you that we know! but it does not hurt to hear it from someone else. Most Dominicans love and appreciate the Prime Minister of Dominica because we know he cares and has been doing his very best. That is why we again gave him and his DLP another term in government. And that is something we are not likely to see again anytime soon by any other individual.

    5 more years!! maybe 10 or more, who is counting.

  14. legion
    December 16, 2014

    Fools cannot done.

  15. DA Girly
    December 16, 2014

    Aren’t they all carrying the same cross?

  16. Anthony Ismael
    December 16, 2014

    This is the same island that treats Dominicans like dogs at V.C. Bird International airport. Where baggage has been either lost or stolen for years and where we’re forced to encounter a rude and uncaring customer service department at LIAT.
    So, we take these comments with a huge table spoon of sugar.
    Bravo!!
    Well done sir.

    • The Facts
      December 18, 2014

      Is the A/gua government to be blamed? Blame LIAT’s management.

  17. Lang Mama
    December 16, 2014

    Somebody call Harrison Ford To Make A Movie call JEWEL OF THE LIES

  18. Bird's Eye
    December 16, 2014

    It is no surprise that an Antiguan minister of government is heaping ill deserved praise on Skerrit.
    Long known as the Nigeria of the Caribbean for its official corruption, bribery and other forms deviant behavior,

  19. Lang Mama
    December 16, 2014

    Ebeh if he is a jewel then why after 15 years more Dominicans are running to Antigua and why it is that the Dominicansupport in Antigua who came home to vote ran back the following day.
    if the jewel of the region is Dominica why are investors not coming to the jewel

  20. Shaka zulu
    December 16, 2014

    What make you think skeritt is a gift from God to Dominica. Why do you come here with this crap. He is the saviour and Jesus of Dominica it seems. Why don’t you let him run your government on Antigua? This is the argument that is made to ignorant people. People who react to emotions and not commonsense and reasoning. People who are desperate and know there life is hard. People who do not believe in themselves and thier ability. People who are easily deceived.
    Does getting money from ALBA give you the right to gain personal wealth beyond your capacity? Does it allow you to publicly disrespect and lie to your people? Does is allow you to use the police and judicial system in whatever way you feel? Does it allow you to put a debt on the people knowing fully well we will have to pay for the next 5 generations. I am also a gift from God to Dominica and so is every other person born in Dominica.

  21. Thanks
    December 16, 2014

    It is very unfortunate that we cannot see and appreciate what we have. From my experience, I migrated to the US 42 years ago and I have been returning twice a year, the improvements and standards of living have improved immensely. The islands that we once called the gem of the Caribbean has become the dump and pit of the Caribbean. The contributions of Mr. Skeritte is commendable. Few people in DA has to work 2 jobs in order to keep a roof over their head and food on the table. This man has managed to keep the country flowing and from being bankrupt. It is with humility that I say, Thanks Mr. Skerrite I appreciate you.

    • Shaka zulu
      December 16, 2014

      After 42 years you expected Dominica to be as you left it?

      • Anonymous
        December 16, 2014

        Yes,
        Compared to the opposing voices,
        Cause they are utterly ridiculous.

      • The Facts
        December 18, 2014

        Some of you residents think that there is no change in D/ca that the PM did nothing. It is strange that you make this statement unless you are a DLP supporter.

    • December 16, 2014

      Oh Yes! I totally agree. Why can’t we appreciate what we have? After living 42 years in the United States you’ve come back to see truckloads of bananas being shipped every week, Dominica coconut products buying tons of copra from coconut growers, every plantain farmer shipping tons of plantain to Barbados and other Caribbean Islands, dasheen is in abundance, jams are spoiling in the ground, the roads to every farm in the country are in impeccable condition, the Chinese are asking us for as much citrus as we can produce and we are unable to keep up, Castaways Hotel, the premier beach hotel on the island is full to capacity with foreign tourist, the yacht marina in Mero is full to capacity and has to direct them to the newly built marina in Portsmouth, Bello Products has to ask farmers to stop bringing in bell peppers, hot scotch bonnet peppers, tomatoes, passion fruits, and other vegetables. Every young person leaving the state college had a guaranteed job from the many foreign corporations that have settled in the Jewel of the Caribbean over the last 42 years.

      Indeed this is progress! Oh I forgot to mention, the STATE PALACE, THE CHINESE STADIUM and the RE-SURFACED ROADS, more progress, RIGHT?

      • Ah Magwa Sa
        December 16, 2014

        oh thank you for thi spiece

      • Free and Fair
        December 16, 2014

        You forgot to mention the huge strides we made in reducing unemployment to zero! In my book ‘Thanks’ is an idiot.

