The United Workers Party (UWP) Team Dominica presented its manifesto to the private sector and civil society at a forum held at the Fort Young Hotel on Tuesday.
The manifesto is being described as “a social contract for change.”
UWP candidate for the Grand Fond constituency Dr. Thompson Fontaine, in giving an economic overview of the manifesto, said a lot of thought and energy went into developing its framework and is very confident that as a government the UWP will succeed in making it promises a reality.
One of the major concerns raised by the UWP is that the present government seems to override private sector and private initiatives.
“We can assure you that under our administration the emphasis will be on the private sector on allowing the private sector room to grow and develop…,” Dr. Fontaine said.
According to him, there is a chronic unemployment issue in Dominica which has to be addressed.
“We have seen that we had very high unemployment in Dominica, the low growth in the economy has been the main culprit, an economy unable to revitalize itself, unable to generate any kind of growth or employment for the number of persons entering the labour force every year,” he explained. “We have a very serious and severe situation in Dominica where the unemployment situation is worst among the young. These are individuals who just left school and would normally be expected to find some type of employment and they are unable to do so. We believe that what we are proposing we have a very good chance of success and in the process generate the kind of expansion that we speak about in the private sector that is so critical.”
The party’s initial focus is to stimulate economic growth in order to create jobs in agriculture, construction, manufacturing and tourism in order to drive the export market.
He said the construction sector “we believe will help us jump-start the whole process very significantly.”
“Once that is introduced, by reducing the cost of construction immediately will encourage additional persons to want to build,” Fontaine said.
He also said people in the diaspora who wants to build vacation homes and rental properties will be targetted.
“The idea is to get a massive amount of construction activities within the first three to six months,” Fontaine said. “With that we will be able to generate growth in construction. The impact of that is these are individuals who will be spending the money in Dominica, so we expect that more income in circulation that will impact upon the services sector, the banking sector, the insurance sector and other services.”
Wow…. I think the people are ready. Change is definitely inevitable this time around… My beloved people let’s make the right choice for our childen and their children… I support workers, but if they come and do majee i’ll be the same one to vote them out… Let’s not get caught up in “Party Politics” people. Make the right choice, Team Dominica deserves that chance….
For sure, I live in the Diaspora, and I am willing to build but the cost of building or buying is just too high, especially when one already has a home. So if the UWP suceeds and they do cut down on the price of construction etc., I will be ready and willing to build a vacation home so my family and friends up here can enjoy my litle piece of paradise. These exhorbitant prices are really a deterent and I am sure there are others who are of the same opinion. This is a promise that UWP must keep, or all those campaign speeches would appear to be empty rhetoric and all for naught.
i will support that move. IF TEAM DOMINICA IS ELECTED. NO WAY I investing in a place managed by a little DUVALIER BB DOC IN THE MAKING
Team Dominica deserve a chance to show what they can do. Skerrit disappointed me with his speech last night. He was a novice when he took the job and he made many bad mistakes, like not telling the people what the terms of the memorandum of agreement with China is. He was arrogant and disrespectful to all Dominicans when he said” go to hell is none of all you business” well he is wrong he was working for the people, not the other way wong, the people are not servant, slaves or serfs and he is the feudal Lord. So Dominicans have to demonstrate that they are intelligent being, thinking beings and call Skerrit to accountability by not voting him back in power. He had his opportunity, he overplayed his hand. He mad Charles Severin ruin him , he force Charles Severin on Dominicans as President. That is when I lost all respect for Skerrit and now I am supporting Democracy not dictatorship, and labourites believe me time for change so we can criticise somebody else. let Skerrit go on holiday with is pretty wife and child and be a father to the big boy he did not marry the mother of his first child, they make him marry to get re-elected,so let him go and be a good father and husband he rich enough he can do that.
Time for change! No one party shoul din power for 4 terms. This is how dictators are born, hence we are seeing one in Da today.
We need new ideas to move the country forward and I have seen in this manifesto that these men and women in Team Dominica have what it takes to bring Dominicans back to prosperity.
But wait you all are trying to encourage diaspora to do business in Dominica. Papa god. What I’m reading is true?. I am a diaspora and I don’t think after trying to run me away from my land of birth I should support such crap.
like reallyyyyyy……you would say uwp try run you away from your country????? Allu people need to learn to listening, understand and analyze (maybe analyze is too much of a big word, so I will say instead; go through the ish you hear Skerrit and other labourites repeat with a fine tooth comb) before you come to a conclusion and make a statement.
UWP have informed of what is legal and illegal in reference to the diaspora voting…..you have to be on the island for 3 months prior to voting……you cannot just pick up and say well I am coming to vote for my party one or two days before…..you all are being truly unfair to us Dominicans who are in our country and hoping for economic growth, enabling us TO BUY OUR OWN TABLETS AND NOT VOTE FOR AND BEG A RICH LEADER FOR A TABLET, FOR MONEY TO PAY SCHOOL FEES, TO PAY RENT, MORTGAGE , ETC…….WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO DO THESE THINGS ON OUR OWN……
you know what i swear some of allu diaspora just want to vote for labour so allu can come down for carnival and wcmf and show off on us that there struggling.
They will never learn to listen and understand anything because they lack the intellectual capacity to understand the simplest of things
NO! you do not need to be here 3 months prior to the poll ,the 3 months period refers to getting REGISTERED and being included on the list of electors only.So one can`t just come today and get registered but if he or she is already registered therefore assuming to have met the necessary requirements ,then he or she can vote at any poll.as long as that individuals name has not been removed according to due process.Granted the laws may need revision in a wider context of constitutional reform ,but as of now that’s the way it stands.
