IN PICTURES: Dominica parliament holds first meeting since COVID-19 declared pandemic

The Dominica parliament convened this morning for the Second Meeting of The First Session of The Tenth Parliament where two COVID-19-related bills were introduced for debate.

Dominica News Online (DNO) got some photographs of parliamentarians, most of them wearing masks, as they arrived at the Parliament building. Photos by Cecil Clarke.

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22 Comments

  1. Simple
    April 8, 2020

    Dreams of brightet days ahaahaaa

    Yes skerrit u really play on dcans head eh yesyes..u knew that after de campaign squander no money u use all to stay in power..shame shame…and quoney some christians..even pastor to say my tomorrow will be greater..it safer with labour…wey wey wey.
    But God is merciful..we all need to call on him and repent and he will deliver us

  2. Bhilly
    April 7, 2020

    Did anyone else notice how well groomed these guys were considering barber shops have been closed for a while?

    • Skounders
      April 8, 2020

      Probably having flown in their favourite barbers from Guadeloupe. At state expense of course. If all you only knew how these guys live. They bath in luxury and give all you $200, a rum and 2 burned wings for your votes. All you need to wake up and smell the coffee and get your proper share of the cake!!!

    • Toto
      April 8, 2020

      Garçon, you expect a king to go down the high street to visit a barber. No my boy the the barber calling on him privately.

  3. UKDominican
    April 7, 2020

    Did I hear Roosevelt Skerrit boasting that he was negotiating the discount rate down to 2%? Some achievement in light of the lowest interest rates ever available now. My bank told me only yesterday that the interest they will pay on my premium savings account will go down to 0.1% from April 20, while right now a 5 year fixed mortgage rate is on offer for 1.49% from a major bank, Santander in the U.K.
    Trust me, that lower discount has nothing to do with any efforts by pipsqueek Skerrit. He is just bamboozling simple people.

  4. dissident
    April 7, 2020

    Skerrit will destroy his own self.
    After hurricane Maria he went to the UN and cried for assistance. Now he cursing at our Representatives in Parliament.
    These real life situations always expose your true character.

    It’s a disgrace to see that during a pandemic health crisis you are unable to bring de people together…. there is a reason why some people not adhering to the distancing rules……we just can’t seem to find common ground to hold hands and feel like a strong family.
    Skerrit you broke down de real waitukubuli family spirit….you destroyed de glue between us.
    Some people just to heartless and unemotional.
    Obsessive and greedy leadership can’t bring people together with love.

  5. Jay
    April 7, 2020

    Our leaders ought to learn from this pandemic and introduce measures to work remotely, including parliament, which means they should all have the technical capabilities to function irrespective of disasters or pandemics. This requires a new level of thinking and ways of doing things. Establish a software package unique to government and opposition where they can debate without having to go to the building, they could give limited access to civil society and subscribers. Why not attempt to change now so that when other disasters happen we will have set the foundation for something new and refreshing.

  6. Man bite dogs
    April 7, 2020

    Yesterday the opposition leader and his piranhas were a bunch of disgusting idiots that is why I believe every single person coming in parliament should be made to take a breath test I am convinced yesterday the opposition lots were under the influence of drug and alcohol these people are a bunch of disgusting idiots

    • viewsexpressed
      April 9, 2020

      Poisoness Man who Bites Dogs. You are despicable, an ………, lack decorum and substance. You spew out your dirty Labour filth all the time as you are linked and associated with this “Dirty Man Bites the filth of his Dogs” as his morning coffee on a daily basis and come here on social media talking his Dog …. to us, as we are concerned whether he washes his dirty hands and mouth with this dirty mind of his, wrapped up that same Dirty Red Dirty Dog he bites on a daily basis. Man Bites Dogs, we recommend that you go see a Vet, you will be well taken of. Remember to go to the Vet clinic Barking loud, your usual BS nonsense and do not poo in the Vets office, leave that for your own dirty backyard. You are a highly ridiculous “whatever you are”. Woof, woof Bark.
      This is a highly corrupted illiterate Man who Bites his Dogs and other street dogs waging their tails on a day basis that his mind is now schizophrenic seeking for his own Dog House to let off his dirty disgusting filth…

  7. The Five Foolish Virgins
    April 7, 2020

    As I followed the debate of the parliament yesterday, what I heard created a clear picture of the story Jesus told in Matthew 25, about the 10 virgins that were invited to the wedding, but 5 were ready and smart while 5 were not ready and foolish. Let’s read about the 5 Foolish virgins:
    [8] And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
    [9] But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
    [10] And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
    Clearly despite all the mapwee, the noise, the quarrel of Skerrit, it is clear that he and his government are behaving like the 5 Foolish virgins. Clearly they were not ready and up to now, Skerrit cannot put a Covid-19 package for Dominicans at our midnight hour of Covid-19. DNO thanks for modifying us because pm needs to hear from…

    • As I See it
      April 7, 2020

      @foolish virgins, you are so right with that story told by Jesus. The only thing I want to add is, according to verse 8 of the passage, the fool virgins were humble enough to consult the five wise virgins for assistance though they were too late. Unfortunately, in Dominica not only is our government behaving like the five foolish virgins but even worse they will not seek help from the wise opposition and instead will look for ways to get rid of the wise virgins of the opposition. So really our government is behaving far worse than the five foolish virgins in the Bible story.

