The Dominica Freedom Party (DFP) is making it clear that it is a viable force on the political scene in Dominica.
There are many in Dominica who think that the party essentially died after Dame Eugenia Charles exited politics and some say the the DFP has been relegated to the political graveyard.
But speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, officials from the upper echelons of the party said this is not the case and the DFP is alive and well.
To hammer the point home acting political leader Michael Astaphan said the party is now preparing for a delegates convention in the very near future. “The freedom party is in transition right now,” Astaphan pointed out. “My primary focus would be to prepare for a convention.”
According to Astaphan parties “go up and down” but the DFP is seeking to present an alternative on what to do in agriculture, tourism, employment. “We want to focus on the young people in Dominica,” he stated.
Astaphan said the party faces tremendous challenges in educating the populace in what the DFP stands for. “We in the freedom party have tremendous challenges to get our support base and to educate people but we think by education people we can get them to understand what the parties stood for in the days of Eugenia Charles,” he said.
General Secretary of the party Johnson Boston said in moving forward focus is now being placed on communicating with the general population. “Our major focus is communicating with people leading towards our delegates convention where we can have our political leader in place to take the party forward,” he noted. “This is a major focus and a major challenge and mission that we want to accomplish, according to the DFP General Secretary.
my vote is for any party who presents a proper alternative….the only way I will vote for the DLP is when I see a man in that party with the BALLS to chastise, challenge and slay that fat tete chien certain Dominicans raising there….. only then will I put a x by that shoe….
This post is either ridiculous or meant to fool some peeps.
How can DFP dead when it invaded the authentic DLP . With the President and P.M the Minister of the Diaspra affairs, Charles Savarin, deseased Charles Maynard and all those boomboom flies nor holding positions the almost nominated Commision guy to name some pivotal guys how silly is such a statement?What’s the colour of the white horse.
Should I ask what the party which spent 15 years in office then returned 5 years later disguised? LoL!!!
We need new blood,Cottage will be with freedom again, but if only the party is restructured and now is the time.Labour has been reprsenting Cottage for 20yrs take a look arong,what have they don?not a thing for example take a look at the roads from lagoon to capuchine it is onbelievable.Are we part of the west coast?
I want to be the DFP leader .How can I become a member?
“There are many in Dominica who think that the party essentially died after Dame Eugenia Charles exited politics and some say the the DFP has been relegated to the political graveyard.”
As evidenced by the past 15 years. I mean it is one thing to aspire to revive but to say it is not dead, is really having a veil over one’s eye with the intent of giving false hope.
I miss the freedom party. Please bring back freedom. Freedom stood for honesty and transparency in government. Please freedom do not collaborate with UWP on any matter. They are a lost case. let us build back up our party from scratch with new vision , new ideas and fresh perspective on things. Lets strive to be the number one oppostition party on the island and build from there. Let us not get involved in the petty party politics of UWP nor emulate their desperate actions but let us take stands on political issues in a mature, realistic manner and portray ourselves as a party of class, honour and inteligent governance.
A great change would do for this country. 300 plus students graduated from college. what jobs are created for them? we cant spend time focusing on the past. i will do whatever it takes for this country to be where it is supposed to be. If it calls for a change in political party , then a change it will be. Dominicans just need to stop being politically blind, look at the issues and deal with it. Handouts will not quench poverty, it creates poverty. lets look at the big picture. we live in a country which is not self sustainable. we depend basically on handout to survive, handouts from funding agencies, other countries etc. that same handout recieved is handed out to to the people , what do you think the result would be? worse yet you give hungry people food to feed hungry people. what if one day handouts are no longer given out to the government , what do you think is going to happen? my point is we need to be self sufficient , use what we have to get what we need. create employment, invest in industries, be creative. any political party who thinks that way , will surely get my vote. but for now im just hoping and praying.
I recently read the 2012 Independence message of the DFP and I am encouraged by the questions put to the population.