      • JoJo
        December 17, 2014

        And the World Bank did not say that Dominica has unsustainable debt due to poor fiscal management. That is a lie too, right?

    • amy
      December 16, 2014

      If dominica is so good, after 42 years, why didn’t you stay there so you can be thankful and appreciate your pm.hey, maybe the shelter is better than staying in dominica.you have freedom, to leave and go where you want, people died so you can enjoy that freedom. Does building full children hungry stomach, can they eat concrete?. You are so selfish, you talk about two jobs, can their parents find one job?, didn’t you see they have become BEGGERS, or maybe you need to go wash your eye, guess you got a piece of that pie, that skerrit was sharing.

    • DD
      December 16, 2014

      You exude stupidity – Nice roads, big palace, big stadium, brokedown clinics and hospital, increase in stupidity and quality of education,

      You are a fool….

    • Francisco Telemaque
      December 16, 2014

      Guy, we do not want to hear that crap, if you are here or there forty-two years ago, that means you are in your late seventy’s, early eighties, that means you are consumed in you stupid labor party mentality.

      There are changes in Dominica, more motor vehicles on the road, large block buildings, finance by drudge money, you are impressed, or shall I say frighten by what you see, but how many of our people are going to bed every day of the week without food to eat.

      How many are without jobs, what about the high volume of crime in the country, why do you believe our are killing each other.

      Think about that before you start talking crap about appreciation for what we have.

      Dominica is one of the poorest nation on the planet, as ` matter of fact the poorest in the Caribbean, you need to shut up! People like you are the ones who accepts a free ticket every five years to go home and vote for Skerrit, helping him to keep Dominica backward, what the hell do we have to appreciate?

      Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque

      • Zuma
        December 16, 2014

        Frans let me ask you are question.

        How many children are dying from malnutrition in Dominica.

        If ou can honestly answer yes and the amount to thus well I rest my case with certain parts of Africa and Brazil in the farvelas

      • Titiwi
        December 17, 2014

        Zuma, don’t try to be clever and divert the attention away from what we are talking about. We have few children dying of malnutrition so that does not need a lot of attention. The other things do.

    • wisewoman
      December 16, 2014

      I suggest you try the ‘experience’ of living in Dominica. Visiting twice a year is not at all like living here full time. Ask the people who live here and struggle every day and don’t know if they will be able to pay their rent/mortgage or feed their family, pay school fees and the like. There are no jobs and people have lost hope.
      We also visited a couple of times a year, for many years, before moving home. The dream is very different from the reality.
      The only things flowing are our rivers and massive corruption. Believing everything is fine here is like believing America doesn’t have a race problem.

      Have you checked in with any Dominicans who have returned home after living abroad for decades?
      Did you know that the PMH ran out of sutures and that the Marigot hospital has been closed because of termite infestation? If you visit, pray you are not in need of a hospital.
      No disrespect meant but unless you are living on Dominica, you don’t know what is really happening here.

    • First timer
      December 18, 2014

      You should come over on your retirement. Did you say that no Dominican Ned’s two jobs to keep their roof over their head sir? You need a reality check. So many Dominicans can’t get a job to have a roof farless keep one. Get real sir. Suspend some time here and you will think differently. Spend some time after your barrel items are fully consumed, go to the shop, pay rent, and you will see just what the average man suffers in this country. You guys just come here see nice roads go to the bar go house hoping and get a meal or two and you all think life is sweet. Get real sir and stop belching horse crap

  22. DC
    December 16, 2014

    Well said! The PM is a rare gem. He has all the good characteristics of a leader, most importantly, he genuinely cares for people! Thank you PM for serving from the heart. We appreciate and love you! You are protected! One love!

    • December 16, 2014

      I agree with you too. The PM is a REAL GEM indeed. Any PM who believes that the state should employ more of it’s citizens than the private sector is a REAL GEM. Only a REAL GEM can love his people so much as to govern by decree. The REAL GEM has ask us to stay home and he will feed us from the red clinic. This is real love from a REAL GEM.

  23. amy
    December 16, 2014

    I wonder what was his price?, was it Thirty pieces of silver? Corruption, corruption, corruption SMDH

  24. Rebecca Theodore
    December 16, 2014

    Yep! In Nazi Germany, they were only following orders. Hitler was not a dictator. Chavez is a saint. Arabs love Jews. Its a beautiful world. Strive to be happy.

  25. Me Myself I Glad
    December 16, 2014

    Ah sir, all that glitter is not gold, to know someone is to sleep with them as long as u tow skeritt rope u safe hopefully you never get on his wrong side cause you will see the real devil that you call jewel.

    • The Facts
      December 18, 2014

      If you think so, worst with the leader of the opposition.

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