Dominica’s Attorney General, Levi Peter, has recently found himself embroiled in a controversy for what many have labelled as a derogatory reference to Annette Sanford, the opposition’s presidential nominee, as a “drumstick.” This statement has elicited strong reactions from various quarters of society.
The incident unfolded following the election of Mrs. Slyvanie Burton as Dominica’s incoming president. On Wednesday, September 27, 2023, during a parliamentary session, Peter took the floor to criticise the opposition’s choice of Sanford, a former opposition senator, as their nominee for the presidential position. Expressing his discontent with the entire presidential selection process, Peter didn’t mince his words, stating, “I have contempt and disgust, and in a different forum, I would use stronger language for what has transpired in relation to the election of a president for Dominica.”
He also pointed out his anticipation of the opposition’s historical unwillingness to cooperate with the government but expressed disappointment that this continued even with what he referred to as the “reconstituted, so-called independent opposition…dressed in better clothes, smiley faces, but the same ridiculous nonsense.”
Peter emphasised the significance of the presidential role as a symbol of unity for the people and voiced his disappointment that the opposition failed to acknowledge this symbolism.
“However, taking the big picture, understanding what we are dealing with, understanding the historic step, understanding the candidacy, a woman, a Kalinago first and the symbolism, apart from anything else, that is contained within that person, understanding that the person is vastly qualified in terms of what the constitution requires for your position, that the opposition would have at least said we have concerns, but we will support. But no, they chose to put up a drumstick,” he said.
“Mr. Speaker, that is really the height of idiocy,” the attorney general further declared.
“This is a situation where there was no possibility… there was not a snowball’s chance in hell that that candidate could be elected in this house.”
Furthermore, he expressed his belief that Sanford’s nomination appeared to serve no discernible purpose from his perspective. He noted that the cynicism of the situation was exemplified by the fact that the leader of the opposition’s candidate “mimicked” the one put forward by the prime minister.
Throughout the week, numerous individuals, including Josephine Dublin-Prince, Dominica National Council of Women (DNCW) executive member, have expressed their profound anger and dismay regarding Mr. Peters’ statement.
Dublin-Prince emphasized the collective outrage that women should feel in response to the Attorney General’s derogatory comments. She remarked, “as women, we should be extremely angry, disturbed, and disgusted at the level that the attorney general has stooped to; to viciously and verbally attack another Kalinago woman, in the most degrading way. Every woman should condemn this statement and be equally angry. We cannot pull down one woman to pull up another.”
Dublin-Prince underscored that such offensive statements should not be tolerated by any member of the House of Assembly while emphasizing the importance of solidarity among women.
“One woman hurt should affect all women,” she passionately declared. “We are aware that women have been the backbone of almost all aspects in the strata of development in Dominica. And to have referred to another woman in such a degrading way is unfortunate.”
She further insisted that the Attorney General either retract his statement or consider resignation as an appropriate course of action.
Lennox Linton, the President of the United Workers Party (UWP), has also joined the chorus of voices calling for action against the Attorney General. Linton has urged the newly elected president to take immediate steps to remove Peter from his position.
He stressed that Sanford had endured unwarranted mistreatment, being “disrespected, denigrated, demonised, and dehumanised” simply for participating in the constitutional process of selecting a president on a day when respect for women should have been at an all-time high.
He elaborated on the derogatory connotations associated with the term “drumstick,” stating that it carries a range of offensive meanings when applied to people.
“It could mean a chicken drumstick like the ones you find at KFC; the stick you use to beat a drum, a penis, the term is also used to refer to a wing woman who accompanies female friends to bars and clubs to assist them in seducing and picking up men,” he said.
Furthermore, the UWP president vehemently condemned Levi Peters’ conduct and firmly asserted that the president-elect, being a Kalinago woman, has a responsibility to make it clear that Peters cannot continue as attorney general in the government under her oversight.
“He must be removed and he must be removed now,” Linton declared.
He continued, “Madame president-elect, if you truly and sincerely love your country and you’ve truly stood to serve your country as opposed to Roosevelt Skerrit, your first order of real business for Dominica, [should be] the immediate removal of Levi Peter from the cabinet of ministers for his behaviour and conduct in the parliament on Wednesday especially in so far as it concerns the attack on your Kalingo sister Anette Sanford.”
Linton went on to add that if the president-elect does not take action, the people of Dominica will need to remind, Peter, Skerrit, and the new president, “who is in charge of Dominica and who really runs things in Dominica.”
Efforts have been made by Dominica News Online (DNO) to reach out to the leader of the opposition, Paul-Victor, who has chosen not to comment on the matter. DNO will also continue its attempts to seek Mrs. Sanford’s perspective on this issue.
DNO, Correction: Just a short note to your reporters, I know you normally try to be accurate. As far as I am aware, (you should reconfirm) Josephine Dublin-Prince is not the President of the Dominica National Council of Women (DNCW). She is the PRO of the organization. The President is Ms. Vanya David.
ADMIN: We appreciate your feedback and that you took the time to point that out.