The Party calls on us to “ask our political, religious, business and community leaders whether the current development initiatives being pursued serve us and are adequate to guide our future for further progress and development”
The DFP highlighted the following themes, which I consider to be a solid platform for future development including:
– Encouraging partnership for the development and benefit of all citizens (not a few);
– Facing the challenges of creating employment for our young people;
– Focusing on honest, good, transparent and accountable governance with respect for each other and our laws- in particular the supreme law of our land;
– Rebuilding of public trust in government partnership with civil society: and the Private Sector, NGO’s and Labour organizations including the local Bar Association
– Ensuring that the utilization of state resources are well accounted for and invested in national development projects as opposed to personal enrichment of individuals;
– Encouraging partnership in promoting constructive dialog and debate, not as a threat but as a basis for reflection and thoughtful response to legitimate concerns;
– Ensuring the fulfillment of life and the well being of people, not on handouts or patronization but through employment opportunities that provides sustenance for families and maintenance of human dignity;
– Continuing the development of the national infrastructural development thrust; and
– Ensuring that people is truly put first before power, privileges and material things.
With such a progressive platform, the Freedom Party can once again become a fore in the Dominican political landscape once it puts its Leadership structure in place.
Respectfully
Roseau Valley
Reading Francisco and Roseau Valley comments and I’m thinking, if only all comments could be of that level, Dominica would be a better place. But hey, the docile bunch about to pollute the place with the un-adulterated garbage.
Reading Francisco and Roseau Valley comments and I’m thinking, if only all comments could be of that level, Dominica would be a better place. But hey, the docile bunch about to pollute the place with the un-adulterated garbage.
The DFP is still relevant. After all, after 34 years of our political independence, the party in government is vehemently arguing against political debate and shamefully advocating that we are still immature as a nation to conduct and engage in meaningful, informative, mature and civil political debate.
The DFP brings with it a feeling of nostalgia of a era when as a young nation, we sought honest and corruption-free development, a time when we had zero-tolerance to the perception or real corruption.
The Roseau Valley under Mr. Henry Gorge for 15 years (DFP) and Mr. Norris Charles for 10 years has never experienced the level of shame and disrespect brought about by a Parl. Rep who has been in the center of controversy involving the misuse or misallocation of funds with regard to the garbage bin bobol, fertilizer bobol among others.
The DFP can still be a viable force on the political scene in Dominica. It should not allow the misguided, malicious and selfish leadership of its former leader, who has been converted as a labourite to relegate it to the political graveyard, never mind the perception.
Contrary to Mr. Astaphan, I do not even think there is a need to educate the populace of what the DFP stood for in the days of Eugenia Charles. The party simply needs the injection of fresh new blood in advocating its agenda for development moving forward into the future.
I wish the Party well in its reorganization. The Party should also consider working in earnest partnership with the official opposition to ENSURE the removal of the corrupt, lawless, inept and arrogant Labour administration.
Respectfully
Roseau Valley
Right on Q Roseau Valley.
Assertive, NOT Agressive!
Very well written, your last paragraph gets me though, wasn’t it the DPP who formed a coillition with the labour party to get rid of the same opposition that you are now calling them to join with to defeat the same people that Eugenia Charles and the freedom party helped put in office… the freedom party is dead, and that is the reason mr. Astaphans wants to educate the people of yester years…..it is usually called a MEMORIAL SERVICE
I understand the apparent confusion but there comes a time when one has to put country before party.
The unholy marriage between the Freedom Party and Labour Party was ill-motive and vindictive. It was to get the UWP out of office by any means necessary as the UWP was responsible for the defeat of the Freedom Party from office. It was not because UWP was such a terrible party in office.
Ask Henry George (DFP) in the Valley. He would have done anything to get back at Norris Charles (UWP) for his defeat, even though Norris Charles supported Henry in the 80’s when both were strong Freedomrites.
Moreover, although the defeat of the UWP was orchestrated by the coming together of Labour and Freedom, the UWP is also guilty of self-destructing by calling the election pre-maturely, when the Party had not mobilizes its troops on the ground.
Therefore, at this current juncture, Dominicans, i.e., Freedom, Labour, UWP and non-aligned must do everything to oust this present administration.
Hope you get my drift.
Respectfully
Roseau Valley
You call yourself Roseau Valley, but are you even from the Roseau Valley? If so you would know that our current Parliamentary Representative has done more for development in the constituency than any of the individuals that held the post before him. Dr. Mac is respected and admired by the vast majority of the real residents of the Valley for his hard work and compassion.