A you a fool comln up wif such statement ? I am ashame of u, for I live out of D/ca as well doh am oft in D/ca. You might be a true born Domican but not a longtime residential you might b calling crab cribbs. My dear br or sis many people may find a broth nice but its who,s in the kitchen that feels the heat. Electing a government is electing a body of people to spearhead a nation with the people,s best interests in view. The people welfare is also at stake these are not matters to deal with in a day or two, you need to b aware of the in and the out comes. So there should be no derision concerning steps taken to set things strait for security and assurance of the citizens and our beloved strangers so feel yourself at home and do feel hurt for your own good. Lv u.
Stupes allu diaspora ka fais mwe facher a choo mwe. “ALLU” leave “ALLU” country because according to most of “ALLU” there is no future in Dominica mais zor ka harpay Labour Ka Twavay a choo zor. Zor too Mashaystay. Coming with your koshonee and talk about running you all from your homeland.
Honestly them fellas (Team Dominica) deserve a shot. When I listened to Dr Benjamin and Dr Pascal this morning, I realised, I dere shouting labour, labour, labour but stalwarts of the DLP, that even help to pay loans for the party, saying they are labourites but going to vote for change……nah bwoy, something in the air for change and if stalwarts like Wrecker shouting for change, Papi in blue, and Top dog labourites saying UWP (Team Dominica) already take all of Roseau…..man I VOTING FOR CHANGE TOO. THEM FELLAS’ MANIFESTO HAVE SOME PROPER PLANS TO GROW THE ECONOMY…..and i like they go to the private sector to get them on board. you see is ah all ah we ting that happening and I like that……..Man I getting excited with the hope of change dem fellas preaching and their well thought out plan they have about how to change tings step by step.
SORRY I AM A LABOURITE BUT LIKE DR BENJAMIN AND DR PASCAL I ENDORSE UWP; TEAM DOMINICA, VOTE FOR CHANGE!!!!
COME ALL WHO ENDORSE DEM FELLAS JUST COME AND POST UNDER THIS POST OR POST YOUR OWN POST “I AM A LABOURITE BUT LIKE DR BENJAMIN AND DR PASCAL , I ENDORSE TEAM DOMINICA, VOTE FOR CHANGE”
SOMETHING IN THE AIR AND MEH NAH GETTING LEFT BEHIND BUDDY!!!!
Whilst the doctors saying education not important common sense that matters, they have their degree and encouraging their children to take the same opportunities, is that the change all u talking about. God have mercy.
According to Skeritt, Mr. Lennox Linton is a fraud. On his face book, he wrote today, “I genuinely fear for the future of Dominica, were this country to be in the hands of Lennox Linton, a man who is not qualified or prepared for leadership.” While he is preaching his absurdity, he is afraid to meet Mr. Linton in a debate. My apologies, is this man for real or is he deaf, dump or blind. Since September 2013, Skeritt, has not accepted the reality that Linton has proven to be well prepared and has strong leadership qualities. Whether you love Linton or not, everyone will agree he has taken the UWP to a position where, according to a majority of Dominicans, he will win the general elections. Dominicans have never seen that kind of organization of a political campaign, like we have seen in the last fourteen months. The meeting of the private sector and civil society is no exception. Should the DLP loose the election, the blame should be placed at the doorsteps of Skeritt, the man has spent the last fourteen months, defaming, castigating, mapuising, one man, Leader Lennox Linton.
You all need to say how you will pay for what you will do.
Labour is worse but you cannot start of on the wrong foot.
Apparently you all cannot hear, or won’t listen, cannot read or wont read……UWP has over and over tell of HOW……how many times have this been explained to you all……on another note, if you were able to muster a coherent thought, you would first ask yourself, when Skerrit came into power, as a novice PM, how was the country able to operate, how did he get the roads and bridge done (cause that’s all he did, road, bridge and some cheap houses) NOTHING TO BOOST ECONOMIC GROWTH SO WE WILL CONTINUALLY HAVE TO TAKE THE ELEVATOR TO BEG HIM?????? SO if he was able to, then so will Linton be able too….. and do more because he has a well thought out plan how to bring about economic growth and not just give us roads and bridges
I grew up as a labour right fighter,I am now 62yrs I live in Guadeloupe I visit D/ca 6 times yearly.
Somebody has changed the man skerite from loyalty to arrogancie,meprizan, bighead and unruly.
I cannot recognise the man I knew. He took an independent people with abondance of dynamite energy to depending on scraps of bread wif hands drop out b4 his feet at red clinic’s. He adopted the Chinese in the wrong way bcoz the Chinese give their people work faithful to their proverb ( I f a man ask for fish teach him to fish ) do not give scraps of bread but work to eat whole loaf. That is PM Linton promises’ not an intranational hospital to put hopeless and feeble but an international airport to bring bright expectation to the hopeless and to energise the feeble. I think that everybody with a right mind will agree to say its time for a change.
When Skerrit started off where did he get the money you never know because he said it wasn’t your damn business where labor gets it money so since then he was in bed of corruption till this day, If you have common sense and can read you heard UWP Team Dominica told you how and where the money will come from, so go and get one of their Manifesto and do some reading and stop posting stupid comments.
Didn’t your mother tell you common sense beat education so now is the time to prove it to her regardless if she is alive or dead.