Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit continues to express frustration on the delay of the long-awaited electoral reform report from Eminent Caribbean Jurist Sir Dennis Byron. Sir Byron was selected by Prime Minister Skerrit to serve as a sole commissioner to advance efforts towards electoral reform in Dominica.
“The report was promised to us on March 23, 2023, we are now in May and this is concerning to me, because we absolutely in the country need to set this issue of electoral modernization/reform aside and focus on more important matters of the state,” he said while addressing a press briefing this week,” he said.
He continued, “This is a commitment we gave and I have said to Sir Dennis and of course you know we had the challenges with Covid-19 and the slowdown of this.”
According to Prime Minister Skerrit, whatever the final report is, it should be submitted to the people of Dominica, “and let us take it from there.”
He explained that when he attended the symposium in Trinidad he raised with CARICOM heads and the Secretary-General that he will also want CARICOM to step in to play a part with a view to advancing some of the fundamental elements of the electoral modernization process in Dominica, “So it’s concerning for us.”
Skerrit revealed that the matter was discussed in Parliament on Tuesday.
“It’s a matter that we discuss every week seeking a follow-up and we are ready to move with the consultations and the finalization of the bills and the policy positions and go to Parliament and enact the new legislation,” he stated.
Furthermore, he said the draft has been prepared, Sir Dennis would have had a first draft, “there were some refinements I understand that are being done and our view is: submit whatever is available and let the people of Dominica proceed with what we believe to be the fundamental elements of our electoral modernization process.”
Skerrit made it clear that he doesn’t want anybody to ever think that his government is not serious about this matter.
“But it is of extreme concern to us,” he reiterated.
He continued, “The moment we receive the report and the draft bills it will go to the public immediately and have a very efficient consultative process and let us go to parliament.”
Meanwhile, following a question posed to Prime Minister Skerrit on having equally capable Dominicans do the job, who would have been able to submit the report in a faster time, in his response he agreed that Dominica has highly competent, qualified, and trained persons who could have carried out that exercise. However, he stated that “We all know the issues which permeated this issue of electoral reform and we felt that it would have been better to get somebody who is independent, who is an international jurist to come in and to assist with advising on the fundamental elements on the electoral modernization process.”
He pointed out that the work that Sir Dennis has done has been good work so far.
“All we are saying is submit whatever we have now and let us go with it,” Skerrit reiterated.
He believes that his government has selected the right person for the job.
“I think we have selected the right person for the job and I think we selected the appropriate person for the job and I believe some good work has been done in respect to the reform, but there is a certain anxiety on my part in terms of the delay in the delivery of the report and in ensuring that we can move ahead with this report,” he remarked. “So what appears to be a divisive issue can be set aside and Dominicans focus on more fundamental issues which are affecting their lives.”
The Prime Minister went on to state that part of the problem is that the drafting of the legislation was not part of the original terms of references, but the recommendations were made to engage an expert legal draft person to draft the legislation, and that was authorized, “and we paid in the excess of US$70,000 for the drafting of this legislation.”
He added, “These pieces of legislation had been drafted, so my view is, submit the drafts, let us start the process of reviewing as Dominicans and determine what are the three fundamental elements of the reform.”
In a letter dated November 6, 2022, Sir Byron – a former President of the Caribbean Court of Justice, former Chief Justice of the OECS Supreme Court, and Privy Councilor, who was appointed by the government to investigate and advise on the issue of electoral reform- revealed to the former leader of the United Workers Party (UWP), Lennox Linton that he will be presenting his long-awaited report in two phases.
“Phase I will deal with the Registration of Electors and Phase II with the Election Process. I am in the final stage of the Phase I report,” he said in the letter copied to Mr. Duncan Stowe, Chairman of the Electoral Commission.
In the said letter, Byron acknowledged that his engagement “carries the expectation of bridging the sharp divisions of opinion that have handicapped the completion of this reform exercise.”
Against this background, he declared that legislative support is required to give effect to the recommended reforms, noting that the existing legislation is “quite old, and it has been a flashpoint for political disagreement and community dissatisfaction.”