The so called “bin bobol” and “fertilizer babol” are simply fictitious controversies created by the opposition to muddy the waters and detract attention from the real development that Dr. Mac has brought to the Valley.
Wheel and come again, Bing… or better yet find another constituency to call yourself because your comments do not, in any way, represent the sentiments of the REAL ROSEAU VALLEY.
I respect your opinion to which you are entitled. However, with regard to the facts, you have no control over that irrespective of your emotional outburst.
I shall not entertain your false assertions including your doubts about my birth place and residential status. These are indisputable facts that even if you or the worse Speaker of the House in Che- cannot change.
More fundamentally as I have repeatedly stated on this website, Dr. Mac comes from a well respected family that I grew up with. John and his wife were exemplary citizens, may their souls rest in peace. I looked up to them.
I will also tell you that Collins is a different breed from Angus, Irving, Eva etc. He has never been the down to earth brother like Dr. Irving. I know these people well and under different circumstances, I could support Dr. Mac but not as a member of the greedy, corrupt, nasty, law ignoring, constitution- stomping, Labour Party.
Even though Dr came into the political arena with the image as one with integrity and honesty, the facts are what they are-stubbornly so. His association and involvement with crooks have tainted his image and as a Minister of Gov’t he has not been a success in any ministry. If this is what you call development- The Valley does not deserve it. Give me the honest Henry George and Norris Charles type of socio-economic- infrastructural -human type of governance, leadership and development.
By the way, what is your definition of development? Could you kindly list the development that you speak of other than the rehabilitation of the roads to the valley and some village roads?
One more thing, Kai Che is not the Roseau Valley. It is only part of the larger Roseau Valley.
With the greats respect to you
Roseau Valley
I will be brief with this simply question:
If the DFP held power for all these years, at least twenty years, and failed to make Dominica a better place for survival, thus came along the UWP, and defeated the you, what different can the Party do a second time different to make Dominica any better?
After World War II, the Germans took twenty-five years to rebuild their nation, they had to re-industrialized, they did it and a on top to this day.
What we have in Dominica is usually an exchange of power from hand to hand, For in stance, Timothy was a member of the UWP, Saverin was a member of the DFP.
Now they have become labor party clones, what difference have they made in the Labor party to when they were in the party the left?
I cannot see the difference, and the reason is political parties in Dominica has no actual agenda, that is why we cannot accomplish anything.
If the DFP held power in Dominica for all these years, the people saw no improvement, nothing different came by way of the DFP, why anyone in the right mind would return such a party to power.
The same players, with the same mentality, what’s the point?
The slogan of every party in Dominica is ” we are going to build a new Dominica ” recently we hear we were going to another level, however, we are sitting at the same level where the colonial masters left us, and we still cannot discover our only hope for progress is to industrialize the country.
Jobs mean money into the pocket of the people, money in the pocket means spending power, spending power means building of homes and more industries, thus more revenue the government will collect, and spend on infrastructure.
At the rate thing are going we are not going to move from where we are to another level for another thousand years.
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
Dear Brother Telemaque,
I humbly suggest that you take a broader view of the local political landscape perhaps you might just be a little more optimistic about our political realty and future.
Be encouraged by what is unfolding before you –even though you are not actually on the ground to witness it. Things are happening. Things will be happening soon to cause us to focus on our advancement and to achieve the kind of progress you will be proud of.
We beg for your continued patience and understating.
Happy 34th Independence to you and family
Respectfully
Roseau Valley
Francisco Telemaque, it’s obvious you do not know anytyhing about the time the DFP spent in government. I suggest that you spend some time researching on the socio-economic developments in Dominica during the DFP administration, and do so with an open mind.
I read you loud and clear Roseau Valley, but when one hears the same thing over, and over, from the time I was a kid to now, one can’t help to be skeptical.
We as Dominicans talk plenty, but there is little substance to what we say.
The people we elect have no agender, when they are on the outside looking in, they say the government in power does not know what to do in order to improve the country. ” Give us a chance they say and we will build a now Dominica; ” however, when they are elected they perform worst than the people who got kicked out.
