Three members of the Opposition, United Workers Party (UWP) will seek the top leadership position when the party holds its delegates conference scheduled for Sunday, November 27, 2022, at the Goodwill Parish Hall.
This is according to the President of the party, Isaac Baptiste.
The leadership position has been opened to the members of the party since its leader, Lennox Linton resigned early last month.
Linton said in a Facebook post on October 3, that his resignation from the post of the political leader of UWP emerged from the national yearning for change “that is a must. For real change that people, especially the youth can believe in.”
“To my knowledge, there are at least three candidates who confirmed that they are interested, and pursuing the leadership of the party,” Baptiste revealed. “I do not wish to declare their names.”
He continued, “Every position in the party is up for re-election and this is what we are doing so that at the end of the month on that same day there will be new leadership of the party, determined by the delegates.”
Despite Baptiste’s unwillingness to declare the names of the nominees for election as UWP political leader, two of these nominees, Clement Marcellin and Dr. Thomson Fontaine, have confirmed their candidacy while speculation has been rife that Psychiatrist, Dr. Griffin Benjamin, although he has not made any public pronouncement on the matter, is the third candidate.
Meantime, Baptiste is discouraging the Dominican public from participating in the December 6, general elections.
“Every Dominican individually or collectively has their right to decide if they want to contest this election as an independent candidate or with others under some name,” he stated.
However, he said the UWP and the majority of patriotic organizations in Dominica have decided that “there should not be another election in Dominica without electoral reform.”
Baptiste said this is what the party is pursuing.
“But we recognize the constitutional rights of persons to decide what they want to do.”
He indicated that the candidates of the Dominica Labour Party need to consider morally if what they are doing is right.
“And I want to discourage everyone from participating including the Labour Party Candidates in the name of country,” he remarked.
That is why UWP was not ready.They spent too much time(3 years) talking about the same thing you are talking about.Election was stolen,when the observers said otherwise.$4.8 billion missing and electoral reform.UWP must understand,the majority of Dominicans has never supported them in their 34 years of existence.The 2019 election observers gave Skerrit the green light to call election without election reform.They said the election was free and fair and reflected the will of the people according to law.They,UWP boycotted the
election on a statement made to the court by them.The court has never said the election was not free and fair.It is a UWP saying the election was not free and fair,so much so they have buried themselves.
I really dont know why our (uwp) supportes are upset UWP is not contesting the election. Please note that ot is their right so to do.
They are retrogressing. The are very good at mathematics. They increase seats in the NEGATIVE. let me explaine In 2014 they got 6 seats, but increased that figuer by MINUS 3, hence get 3 seats in 2019, again there action of not contesting 2022 elections, has also add MINUS 3 seats which means that they will end up on ZERO seats.
I don’t get it. UWP has forfeited the Dec 6 general election which means they don’t have a chance to be the next government and cannot be in the house as opposition. In fact UWP took a decision to lock themselves out of the parliament for the next 5 years! So what sense it makes to have a leader? A leader to keep them out?
I am a supporter of UWP from day one but I must admit that they have betrayed me. In the race I only see one true leader that is ready and equipped to lead the party and that’s Dr Thompson Fontaine. But I don’t understand why an intelligent man like Doc Fontain would even want to waste time with a party that’s in neutral if not reverse gear the last 5 yrs. Can’t believe these guys have decided to forfeit our 3 seats and the potential of taking some more from the kindergarten class of Skerrit and talking no election no reform when the obvious is there is election but no reform.
My advice to Dr Fontain is to withdraw from this nonsense and let Clemo bury their dead
Well the UWP follows its CONSTITUTION to the letter.!! The delegates shall decide on Sunday!!!
DLP seem to have dumped its party’s CONSTITUTION. They surely had one before Skerrit became PM though!!
13years, no delegates conference.
Is this a political party??
3 days before the election and President still can’t give names
I am a UWP supporter but I hate the direction my party is heading and I will not be like those laborites that are afraid to criticize their party when they heading in the wrong direction.
I am very upset that my party took a decision not to contest the election even if we all know that Skerrit has put all his machinery’ in place to steal election again. We should not surrender our seats to Skerrit without a fight Though he stole the election 2019 we had 3 seats and we were in opposition. To give everything to Skerrit makes me mad.
Concerning the three candidates let’s look at them.
1. The doctor. Sir Dominica is short of doctors thanks to Skerrit and he has turned others into politicians. So stay in ur field as a mental doctor we’ll need you soon
2. Beaty and young is not qualification for leadership
3. Doc Fontain is the only one ready but my advice to him is stay away from UWP mess. We will in opposition so…
“And I want to discourage everyone from participating including the Labor Party Candidates in the name of country” Mr. Baptiste, in the name of the country, you say!
If your discouragement call now, is the same as your encouragement call for general election in 2019, when you only got 3 seats, please don’t hold your breathe, lest your suffocate.
The people of Dominica are not listening to your discouragement call now, just as they did not listen to your encouragement call in 2019
You are only speaking to a meg minority, those who gave you the 3 seats. But right now they may be ashamed of your cowardice, and lack of confidence in the Power of your Party, the only reason, you are not contending this “snap election”.
You are not hurting PM Skerrit & his Labor Party, you are hurting your party & the people who stood with you, believe it not!
But why discourage the people if you think you will get an injunction against this election?
Elisabeth, I think someone is impersonating you in name of the red party. This is not our usual style of writing. They use anyone name you know just to get a vote, even dead people. Watch yourself or hyena might bite you.
Elizabeth, please go roll your rosary.
Stay in your lane with your papa Skerrit…
The truth is often bitter but it’s good medicine/tonic. About a year ago, Mr. Lennox Linton was duly and democratically elected at the delegates conference of the UWP. The hierarchy and other well placed members literally forced him to resign mostly motivated by an unquenchable thirst for power, greed and selfishness. Now they are like headless chickens.
That singular action has set back the UWP for decades. The damage that they did to themselves is inconceivable. Now they cannot even speak with one voice nor motivate the electorate in sufficient numbers to fight the Great Satan.Avarice, self-worship, and thoughtlessness have the UWP in a state of quandary.
The lesson to be learnt is this: We should practice to lead our lives on the basis of our needs, not under the influence of our greed and selfishness.
“Linton said in a Facebook post on October 3, that his resignation from the post of the political leader of UWP emerged from the national yearning for change “‘that is a must. For real change that people, especially the youth can believe in.'”
Nice try, DNO. We already know what Linton attributes to his resignation. He did not even seek to mask the reason.
The majority of the independent candidates are hard supporters of UWP check the St Joseph. I see that you did not talk to them or did not take you seriously.
Everyone knows that Clement is a candidate.
What are you really trying to say? You have party members who are candidates but you keep speaking from both sides of your mouth. Have you all removed the injunction when your then leader, the former leader of the opposition said all was in order?