Sir Byron also highlights in the letter that consultation took longer than anticipated as it was characterized by robust discussion and even resulted in several modifications to drafts of the proposed legislative instruments. He went on to point out that the draft legislation which was presented to Linton has the consensus of the Commission.
As such the Caribbean jurist noted, “I will present Phase I report during the month of November 2022. Parliament tables the Register of Elector’s legislation in December 2022 with the plan to enact it in January 2023, so that the Register of Electors could be compiled in accordance with the recommendations during that calendar year.”
He noted further, “I will present Phase II of the Report, after a consultation process similar to that undertaken for Phase I in February/ March 2023. Parliament tables and enacts the Phase II legislation in March/ April 2023.”
Byron, who spoke to state-owned Radio DBS last year, revealed that the process has been taking longer than he had anticipated and would not be ready in 2021, as initially promised, and instead gave a new target date of January 2022. This present delay with the recommendation isn’t the first that the public has experienced since Skerrit broke the news of Sir Byron’s assignment at the swearing-in of his new cabinet in December 2019.
The process, which was originally due to commence in March 2020, finally got off the ground on February 1, 2021, with over 35 organisations, including political parties, recognized civic groups, and non-governmental organisations, invited to make written submissions by Thursday, February 11.
The Prime Minister had initially announced that Sir Dennis would visit Dominica in March 2020 on an “information-gathering exercise and once he comes into Dominica, he will be exposed to all the relevant stakeholders including the media.”
The onset of COVID-19, which led to the closure of borders, forced a change of plans, and the start of the process was rescheduled to September 1, 2020, with an end date in December of the same year. However, DNO was told that the eminent jurist refused to begin unless the Electoral Commission was properly constituted. The original plan called for a series of town hall meetings with the public, but with COVID-19 many of the consultations and citizens’ surveys on electoral reform were held virtually.
Dominica has always had free and fair elections.It is the stupidity of UWP and their supporters,why they continue to stay in the yard.If the majority of Dominicans wanted electoral reform Skerrit would be out of power.UWP was kicked out of power for
(1) CORRUPTION
(2) VICTIMIZATION
(3)GREED and
(4) LIES
Dominicans are smart that is why the majority has never voted UWP.Only fools will try to full a 45 gallon drum with a basket.Labourites run Dominica,when we get tired with Skerrit,the same way we kicked out UWP we will kick him out.We are not going to take advice from a handful of losers,lazy,lying UWP traitors and habitual criminals,posting BS on DNO.
Free – maybe
Fair – no way
If we had fair elections in the past 10 years that tyrant wouldn’t live in Dominica anymore. Well, not in that palace that the state has to pay for.
@Lin clown, even Skerritt is saying that electoral reform ls long overdue. Go figure how much of a clown hanging out on a limb you are.
Ignorant clown: There was always fair and free elections in Dominica until Roosevelt Skerrit that damn corrupted little wetback sweaty gutter rat introduce corruption in the elections.
Roosevelt was is the first and only person to spend billions of dollars treating people to influence their vote! Prior to that we had clean and honest elections, the first election Roosevelt won might be fair, due to the stupidity of the people who fell for his youth, and claimed that he was handsome.
Since then every election he won is by dishonest means; every election in recent years are bought and paid for by the corrupted crook Roosevelt Skerrit; (that damn corrupted crook triple doctor sir knight Dominica Mountain Chicken Crapaud Mentality me almost nearly cousin the crook Roosevelt Chichi Royer Skerrit)!
All of that in the bracket is his name I bestowed on him, and he is a damn midnight thi.. too eh!
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
Elections are stolen in Dominica not, won!
Braying DON keys.Let us see all you get the majority of Dominicans to take to the streets in favour of electoral reform.Why would Skerrit rush electoral reform when the election observers told us all elections held in Dominica were free and fair.