The proof to my comment above is the late Rosie Douglass, and the coalition, they convinced the nation that Edison James is (was) a corrupt Prime Minister, therefore the people should vote them into power and kick the UWP out.
Hear what happen their main platform was; we will get rid of the International Airport the UWP actually had construction in progress.
They said they could get the same New International Airport built for a fraction of what the UWP was spending on the one they had in the first phase of construction.
The won the election, they halt construction on the International Airport; the people from Trinidad who was in Dominica for that purpose was ask to leave the country, and the money that was secured for the construction was wasted on the refurbishing of Melville Airport, and the installation of the useless landing lights, and digging up of the River bed for the purpose of parking cars.
As for the person to whom I am responding, it would be dishonest for me not to give Eugenia Charles a bit of credit. And so I will give her the credit for bringing some from of credibility to even the name government in Dominica.
Prior to her government, Dominicans who served in Government was in a habit of not paying government debts to local merchants, nor the money they borrowed from foreign governments and institutions.
Eugenia changed that: her first priority was to take care of such debts; so it would be unfair if I did not give some recognition to her for that. Apart from that we can crown her the worst Prime Minister Dominica ever had.
Let us not forget late Mr. Honeychurch, the father of Lennox Honeychurch, who was kidnapped, and murdered by the so called pot heads, crack cocaine smoking Dreads. If Eugenia head was not so thick, and she was not such a pompous and silly person whiles she lived, perhaps Mr. Honeychurch would be alive today!
Even if the mind of the kidnappers were clouded with drugs, they wanted to negotiate the release of Honeychurch, Eugenia refused to talk to the people stating she was not negotiating with criminals.
She exorcized bad judgment which cost a human to loose his life. There are other very bad things this lady has done, some personal to me; but because DNO does not want the comments to be too long, I must cut it short at this point.
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
That was brief?
Well you doh want me to write a book now; do you?
If ah write a book, DNO will not print it, so be satisfied with what you get oui;
I comb Wesley to see if I could find out who is Wesleyman, nobody knows you, it is time for you to identify yourself.
I do not like dealing with phantoms in the night especially when they claim to be from Wesley, and since I am the king of Wesley, king of the red clay mud, you need to identify yourself to eh!
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah
Careful the king doh banish you from me kingdom eh!
FET (Son).
switching parties is a worldwide thing including america. there was a time when the labor party had only one member in parliament so there’s hope for the freedom party.
if there ever was a piece of bullcrap that you have written this is it!
You propose that all the parties are the same yet the sum of your proposal for a party platform is one line pulled out of a party manifesto.
If the DFP choses to reorganise i will be one of the first to jump on board as the nostalgia of those days of pride and people development can be easilly returned to this country by men of substance and conviction. This sir was the ethos of the DFP until the political parasite took over.
Viva DFP
So after this long speech and all this negativity the question is what are you doing for your country.Were you even there when freedom party was in power because If you ask several Dominicans including laborites they will tell you that Dominica was drowning before mamo..I remember we had to clean our windows every 2 days because our house was by the road and the road was tarrish with huge potholes so whenever a vehicle pass we had to hold our nose from dust..DFP fix that for us.We had public works workers weekly cutting grass on sidewalk to keep the new roads looking good and they were Dominicans too not Chinese.I know because I did the payroll for public works then.Alll the villagers look forward to going and cut their bananas because they know the return was great..Huksters were begging for provision to sell to the neighboring islands weekly so if you do not sell bananas you know your dasheen,yams etc will sell weekly…The market had Dominicans selling produce not Haitians..Do you remember that? Mamo did not want a paycheck when she came into power,she wanted development for the country and although she was not perfect but she went out there and beg for us and put Dominica on the map.Dont get me wrong there are several things that could be change however to sit there and hide your head under the rocks with a long hallelujah talk about who do and who didn’t do while you are not doing anything is just typically a dog that barks so much but when you come close to it,it runs away.
thanks that someone have these views like me, if i had a degree and was a good public speaker trust me things would be different.The government need to invest in industries to generate revenue for the country, these industries as u stated will create jobs and the government can pump back. I not seeing any problems in taking a loan to invest in the country