Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has announced that his administration will be making expenditure cuts in the public sector.
“We are making further cuts within the public service to contain discretionary spending,” the prime minister revealed during the commissioning of a water tank in Morne Bruce on Tuesday afternoon.
Skerrit said this is necessary because of the world economic crisis. “In light of the global crisis we have to take pro-active and preemptive action as we started to do two or three years ago when the global crisis hit the international scene,” he said.
Concerns were raised by some members of the public as to whether the intended reduction in public sector spending could result in the loss of public sector jobs.
However, a top public sector official told DNO that the Prime Minister’s statement appears to have been misinterpreted. He said in the public sector, discretionary spending cuts have to do with cuts in various areas of expenditure within the ministries such as “traveling, electricity, telephones etc. It has to do with rationalization of expenditure within those ministries”
me self don’t even listen to mister them again before i get stupid too
Boy, dem fellas really asking you age. Where is the handsome dimples man they use to promote you as?? I find you looking well old for 40 yrs.
well,well,well
Jamaica has almost five times our population and yet we have more ministries. Where did the PM,s heart go? Does he have to please every crony while some Dominicans live in medieval poverty? If you dont believe me just go to Woodfordhill or Dublanc.
Are these comments based on the PM’s address or simply hearsay? I listened to the PM’s address and did not hear anything about cutting jobs in the public sector. Thomas Latang’s response on Q was like a mad man looking for work. Either he must learn to listen or take a chill pill.
What about the award wining Parry Bellot Model of “Pro Duck TV Tea”. Mr PM every year you seem to be saying the same “fing” yet nothing is happening. Can somebody change the labor party song to ” nothing’s happening and it is so depressing”. Whatever the model is i don’t know but Parry hold the post of Pro Duck TV Tea expert so the country’s use of it’s resources should have been providing maximum benifit instead year after year we here Roosevelt chanting the same ” fing”.
So in my own limited wisdom I’d say Dominicans cut back on the money you are sending to your relatives in the US and UK; sieze giving loans to Anguilla and Antigua; step up the sale of our passports to crooks and fugitives; step up the overseas posts for party supporters – increase Lor Lor Bannis staff in St Thomas cause she is overwhelmed with work; provide Vince with added chauffeur to take him from 45 street to his school and dont forget his expenses at the cafeteria; the doctor studying economics in Florida who is being paid as an ambassador to *****( no name no warrant for DNO – but I implore the DNO investigative journalist to check out my claim); then let us increase Franso Baroyer compensation in GB while she go to school.
@ Pro Duck TV Tes…I like that…But a few is milking the cow.
Your big government for such a small population, and the level of nepotism and cronyism should be your primary goal to correct. Remember you were elected illegally in accordance with the Supreme Law of the land, and you’ve shown no respect to the country and the beloved citizens of the land. History will not be kind to you sir. Therefore, I
ask that you do what is right now for the good of the country in order to save some face. Resign, resign, resign as any prudent politician would do.
The nation has had enough of bad governance under your very poor leadership. Please save our country!
Our Pm is Handsome
So ios Satan. Didn’t you know?
@ Look it. So is Satan. Didn’t you know?
You know exactly what to do. You impose VAT, make cuts do all kinds of things to impose more misery and suffering on the poor people that voted you election after election. However you have been the most reckless prime minister in Dominica’s history. You have ran this country like its your personal estate.
You pull people from all over and just put them in positions, open office for them and have them run their own show. You have opened offices in the financial center. One is being run by one woman, who you removed from a private sector job, placed her as your advisor for only you know what, when fighting started you moved her and you made her an office to sit in all by herself doing you alone know what. You opened another office and put another political boom boom fly to operate, the guy hardly knows what he is doing. A group of young girls sitting in the office doing crap all day. Some of them are public officers but works on contract, don’t know how this could ever happen. They must be receiving high salaries, mileage, gratuity at the end of contract and will still receive pension and gratuity at retirement from the public service.
You have Discover Dominica and Invest Dominica with incompetent staff that has been wasting tax payers dollars like crazy. Nothing to show for it.
Where are you going to make that cut Roosevelt Skerrit? You keep pulling people from all over. People are being converted to Permanent secretaries over night. Public officers working towards promotion in the ministry do not stand a chance. People are being pulled from all over and placed right in front of them. The post of permanent secretary is now a political one, so I hope when you leave your cab sec and your permanent secretaries will leave with you.
To be more specific de PM should be open and honest. We are presently experiencing not only a world economic crisis but a local economic crisis.
We not sending money overseas to US we waiting for our people overseas to send a barrel for us. Dominica’s economy is not de best but one of the “worst” in de OECS right now.
Who really doing all that travelling anyway? U mean travel around Dominica is causing all this rather than travel overseas?
Electricity and telephone abuse? All u educated fools. When things get rough is de poor that have to make all u look good what is their reward for that? A Red Clinic?
Our economy is actually doing worse than u can honestly admit. U will never highlight ur failures or shortcomings.
