Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has called on Dominicans to place greater focus on a more positive perspective about the country in order to build a stronger and more prosperous nation.
He was addressing the annual Diaspora Dialogue held at the State House Conference Center on Wednesday.
“I invite you on a quest to build a stronger, more united, prosperous nation,” he said. “The strength of our nation, I believe, lies in the ability of its people to work together in harmony. First order of business is for us to think positively about our country.”
According to him, when one preoccupies themselves with negativity they will be unable to contribute constructively.
“We need to have a more positive perspective about our country,” Skerrit stated. “It’s not perfect here, but Dominica has given us the foundation upon which we stand and a way to show gratitude to it is, by–one–being grateful to it by way of being positive.”
“We need to recommit ourselves to our country. Let us be positive. My request to all of us is, let us have a positive mind. Instead of promoting what is negative of a country, promote what is positive.”
He added, “You can criticize, but criticism must be constructive to make something better.”
The Prime Minister added, “It must not be to denigrate, it must not be to destroy, it must not be to bring down.”
He warns Dominicans that they must not allow political differences to cloud their judgement.
“Let us set a better example for our children. Let us set a better legacy for our children to follow a path of seriousness, a path of love, a path of positivity,” Skerrit said. “If our children hear us talking so negatively in the homes, what are we going to have? Socialization starts at home.”
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Skerrit, your housing program, your red clinic, your NEP, your free rum, chicken wings and other entertainment at election time are designed by YOU to cloud the judgement of Dominicans. How about that? Who exactly are you preaching to? The Chinese perhaps? The Russians perhaps?
Dominicans are asking the CM for Sir Byron’s proposed election reforms. Or is the CM not willing to publish because Sir Byron’s proposals were perhaps ‘clouded’ in the CM’s view. Did he perhaps play a trick on the CM? Did the CM pay over half a million for nothing?
Skerrit, you have clouded the judgement of most Dominicans for the past 20 years, with your constant lies, your continued propaganda, your Red Clinic presents, your free rum and burnt chicken wings at election time and of course free apartments for your most loyal supporters. How about that for the most opaque government in the western hemisphere.
You have thrived on the policy of divide and rule Dr Dr that’s what you and your carbal need to get rid of for Dominica to become prosperous.
Are you kidding me?! You’re the Ringleader, perpetuating the disenfranchisement of Dominicans who do not support the DLP. You have blatantly penalized your critics in one way or another. You’ve had no qualms about your biases against Non-DLP supporters, in every aspect of Dominica’s society, from employment to education. You are currently campaigning, with your empty promises of an International Airport, development of the Agricultural sector, etc. However, you realize that your stronghold and influence is dwindling. You fear you’re not a sure in at the next General Election, thereby jeopardizing your ardent exploitation of Dominica and Dominicans. 99 Days for the Thief and 1 day for the Police – you’re on day 97. Your day of reckoning is quickly approaching.
Coming from a man that thrives on division. He has created the most divided Dominica to date. Even worse than in the 80’s. In the 80’s man was giving labour blows, but laborites were never victimized. All could eat. Everybody looked out for everyone. Today, laborites in power now, and they letting you know is not even water you can drink if they can victimize you in that way. So go to hell mr PM with your hypocrisy. I know you have helped many non laborites, but you have many officers who use their positions to victimize others based off your name and the party.
Hahahahah! This man isn’t right in his head. That’s a fact!
Does Skerrit live in alternative universe?
Unless you are seen to be a supporter of this government you cannot count on any help from this guy. And I say this guy because he has his hands in everything. Nothing happens without his consent. And he has the nerve to talk about politics and clouding your judgment?
He is the chief of using politics to drive every decision. Just another set of empty words, much like everything he says.
Stop letting power and material possessions cloud your judgement. Resign and free Dominica from the curse that you have placed on our beautiful island.
Was the forestry division consulted? Was an environmental impact assessment done? Who are the engineering consultants? Who are the building contractors? A project like that in such a sensitive and dangerous area cannot be be trusted once is this criminal enterprise posing as a government that is behind it. I would never ride it and I already see a major disaster if at all it is completed because I am sure is an incompetent government crony who will get the contract to build it.
Roosevelt in order for a country to become prosperous, there must be massive employment in the country.