Mega projects in small countries like Dominica, you really cannot put a complete date when it will finish and opened? Look at SVG International airport completion date, it took them five 5 years pass their opening date. And now they a building the next mega project that cost one billion dollars, port modernization, they expect it to open next year but I doubt it…
If you want to see it, go to Facebook and type in Kingstown port
I don’t believe a word that Skerritt has to say about the delay of presentation of the report by Dennis Byron. Roosevelt will use anyone to try to cover his a**. I believe that Dennis is not as incompetent as Skerritt has tried to make him look. The report that Dennis requested the Election Commission be properly constituted before he proceeded speaks volumes. The “I’m-the-people” leader has the final report from Dennis but he doesn’t like it because it removes many things he has been doing to corruptly steal elections in the past. He’s going to sit on the report until his circus parliament permits him to become the next president of Dominica. This way he can leave office as not having lost an election during his tenure as prime Minister. I’m consoled that nothing lasts forever. Skerritt your days are numbered. You have thrown an eminent jurist under the bus for self agandizement. Wicked soul.
My bro don’t come crying or pretending now like is Denis that holding up the report. All that delay is a scam to keep you in office and on our broken backs longer. We don’t care what you and Denis or your cabal say because we have waited long enough. Par-playwaay-bar-nou! Our backs are broken but the spirit of Bala, Jacko and Congoree has risen in us once again. Please resign , souplay souplay just leave our country because all you are concerned about is your pocket and victimization. You and your nominated cabinet about to feel the real heat of the people month end. That looming “PEOPLE’s PROTEST” ought to teach you a lesson you will never forget. Remember when PJ tried to play with Dcans?
All we want to hear is that you and your nominated CABI-NOT that is riding on our broken backs are resigning forthwith along with the head of your manicou gang.
This morning I hear Matt Peltier dedicating a whole programme to Haiti, while we have our own acute problems. That may sound selfish but as a very small country what can we do to solve the nightmare in Haiti when we can not even have electoral reform in our own country and sort out our own mess. Of course it is Matt’s programme but I sometimes get the impression he diverts the attention away from our own issues to relieve pressure on Skerrit’s government. I hope I’m wrong.
Clarity go on the street, on go the highways and bi- ways and you will know for a fact,the majority of Dominicans are not interested in electoral reform,and Skerrit know that.Keep a meeting on the need for electoral reform and see what happens.Skerrit built Dominica after Maria without electoral reform.Clear Harbour,NEP.Yes We Care,$300 monthly,housing revolution,removal of hospital user fee,in all those things thousands of Dominicans benefit.That is what the people of Dominican care about.NOT ELECTION REFORM.Since UWP is no longer the parliamentary opposition Dominica has become very quiet.Electoral reform will come when it will come,in the meantime IBO and his habitual handful of aholes can post 10,000 comments on electoral reform.This country was built by Labourites,and Labourites will make the rules.If Skerrit want to pass resolutions that is not in favour of the PEOPLE(majority) he will be kicked out of office.
Look, …., your opinions are not those of the Dominican public. Get it in your skull!
My people open your eyes. Byron gave Skerrit a first phase report to do with registering voters? And a draft law too. What has Skerrit done with it? If that law was passed as promised, all now the work to issue ID’s could be going on.
Skerrit does not want electoral reform!!!!!
My people do your homework. Why did Skerrit suddenly remove the requirement for Dominican passport holders not to do the immigration form?
Stop falling for Skerrit’s nonsense and blaming Byron. Ask Skerrit what happen to the draft law on registration he was given. Remember you cannot vote if you are not registered….. so it makes sense to clean up the registration first.
I tell all you, Skerrit does not want electoral reform!!!
Ennui has pervaded the country with Roosevelt’s continual lies, and stalling tactics on the issue of reforming the present corrupt electoral system.
With fair changes to the electoral system, no political stands to hold an advantage. Who fairy minded individual or honest political party will stubbornly oppose this? Only one that is hell-bent on corruption.
Roosevelt has pushed Dominica into one man rule, and exacerbate an economic crisis in Dominica. Despite his obvious unfitness for the position he now holds , most local media houses are trumpeting Roosevelt as a heroic, indispensable political figure.
Roosevelt has determined that a fair electoral system would only be had over his corpse.
Preposterous! The record shows that no other government has done more to advance meaningful electoral reform for Dominica than this DLP Government, led by Skerrit, himself. A cursory search even through past DNO new items completely unmasks this pathetic attempt at political mischief. Facts are very stubborn and no amount of mudslinging, denigrating, mind-bending, and shenanigans can rewrite these facts.