Politicians are truly dumb and the people who hold them up are even dumber. We have been hearing this talk from Skerrit for the last 3 years and what do we see- the same over bloated cabinet with over paid fuchettes; $10 K a month plus expenses for advisors; then we have ambassadors getting paid while living in Florida and going to school; ambassadors that are advisors on double compensation( u tink ah lie westais la et pas dir ayen), government officials going on trade expo and traveling with their son all expenses paid; ministers and advisors racking up expenses equalling to monthly salary – you tink ah foolish; $200 US a night to meet woman in hotel. Doh even talk about money they give to priest and pastors to preach the gospel of Thomas; the gospel of Augustine, the gospel of sharp Sharp and the gospel of Malzenian. I doh know if the disgraceful spiritual advisor still getting paid for spiritual and family value advise. I plan to pearch on the financial building window to get that vibes.
The PM can start with going around with ONE SUV instead of two…that alone will save a bundle on gas prices….also cut down on the amount your pay your many advisors….their advise has not been cost effective so far…..here you just saved the government $20,000 monthly and that is just from your office….expand this to the rest of the government Department im seeing between $80,000 to $100,000 saving right there.
Good luck!!!!
Duhh duhh cutting on utilities and other consumables is just a smoke screen. Notice they did not talk about cuting down the 17conversation ministers plus the useless advisors.
Mr PM. Cut back on Public Spending can also mean to run the Country without a President
Instead of making job cuts in the public sector he should refrain from the importation of Chinese workers to do the jobs which we already have a workforce for, thereby providing the much needed employment to the citizens of the land and halt this high levels of unemployment and brain drain in our population.
This is very responsible leadership, once again, Mr. PM. You are leading from the front by first attacking areas of waste within the administration. Hats off to you sir!
Of course, i would be happy to read of the precise areas in the public service that are targeted for rationalised action; and the forms of this action. Besides, the sooner the public can get to chew on such details, the more informed your administration will be regarding the political feasibility of your proposals.
So, i look forward to reading/hearing about the precise proposals. Great leadership!
Must the Govt of Dominica continue to be the largest/biggest TENANT in Roseau, paying hundred of thousands of dollors for “office space”in addition to the many Departments and Divisions and Sections in the Old Govt Building and the new Financial Centre on Kennedy Avenue??During the period 1966-2002 government business was carried out almost exclusively from theses two buildings
My take on this. Dominica is basing every financial transaction on the U.S. dollar. Fuel, to food and basic life necessities are all based on the U.S. dollar in Dominica. Everything is high as hell.Bring down prices. We are not AMERICANS and we do not owe America any thing. We have to move away from trying to compare and link our money to the American dollar. They still classify us as THIRD WORLD and POOR. It is gravely outrageous and we need to go back 20 years in time. Mr government, settle the prices on sales, things are way to high for the people. Making cuts in government spending but raising the salaries of the ministers in government is unsatisfactory..BE CONTENT AND BUILD US. you are young and intelligent…and have the potential…We believe in you.POSITIVE CHANGES!!!!!!!
The prices are okay, it isn’t no one fault your poor. You have to respect the PM’s Decisions, we didn’t vote for you.
@GOM I concur with your analysis. Let’s hope the cuts begins with the RED CLINIC.
I agree with the PM statement. They need to cut the unnessesary spending. There are people who claim for mileage the never run. Think of a worker claiming 10 miles from Roseau to the port, that is what he is talking about and he is right. The only sad thing is, most of the people who d that are actually strong supportes of the party. They are taking advantage of their membership, which is rediculous, and most of them will let you know they vote for or are members of the party. I wonder if the PM knows that the people who waste the most are his biggest supporters. I am not saying that for anyone to go incredible hulk on me but it is a fact. That happens with all the various party supporters once they are in power, so don,t think it is unique to labout supporters only.
I do not take part in politics but when the PM is right on something, i will support him.
But what about the oversize cabinet of numerous ministers will that be cut too or is this untouchable territory?
This is where the power of the Vote is important and can really make something happen like the songs says “Somethings Happening”. By the way cut back in public service expenditure does not necessarily mean sending public officers home, it could mean a pay cut, lets remember what happened under Pierro a pay cut or??? As it was in the begining so shall it be in the end, a pay cut when labor started the governance of the country a pay cut at the end of labor days
I hope that applies to the army of advisers and the bloated cabinet too.
Ha Ha Ha HA
The next level for true.
The size of the Cabinet is soooo large, he wont reduce it, yet he wants to cut down on the Public Sector. Yessa papa, more poverty in d country.
Dominicans wanted the next level and they got it. Sadly they were not told it would be the Next Level to poverty, strife, deception and lies.
The PSU Managent is part and parcel of the deception of the deception. That organization is a defanged, clawless lion at the feet of the master begging for scraps. It roars but just in an effort to announce its presence. I wait to see if Skerro will fire some ministers and merge some ministries. Sadly, a LOT of sexy girls will loose their jobs and that is no easy thing seeing the economic situation is already so bad.