People must have good paying jobs; however, if there are no industries, there can’t be employment, and even if every unemployed person become a farmer, the situation would be the same, as there are few market place in the Caribbean for the agricultural food we produce.
All of the islands to the South Dominica, from Martinique, to Guyana in South America, and the rest of South America, to Mexico in North America produces the same thing.
People from all the Windward islands take their yam Tanya, and green fig to Antigua looking for sale.
Our economy is based on the sale of passports, some of the the proceeds you use to give free houses to your supporters, only; so your talk of making Dominica a prosperous place, is as usual sweet sounding meaningless political rhetoric.
No employment means poverty!
How a few people manage to become billionaires in Dominica is a mystery.
where is the basis which governs our togetherness in an environment where discrimination is ramp? citizens are given apartments and buildings with no agreement whatsoever in other to hold us at political gun point which is ransom and extorsion. this is a culture created by this Labour administration yet how are you here speaking of prosperity and togetherness? how could togetherness and prosperity be in the same sentence when the practice in our home land is Discrimination… you skerrit said it on Q95, that if 2 equally qualified individuals compete for a job, that you would select the one who is a labour party supporter. yet the constitution says that someones political opinion should never be used as a form of judgement, this amounts to discrimination… to these diasporans remember this is the political ideology which you are supporting and promoting when you vote for this present labour party administration
For years ago I submitted a commentary to DNO titled, “A Dose of Criticism is Good for You.” It was not published but its message remains relevant.
It was in response to the PM’s warning the critics of the government’s national housing program that adverse criticism is not welcome because his work is guided by God…”I am basically an instrument…you will not be criticizing the Government, you will be criticizing God”.
Those of us involved in the creative arts may likewise feel that we are guided by God but we welcome criticism. We see it as an evaluation of the merits and faults of our work and not outright disapproval. But long before the criticism of others, there should be self-criticism. No one tears my work apart more ruthlessly than I do.
There is a relationship between criticizing and questioning and both are related to Critical and Creative Thinking. These components are desperately needed in Dominica at this point in time.
But then again, I’m open to criticism.
ADMIN: Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
We do have a record of an email from you in 2018 with that title but no attachment was received.
Interestingly, our internal records show an intent to publish.
We would normally have reached out to you in such a case but perhaps there was some form of miscommunication.
Feel free to resubmit the commentary to [email protected].
You may wish to update the commentary but the topic still seems relevant today.
Thank you Admin.
I will update and resubmit at an opportune time.
but you don’t want de nation to be united!!!
listen to a recording of your utterances in parliament……….de house just as divided as de nation itself…….guess who leads de house skerritt….you!
how about if you lead by example?
The progress we make together is not always how rich we are but how skillful, how knowledgeable, how marketable, how resourceful, how intelligent and educated we are as one people, how independent we are, how progressive we are. All these different factors play a useful part in our lives and the development of our country. When we should be having a great perspective of our country, we are having nightmares about leaders of our beloved country that we hate everyday of our lives. That does not bode well for the development of our country. Indeed, it is thinking backwards. We all can do better than that. Jealousy and hate are the two types of cancer in the development of our country that need to be stamped out at once. The opportunities are there; let us all avail ourselves of them.
DS you must ask yourself why there is this hate as you call it, which is a strong word. Is it because Roosevelt has been practicing exactly the opposite what he now preaches for the best part of his regime? Only a twisted mind could pronounce nonsense like this and present it like gospel. Honestly, I have no other explanation for for it.
Hear ye, hear ye!! the emperor has spoken. Words are cheap but actions speak louder than words. The double doctorate dude allowed political differences to cloud his judgement and set in motion a situation where the vast majority of the recipients of the people’s houses built with the people’s passport money have been allocated to supporters of the DLP. His deputy acknowledged that the government had discriminated against constituencies which had elected opposition candidates, most of the relief for hurricane Maria went to supporters of the DLP. Isn’t that clear instances of political differences clouding the judgement of the cabal. Now the hypocrite emperor tells visiting Dominicans not to do as I’ve been doing. Who the hell does he think he is. It’s a good philosophy but Skerritt must practice what he preaches. It’s clear he knows right from wrong but he’s just wicked and vindictive.