      • viewsexpressed
        April 9, 2020

        Well said “As I See it”, well put together. This has to be repeated that this failed, immature Labour government will never be mature politicians. I however doubt it that will happen as long as this failed immature Skerrit is their leader. This failed Prime (Odd) Minister. What a waste of time. We have a failed Leader in our government, and we have an extremely formidable Opposition led by our highly determined, professional Leader of the opposition, Hon Lennox Linton. That level of professionalism Skerrit (Scar-it) will never elevate to. He has go himself in too much roro over the past 19 years. There is nothing of substance that anyone can say that he has undertake to be this big difference for our people and our Dominica. Too much Bobol and ineptitude circles this failed leadership and questionable Labour government. Too much Bool over the past 19 years.
        Thank you Hon Linton and your UWP Team for exposing this failed corrupted inept Labour leadership and failed Labour government.

    • April 8, 2020

      To: The five foolish virgins & As I see it, I think that you two know nothing about wisdom but both of you are very foolish. That is for sure.

      • viewsexpressed
        April 9, 2020

        Thanks Elizabeth Lina Xavier for letting us know that you know well the meaning of Foolish. Its demonstrate very often in your comments. But never mind, we all know why and you have deliberatey positioned yourself in this area of foolishness. Show us your company, we tell you who you are! So wake up and raise yourself to some level of integrity. Hope you are able to, but will not and never happen under this failed immature Skerrit.
        It`s never too late to raise your profile, so please understand this. The longer you hang around thi failed Labour leadership and government you will continue to remain at the ABYSS WHERE YOU HAVE PLACED YOUSELF. Be open, go read alot on matters of politics, good accountable governance and not focus on this failed labour politicians until they have raised their standards and demonstrate to us Dominicans that they are a credible Political Party with a credible Leader and sound leadership. That we have not seen in19 years. God Luck and go elevate yourself.

  8. Dominican
    April 7, 2020

    As a Dominican I feel deeply embarrassed to hear our Prime Minister’s intended appeal for financial assistance to institutions like the World Bank, the MFI and the European Union. Our CBI programme was intended to stimulate the local economy and provide an improved standard of living for our small nation, inkleding national health, education and much needed infrastructure. What happened to the proceeds of the sales of our citizenships? The P.M. implies that they are not available for a stimulus package, right now, which makes me believe that these funds have already been spent or invested long term by investors other than our government. I sincerely hope he will not compound the embarrassment by blaming the opposition should his requests for outside help be put on hold, if not downright refused this time.

    • Batibou River
      April 7, 2020

      All this money has been squandered already, some went into this nonsense housing project and the rest is sitting in accounts over sees and there is only only person that has access to it.

  9. dno
    April 6, 2020

    social distancing???

  10. Mr. Never ready
    April 6, 2020

    Skerrit is such a waste of time that is only now he was forced to rush to parliament not to put packages in place for people but rather, to correct the curfew and state of emergency laws he he and his government was forced to violate because of his inability to act responsibly as a leader. But that’s not new to us because we saw that movie during Erika when he was caught in Macaw, we saw it during Maria when on the day of Maria he was on the radio telling us that it’s going to be a short storm and yet, did nothing to protect us not even to secure water in a land with much water. So it is not strange that he never did anything to prepare for COVID-19 and had to rush to parliament today to make legal what he made illegal since the first all of a sudden March lockdown. Compare his never ready approach to saving lives in Dominica to his always ready approach to win an election. 6 months before election is called he has a budget in place and have key foreign artists ready but to save…

  11. Let's Pretend
    April 6, 2020

    Truly Dominica is the only resilient country of the world! We are so resilient that since January we heard how coronavirus was attacking China and, even if it did not spread around the world there is no doubt that we in Dominica would soon have to fight coronavirus because of our closeness with China. By February, coronavirus spread to many countries, yet the last time our parliament met was February 10, 2020 and Skerrit and his eyes have it ended parliament without introducing one bill to prepare for coronavirus! Finally in Early March, it was announced as a world pandemic as countries and persons both near and far were dying and countries were forced to close down boarders, PM had no plans of doing so, let alone going to parliament to try put things in place. Even after almost of his friends in CARICOM closed schools, restricted their boarders and went to parliament to put things in place, Skerrit did nothing only to be caught with his pants down and now pretending to be concerned

    • Man bites dogs
      April 7, 2020

      @Pretend, could you or any of you lots Lennox Linton, stupid followers explain why prime minister Skerrit, Was caught with his pants down, are you telling me Skerrit could have stop the Virus from coming to Dominica if he had done anything differently?? And no government don’t go to parliament in time of Emergency. So you and your clowns get off your high horses and shut your rubber lips 💋

    • Batibou River
      April 7, 2020

      He is more concerned about his bank accounts in foreign countries. There maintenance requires a bit of time and effort!

    • Lin clown
      April 8, 2020

      That is why DNO is afraid to post my comments.COVID-19 was brought INTO DOMINICA by a Dominican who did not follow ORDERS.His leader said we should do our OWN thing,and NOT listen to WHO,he did just that.

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