It seems that our greatest problem in DA is that we can see or do nothing outside of Political Party lines. Every action, speech or opinion must be aligned to party rhetoric. Even the post of a neutral president has been adulterated. A hellova shame for a sitting Attorney General to be caught chastising the opposition party for following the law. Note well that I didn’t support the Opposition’s choice for President, but by God and the constitution they have the right to choose.
What has given the DLP the right to claim by default all processes in Dominica? How can all men of good conscience in that country just agree to the political bulldozer mentality?
Soon and very soon that day will come where we shall run to the hills and ask the rocks to fall on us because we sat and watch the destruction of our nation by a bunch of selfish, headless rogues in high offices.
That is why these guys think they untouchable in dominica nobody not stopping them, guys like Peters that fool have no right to walk the streets of dominica in peace ,every woman in dominica should hit the streets in there thousands until that fool leave office .
Skerrit thinks we all have to surrender to him
In another country this man would have had to pack his bag and shamefully leave de office and go look for another job!
He works for Skerrit not de State!
He has given a clear vision of his character, morals, prejudice and hatred quite frankly.
That is de quality of individual Skerrit has had as our Attorney General………don’t be surprised about our sorry state as de AG and de Speaker asking us to unite as they install their Presidential moo moo puppet! Skerrit can’t ask us to unite….dat olive branch poowee.
Their majority and influence in Parliament, in de supermarket, at de gas stations, in de scools and especially de Churches cannot bring de people together!!
Ministers shopping at Walmart on their laptop…..they doh shop in Roseau like us de people dat support de local businessman!!
Dat AG is an insult to us as a people!
We have a new starboy of stupidity and insult!
I don’t believe in being the one to start trouble or controversy. I have never violated the laws of the land. Martin Luther King Sr. believed in turning the other cheek. Malcolm X believed nothing repels violence like violence. I am going with the latter at this moment.
Levi Peter referred to one of the most elegant and beautiful human beings in Dominica and quite probably throughout on earth as a drumstick. Guess he likes them obese. Now, let’s look at Levi Peter’s pic beside this article. This salt covered head man looks like a rapidly ageing, slimy, malodorous sewer rat.
That guy is a two headed snake saying one thing today and the next tomorrow he is so double standard even his ghost name is not spelt properly, should of been Ibu, as it is spelled in Malaysia, not Ibo but again you never been man enough to travel the world on military services sea /land and young enough to kick your backside with my size 10 boots.
In a real country Levi Peters would have already resigned or fired. Unfortunately this is Dominica the country prime minister Roosevelt Skerrit in on record saying that Dominica is not a real country so life continues.
Seems to me though that Levi Peter is no longer the AG but a politician with a dirty tongue whose new role is to go after opponents of Skerrit, like Reggie Austrie would. In fact he seems to have replaced Austrie with his nasty dirty tongue and it’s sad that a politician (not no damn AG) would attack a female let alone a Kalinago woman, nominated for president, and all this took place at the house of assembly and the speaker didn’t stop him or put him out, the PM , said nothing not even an apology on behalf of his cabinet members and, the incoming president who is also a woman and Kalinago said nothing. What a shame!!! In my opinion the streets of Dominica and the Kalinago community in particular, should be hot like carnival Monday, with protestors
Levi Peter’s tongue is so laden with thick, smelly layers of plaque that he needs a wire brush and bottles of disinfectant to scrub it.His odious statement epitomizes the low caliber, lewd government he is an integral part and parcel of.
“In a real country Levi Peters would have already resigned or fired.” No, in a “real,” English-speaking, country, most persons would understand the use of English language and see the statement for what it is…a metaphor and there would not be this bellyaching today. The real resignations would have come when the former Leader of the Opposition brazenly said, and repeated, that all women who go to accept government support are prostituting themselves. THAT, and other daily comments vilifying and sullying the PM, his Cabinet colleagues, and DLP supporters, would have resulted in the resignation of that Leader of the Opposition in a “real country.”
If the speaker of the house was doing a good job he would have admonished Levi Peter for referring to Ms Sanford as a drumstick. It’s glaring that the mantra of the cabal is, do as I tell you but I’ll do what the hell I want to. Shame on the speaker of the house as his socalled mentor, Alix Boyd-Knight wouldn’t have tolerated that denigrating of a woman and surely wouldn’t be proud of him. This proves that the speaker is a puppet and didn’t learn the lessons taught to him by his mentor.
How can Levi Peter castigate the opposition for following the constitution and the rules of parliament and insinuate that they are against unity when they put forward their choice for President, and then proceed to divide the country with his moronic utterances to include denigrating a well qualified woman who was nominated by the opposition. Skerritt started it all by lambasting the opposition for not agreeing with his choice, which they have a right to disagree. Then the schooled but uneducated Levi Peter puts his foot in his mouth trying to one-up Skerritt. Was Levi auctioning for an extension of his tenure as the AG?. He opened his mouth and proved to all educated people that he’s a fool. He should have just kept his mouth shut as the government’s nominee was guaranteed to win the vote to be the next President. Now Levi is no uniter based on his action and choice of words. Go ahead now Skerritt since he took your bait and fire him.
Levi Peter was on a stage auditioning to impress one man. He wants to continue to secure his food and opulent lifestyle.