Watch it. Buy-Rum is going to request more money to complete the Mess he’s cooking.
This is wholly unacceptable to the people of Dominica who want to see Electoral “REFORM” accomplished. Covid finished in 2021, it’s now 2023!
All parties, including political parties, recognised civic groups, and non-governmental organisations should receive the draft at the same time as the incumbent parliamentary party to avoid any further delays and to show integrity in the process.
Given the length of delays, why hasn’t the Electoral Reform Commission been properly constituted? totally inexcusable. This needs to happen as soon as possible so Dominica has the “appropriate” body in place to handle all correspondence with Sir Byron directly to remove influence and/or bias from the process.
This is hugely important so all political tribes should be aligned and vigorously invested to (morally and legally) get this absolutely right, predominantly for all individual residents in Dominica.
Where is the first draft? Who, apart from Skerrit has seen it? This simple fact on its own makes the entire process a mockery because it has to be assumed that he (Skerrit) asked him (Byron) to amend certain sections that Skerrit could not live with. Dominicans, your PM is about to fool you again! Big style!
What are the refinements as opposed to the fundamental elements that skerrit refers to ……..I wonder.
Does Byron have any shame?
Is he secretly ducking skerrit?
That is a lot of reputation to put on de line eh.
Ler me see where this ends up
Mr. Byron is not ducking Roosevelt. This trickery is well orchestrated by the prolific Liar. He blames everybody but himself for his dirty and ill-advised decisions. Who did he blame for the faux pas concerning Dominica’s diplomatic ties with Syria?
I like how Roosevelt is now throwing Dennis Byron under the bus. This once widely respected legal luminary has been indelibly stained for life because of ‘gluttony’. You get in bed with dogs you get the lice.
Well, it is not Skerrit who has to complete the report. It is not Skerrit who has to submit copies of the report to Skerrit et al, correct? And how does Byron suddenly become “widely respected legal luminary” in your eyes? A joke dat man?
Man, as I said to you before, your folly knows no boundaries!
Putin, of course, is an absolute specialist in rigging elections. He has done it for years!
Simply, WHY BELIEVE A CAPITAL LIAR!!!!!!
This type of Demon hovering over our country is abnormal and it has no regard to law or constitution. So stop thinking you can pray it out or get it out through the ballot box or anything legal or constitutional . To get this demon out from our country we have to take the advice of Matt 11:12 and the violent take it by force. But for it to be successful we have to also consider this Bible verse : …and they loved not their lives unto the death. Revelation 12:11
When a political party is in power for twenty (20) consecutive years due mostly to corrupt practices, there is no incentive nor motivation to change anything.This is precisely the case currently in Dominica concerning electoral reform.
How many more frivolous excuses and colossal falsehoods would Roosevelt try to sell to the electors? Pathetically, because of the pervasive poverty, many residents Dominicans give their absolute support to an oppressor for a loaf of bread or to occupy a free but defective government-owned apartment.
We have a ruler who preaches division instead of unity. One who has handcuffed himself to hate instead of love. A ruler who embraces lawlessness and repudiated rule of law. This narcissist wants the people to praise him for their daily bread and not God who gives us the breath of life and provides our sustenance.
People, the Opposition by themselves cannot effect the changes needed. We the people, have to coalesce and free ourselves from bondage.
Sadly, any trust I ever had in mr. Skerrit has long since gone. It has nothing to do with the party he Is purported to lead but the man himself, a seriously flawed individual. There is no question in my mind that he did receive the report from Sir Dennis, who’s recommendations did not fit in with Mr. Skerrit. Instead of putting them before Parliament he bought himself extra time with that snap election last Dec. As far as I’m aware Sir Dennis has not yielded to attempts by mr. Skerrit to amend the report to suit his purposes. Not everyone is for sale Roosevelt and now you are snookered. Quo vadis Roosevelt? For the sake of all Dominicans, including his political supporters he should be cast out. He serves exclusively his own mania and is not fit for purpose. He has become a liability, not only to us but also Caricom, which ironically he now leads.