Well said. We should all have a positive outlook of our country. By doing so, we project a positive image of our country to continue building on. There should be no room for negativity. for those who project a negative image of Dominica, remember what John F Kennedy said, ‘ask not what your country can do for you but ask what you can do for your country’. There are those who spend their entire life criticizing and, they are the ones who have made not one contribution to their country. They criticize out of hatred and envy. They have a foolish pride about them. Foolish pride does not bring happiness. It only brings emptiness and selfishness. Their minds are clouded by the negative thinking of ours who have absolutely no interest in the development of their own country. Man to man is so unjust; you don’t know who to trust. Long Live the Supreme Leader, the Honourable Roosevelt Skerrit. Forward Ever, Backward Never.
No other Dominican has done more to harm and destroy the once pristine image of Dominica regionally and internationally than the greedy, selfish, uncaring money hoarder, Roosevelt.
He has lied about a concocted coup by opposition members; allowed international fugitives to hide in Dominica; given diplomatic passports to criminals; sought diplomatic ties with the world’s most murderous regime; and the list is endless.
If we are to safeguard Dominica’s image from further bruising, Roosevelt and his faithful outlaws have to vacate their present positions.
Do you think that Dominicans are that stupid to keep reelecting a man into office election after election and then destroying their country afterwards? Come on Ibo, you do not make any sense. If each time I take my good clothes to the Dry Cleaner for cleaning only to find out each time I pick them back up that I notice she keeps destroying my clothes, why would I continue taking my good clothes to her? It does not take a rocket scientist to figure it out.
@ds, keep living under the rock of DLP and try to forget what the CCJ, the highest court in the region, wrote about the treating and bribery of elections in Dominca and said this should never happen again in the future. So when you opine about Skerritt winning election after election you try to tell yourself that there wasn’t any criminal treating and bribery by DLP headed by Skerritt. Regional election observers also wrote in their reports that past elections were free but not fair. Only a corrupt individual would dismiss the court’s report and the election observers report and brag about election successes of the cabal. You have no shame.
Yes they are. You are a prime example!
@ds, you are trying to sound different from who and what you really are and anyone who has been reading your posts in the past can see the forked tongue at work. You end this post not with an olive branch but with more vitriol. You don’t have it in you to seek reconciliation but you are on the war path permanently. Your philosophy is if you win then it’s fine but if you lose then something is diabolically wrong with the process and with others. You are judgemental of others and want to set your criteria for who contributes to nation building even if you don’t know a damn thing about what others are doing. You believe that your purpose is to protect the double doctorate dude like a mother hen protecting her chicks. You operate on the philosophy of me, myself and I. Once you receive some crumbs from the cabal you don’t give a hoot about the good name of Dominca or others who love her but have a different view of things. You need to learn to let the political hatred go.
Roosevelt is the god and master of DISUNITY. Dominica has always experienced political division since adult suffrage. However, since Roosevelt ascension to the apex position of government, political tribalism and polarisation is at its WORST. That’s a fact.
This evil doer has called his political opponents stale soup and old buggies. He has urged his ignorant supporters to harass these said people wherever they are seen in public.
Nowhere is the political disunity, anarchy, tribalism, partisanship more evident than at a live parliamentary session. Young people are like sponges, they soak up everything they see and hear. When they listen or view most live parliamentary sessions they are permanently damaged by the fierce political animus in this house of confusion and commotion.
How ironic! A buffoon who uses discord and conflict to maintain power espousing unity to mislead the unsuspecting.
Excuse me sir, How many times have you let your political differences cloud your judgement? Let me refer you to the time you proclaimed in open public fora “if two men are equally qualified I would pick the labor man over the workers man, EVERYDAY” Not just in one particular situation or another, but EVERYDAY!! Was it a clone talking at that time?? This is Just one of many times you could have, and should have chosen to employ your own advice. Hats off to you and your award winning performance, consistently hooking the suckers, by pretending to be something you are not… A caring Statesman..
WoW WoW WoW!!!
Those words of advise are deep. Only if the PM would look in the mirror when repeating them just maybe he would realize he was speaking to himself. That man is sick in his cabeza. It would have been so much better had he told the sick, twisted minded, my vote for a ticket home diasporasses (if thats a word) listening to him that he is resigning from the office of PM effective immediately. My god is not a Bajan police officer so someone should make them aware that one or more of them may just have been selected as the next sacrificial lamb. Yes I said it…..the devil must get paid.