Assertive, NOT Agressive!
Shameless what is the use of changing your name everytime while you continue to maintain the same sign off phrase ” Assertive Not Agressive”
Kit Swimple my friend
“We are making further cuts within the public service to contain discretionary spending,”
Every organisation at some point evaluates and review its workforce and make the necessary adjustments in the best interest of the organisation.
Workers in the public sector need to take more pride in what they do as everyone job in an organisation is important, from the leader to the custodian. Until we get everyone moving in the same direction, there will be issues of low or non productivity. Maybe this announcement by the PM will have everyone in the public sector re-evaluate their performances and make the necessary adjustment to ensure higher productivity.
Together we can build a better Dominica!!! I am Dominica, Are YOU?
One Love Dominicans
@ Righteous How insultive and ridiculous you are to make a blanket statement that’workers in the public service need to take more pride in what they do’? I believe some workers like you, if you are not a lazy one milking the cow,are the sluggards and culprits on the job wrecking havoc with the country.Are you a party sycophant? beggar? acolyte? Well you are doing a very poor job at it.
Mr Skerrit, you have mentioned several times that we have bend the corner, that there is a beam of light looking at us at the end of the tunnel, we are doing fantastically better than most if not all countries in the Caribbean,and the world.YOu told us that the Economic meltdown did not touch us,that the regimes fiscal management is supreme. Were these egregious utterances pure deception? Mr Skerrit how many advisors will you send home? How big will be your new cabinet? will many many many of the GA vehicles be packed on weekends? Will all the SUV’S be packed temporarily? Mr Skerrit were you not warned about the State devil,malace, palace, albatros? How much could $27 000 000.00 boost this poor and failing economy? Mr Skerrit how many overseas trip do you take per week? What are you bringing back?
Mr Skerrit have you heard of prudent PM’S denegrating the struggling private sector? Mr Skerrit do you know that Roseau is a China Town?
Let me just mention the contempt that the PUBLIC SERVICE UNION was treated with, by hearing the news for the first time after it was made public to the nation….
Remember Dominicans “”””YOU ARE WHAT YOU ARE TODAY BECAUSE OF THIS LABOUR PARTY””””” St Joseph Declaration!!!!
Righteous made a darn good statement. It is very truthful. You on the other hand seem to be working in the piblic sector and just got scared because you are the one slacking on the job just collecting pay check after paycheck..I am laughing at you now hahahahahahahahahahaha….
@GOM Are you not afraid that the NJIC try to find who you are?
GOM, i am going to ignore much of your emotion-laden response, which i categorize as orgasmic and wholly disconnected from the statement that the PM made. Instead, i will focus on two elements of your response.
First, you slam Righteous : «insulting insultive and ridiculous you are to make a blanket statement that’ workers in the public service need to take more pride in what they do’? I believe some workers like you, if you are not a lazy one milking the cow,are the sluggards and culprits on the job wrecking havoc with the country.Are you a party sycophant? beggar? acolyte? Well you are doing a very poor job at it.»
Well, GOM, how would you describe your treatment of Righteous, simply because you are unable to cogently argue against what Righteous actually said?
Secondly, you state: «Let me just mention the contempt that the PUBLIC SERVICE UNION was treated with, by hearing the news for the first time after it was made public to the nation.» Did you not read the closing lines of the article….« discretionary spending cuts have to do with cuts in various areas of expenditure within the ministries such as “traveling, electricity, telephones etc. It has to do with rationalization of expenditure within those ministries?”
You see, GOM, part of the problem with many in Dominica is that they rely on certain purveyors of bad news for information. Whenever they do, inevitably, they are made to digest tainted news. The DPSU was blowing steam without even understanding the PM’s statement. Seems you too, have been made to drink some dirty water, GOM. Now, surely, do not blame Skerrit for that folly on your part.
@GOM – this is the second post of yours that I am reading for the day which references “The St. Joseph Declaration”. What is the St. Joseph Declaration or where can I learn more about it? I’m curious. Thank you!
@ Righteous How insultive and ridiculous you are to make a blanket statement that’workers in the public service need to take more pride in what they do’?
@GOM. My statement were not meant to insult or ridicule anyone in the private sector. If my statements offended you, my apologies.
I do stand by the fact that all organisations need to evaluate and re-evaluate their operating structure/procedures and workforce in order to either cut cost or increase productivity. If you have any suggestions, lets hear it. I am non of the things you asked “Are you a.” I am just a Dominican who wants to see my country prosper. That is all my brother or sister..
One Love Dominicans!
The level of slackness is not the worker’s fault but the lack of proper supervision and effective worker distribution by the Permanent Secretaries, supervisors and those who allow slackness because they want everyone to love them. In the service there are so many who are allowed to be on the payroll but do no work or improve their academic capacity but still seek promotion and appointment by pandering to those in charge.
@Anonymous we all know GOM is sicko secko, secko sicko, u not afraid we use JNIC to find out who u are threatening our GOM.