Despite the outcry from many sectors of civil society not one member of the ruling asinine Cabal has castigated foul mouthed Peter.
You know what is more deplorable, Peter asserted that if he was outside the House he would have made more atrocious descriptions of Mrs Stanford. The man spoke as if he was suffering from chronic alcoholism.
Jonathan, I am pretty sure you know the reason why Mrs Sanford was nominated. It’s all because the government nominated Mrs Burton, a Kalinago woman.
There is no way on God’s green earth that Mrs Sanford would have made the short list of candidates far less to be the opposition’s nominee had the government’s candidate been anyone but a Kalinago woman and you know it so don’t play dumb.
This was a calculated move by the opposition (UWP) who used Mrs Sanford to create division amongst her people and it worked.
Mrs Sanford should be careful about the advice she receives when making tough decisions since not everyone has her best interest at heart. There are a lot of wolves in sheep clothing out there who will use her for their own political benefits and she should always be aware of that fact.
Hopefully, her political career was not severely damaged by this ill advised move.
@Mark, irrespective of your concocted reason why Ms Sandford was nominated, the issue at hand is, was the “schoolboy bully” AG Peter, right to denigrate a woman nominee for President and refer to her as a “drumstick”. This my friend is the issue at hand. Don’t get things twisted. There’s no way a moral person with a conscience would support the behavior of the AG in this situation. Call a spade a spade.
All women and men of principle should condemn the statement of this attorney general, and the call for his resignation should extend and resonate from Capauchin to Scotts Head. I am prepared to join any protest against this misleader for his dehumanising and vile reference to Mrs Sanford as a ‘drumstick’.
We should pour nothing but scorn on the this idiotic man for his infantile , abusive behaviour in the worst example of a parliament. That place is a psychiatric asylum. How can any thing good come out of this mad house?
It’s pellucid, Dominica can be designated as the most lawless, dimwitted, useless, hostile and under performing jurisdiction in the western hemisphere. Mass migration is the only survival of the present inhabitants in the long term.
DNO can you give the exact quote of Mr Peter please, if you do not have it fine it. The haft quote is misleading.
ADMIN: We appreciate your feedback but we provided context for his statement and also published the Attorney General’s clarification .
You can also view the house proceedings in full here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEyPUHPkD-A&t=17s
Mr. AG:
You should have followed the advice you gave to the Speaker. “proceed”. Victory was yours. You had your President. Just leave UWP to lick their wounds. Instead, you rubbed salt in their wounds but in the process of gave them a drum. Now UWP is using your drumstick to beat the drum and they are having quite a drumroll.
You are correct here. That was great advice he gave the Speaker.
Sooner or later their true color always emerge; because he is called Attorney general Levi Peter, does not mean he is not a scum bag; if a person is low, a gutter rat they can only hide their true color, for a period of time before they expose themselves.
All of these labor rats, and puppets to Roosevelt are the same.
He is in the same category as ds, Man-dog, and the the bit of mucus Lin Clown who each and every day calls people out of their name, especially their favorite word “ahole”
Peter is a nobody as low as his labor party associates:
Lin Clown
ds
And Man-dog!
You three little nasty bit of trash, supports of the corrupted crook Roosevelt Skerrit, you all and Peter are on the same level!
That wimp peter might be the one who taught you there how to spell the word “ahole”
Hahahahahahahahahahahahah!
I give him credit for that, that low down crawling yellow belly snake!
Francisco, Is it a case of pot calling kettle black, you and your pack of reptilians trying to destroy our Dominica, while we Lin Clown, ds, Putin, Kid on the block, point, and many more making sure that doesn’t happen, drumstick party will never again make a comeback in Dominica, put that in your pipes and smoke it.
Man Dog, I and the other people you mentioned are actually trying to exposed everything we find wrong with the way things are in our country.
You must understand that everybody cannot be satisfied with the way Roosevelt is operating.
Whereas you and your klan are satisfied with a nation economy based on the sale of passports, to criminals, and a few supporters and puppets of Roosevelt benefits by receiving free house, and apartments, while the rest of the nation are hungry; people like me are destined and committed to exposing that sort of corruption.
While you are happy with that, I am concerned about the lack of industrial development, and job opportunities.
Your father left you with someone while you were a kid and went to England, you were fortunate to follow him.
But how many parents left their children, died never got their families to England?
People are supposed to live and work in their birthplaces.
Let’ s talk about what’s important: job opportunities!
Those comments denigrating Mrs. Sanford are the indicators of the vile, boorish, narcissistic, self-important attitude of those who represent themselves as leaders of our society. This is a sign of the real morass ingrained and perpetuated within that so-called leadership group. All other members of that group should condemn and distance themselves from such sophomoric speech and attitude. This person should be removed from office and any kind of public service position.
I have no time for you all hypocrites. When I implore you all to criticize the government in an intelligent and respectful manner you all jump on me and attack with you favorite stupid line “Skerrit buy you.” You all continued calling people tief, criminal, toujours sue, brown paper bag etc. So how is that different from what you do everyday? Violence begets violence likewise maypuis begets maypuis.