Ask for a refund. Bloody con artist. From day one that was the intention. Byron must have some financial issues for him to not see he was being used. That’s all skerrit does. Use people any chance he gets to keep grip on power. The people’s office has been lucrative to him.
“PM on delay of electoral reform report: ‘…it is of extreme concern to us” (Roosevelt Skerrit).
Why don’t you shut up Roosevelt!
You are simple blowing that stupid rhetoric in order to deviate from the stupid comments of Denise Charles about you Building International Airport, while extending Melville Hall airport which turns into a swamp when it rains.
You cannot even impress your brother the devil with such stupid rhetoric as in the quote; because you are the one who hired that incompetent man; another of your puppets. And I suspect the reason he cannot produce or deliver a result, or resolve, is all because of your interfering in the dictates.
He may be your puppet, and has to do as you wish; hence he might be finding himself guilty as you might be coercing him into doing something that will not result into electoral reform, this is a process that should not take more than an approximate six month!
You are a damn lying crook Roosevelt, stop your pretending!
Here we go again from a KINGPIN liar….
The wrath of these Biblical passages will deal with you:
One of the Ten Commandments is “thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour”; for this reason, lying is generally considered a sin in Christianity. The story of Naboth in 1 Kings 21 provides an example where false witness leads to an unjust outcome.
Dennis Byron is just as culpable as Roosevelt in this electoral reform soap opera. He was recruited by Roosevelt as a man of impeccable integrity to legitimise this subterfuge of a man who lies about lies.
Dominicans should never relent until they see the back of Roosevelt and his jellyfish apostles. But, just as important, Dennis Byron should not escape our collective scorn for his legitimization of this erosion of our democracy seemingly for a pay check ($500K).
Money often costs too much.
Skerrit may not be intellectually sharp but he is certainly crafty and cunning.
Willing to sacrifice one of the Caribbean’s most respected jurist; in order to control the narrative on an issue that exist today because of his own inaction.
“Inaction,” you say? Where have you been in the last 15 years? Do a Google search on actions taken by Skerrit’s government towards modernizing the electoral system. Remember that legislation that was tabled in Parliament in 2017? Whatever became of that? If you know not of what you speak, it is your responsibility to first inform yourself before speaking. I see GIS has an article entitled “THE FACTS ON ELECTORAL REFORM.” You can begin there.
I was reading this and a third of the way in I stopped reading. I could nor allow Skerrit to insult my intelligence.
Electoral reform is so concerning that he called an election 2 years early.
He wants a preliminary draft and he will take it from there. Except he could not wait for any draft before he called a very early election.
Who is this guy thinking he can fool?
Firstly, Lying Roosevelt said he wants to set the issue of electoral reform behind us so we can move on to more important matters. This Liar is even more foolish and uneducated than I originally thought.
The electoral system is the fulcrum of our democracy. Undemocratic practices lead to unfettered corruption, dictatorship and civil war. What does this genuine numskull think is more important and urgent than a fair electoral system in Dominica?
Everything he said on electoral reform at his last cartoonish press conference is comical. He had to think that he was on a comedy stage.
His actions on electoral reform and his words on the topic at the ‘press conference’ are diametrically opposite.
It is conspicuous. Roosevelt is an extremely talented Liar. I submit that when Roosevelt speaks and people believe him, he is shocked.
Roosevelt keeps on perpetuating his lies to the Dominican people because he is convinced that a lie told often enough becomes the truth.
Irrespective of what LIAR Skerrit may say on electoral reform, he, (Skerrit), is on a DELIBERATE mission to go as slowly as possible with the process, to the point where people will protest, then the deceptive and inveterate LIAR will even end up saying that the opposition does not want reform, because they are stalling the process. How many times can Skerrit fool you all. He NEVER fools me! Speechwise, every time he chuckles, he belches out LIES. He even laughs at himself!! What a disgraceful kind of leadership Dominica has degenerated into with this man! He has to find all kind of “koko makak” to do with the report, like call in CARICOM and COMMONWEALTH again, and again!!!. I just don’t trust this man, and i strongly despise his fetid, sleaky and corruption ladened leadership!
He has never fooled me. Disgraceful and 100% corrupt leaders can’t fool me!!!