Tourism Minister Denise Charles-Pemberton has criticized the “Do Nothing” campaign, an initiative launched by the United Workers Party (UWP) and other opposition forces encouraging the general public to ‘Do Nothing’ on Monday, March 4, 2024.
Those behind the campaign said it is a way of saying ‘enough is enough’.
“You have to love Dominica first and any political party who can advise its citizens of this country to do nothing, to do no work, to become lazy and unproductive is very dangerous,” Charles-Pemberton remarked.
According to her, while quoting the bible, “diligent hands make wealth, but lazy hands lead to poverty.”
“That is the word of God and we call ourselves a Christian nation,” she stressed.
She pointed out that most of the statements made at the opposition rallies and meetings call on the name of God.
“They even had a pastor co-hosting their platforms and endorsing these ridiculous statements and that we have to be very careful with that,” Charles-Pemberton argued. “We are in a prime time in our country, because we are making significant capital investments that we are going to recognize returns in a few years.”
She believes that the country needs an increase in production, that is, farmers to plant and people to invest.
“We have to increase agro-processing and that is why the government even in the last budget made provisions to do a manufacturing plant,” she stated.
Moreover, the tourism minister said the government is focused on increasing productivity.
“But things happen in phases,” she indicated. “There are events that happen beyond your control…”
However, Charles-Pemberton said the country is on the right path, “And we have to remain focused.”
“All over the world people are experiencing hardship and it is normal, because you are recovering from a Pandemic where the world was on halt for almost two years and then when you thought you only had to deal with the Pandemic you are hearing about wars,” she explained.
Charles-Pemberton continued, “You have two major wars going on, so all these things impact supplies and will cause inflation. It is not within the government’s control.”
She added, “But what we have to focus on is, how do you increase your revenue?”
Charles-Pemberton advised persons to think of multiple streams of income, like many Dominicans are already doing.
“There are many Dominicans who have Airbnb properties,” Charles-Pemberton explained. “They have their homes, their permanent job, but they are renting properties.”
She said that is what any responsible opposition should be encouraging people to do.
“There is going to be growth in the country, position yourself to take advantage of that growth,” she encouraged. “Make the investment where you can have complimentary businesses and needed businesses to support the growth.”
However, Charles-Pemberton argued, “That is not what we are hearing from the opposition, and that has always been the case of the opposition in Dominica.”
Meanwhile, Pastor Randy Rodney who was the co-host at the recently held UWP rally in Roseau rubbished statements made by the tourism minister.
“I am the same person who said to the government years ago that you’re creating a mendicant society,” he argued. “You have people whom you give [to] every week and they do no work.”
According to him, politicians were quoting the bible to suit them.
“Madam take the lesson for yourself,” Pastor Rodney advised. Here is what the bible says, “if a man does not work neither should he eat.”
“But you are providing money for people who do not work, you give them housing, they don’t work and you don’t expect them to be poor?” he asked.
He explained that mendicancy means that you’re developing a begging society.
“A begging society is a poor society and we have been there for a long time, so this government is on record in its doings as developing a lazy mentality, a lazy society, a society of people who are not working, only because they want these people in their pockets to vote for them,” Pastor Rodney argued.
He further argued that the minister is asking people to do something that they are unable to do.
“They cannot put food on their table, you are asking them to think of a second stream of income,” he said. “The people in Dominica who have Airbnb’s check who they are, where their finance is coming from, what do they do? Most of the people in Dominica have loans already to their necks and they cannot buy bread for their children madam.”
Pastor Rodney went on to state that, “If they cannot buy bread for their children it means they have problems with their debt to equity ratio. They cannot raise the income to put a bedroom for Airbnb unless their children leave and they have the room there.”
His advice to Minister Charles-Pemberton was, “Madam don’t let politics blind your blindness, I am sure you are brighter than that.”
Justina Charles is part of this – Prime Minister “I have a friend in the United Staes her name in Justina Charles”, Donavan Fabien, is part of this why would Donovan Fabien a military person now former engage in deep involvement with a foreign government -Dominica involved with China and other governments jeopardizing your other military personnel – Imagine this. Donovan Fabien he last spoke and said he has recruited some young boys and he had just started some group session with them.
The Government does not work and does not do politics – they are engaging in Human Rights Abuse. Hope the professionals in Dominica and those he gave awards will themselves be on guard and speak up, write about it don’t be afraid to call names.
Look the way Anou parlay went.
I tried calling these individuals out on this and alerting them – they continued.
You No Say! “A Christian Nation!?!” D’ca has been in bed and partaking Satan’s cup from M-29-79. A grand hypocritical plea was made about 7 years ago at the Stadium by the Hex-President; to return, rededicate a lawless Dominica to God. No one still alive knows of the deep-dark-fault-line of D’ca like Charles Saverin. The absolute nerve of the talking serpent. D’ca would be in a better climate of prosperity today, if the Coupists had chosen to do nothing . Instead there Scorch Earth actions brought a CURSE of HARDSHIPS upon our homeland. FOREVER! IT SEEMS!
Now there is a ‘Hail Mary’ toss of the net out of desperation. A plea for a breed of Politicians that coerces citizens of DCA to do the right thing so as to rescue Dominique from the state of GLOOM and DOOM it is presently yoked with. A better option than utilizing all forms of lawlessness, including Arson.
An Abundance of Nature, yet over 80% of the people are gasping for green air…
UWP will never learn. Their do not vote campaign got them out of parliament.
What good is there in a do not work campaign? Who will be foolish enough to abandon work. stay home and wait for Mr Abdulla to bring money for them? Dominicans? No. I don’t think so.
Boy, take a good look at Mr. Face. A classic reflection of a deceitful human being. The bible said it. Many are called, few are chosen. A man who should be uniting people stands on a pulpit spewing words of hate and division to a congregation. When you ask them to do nothing, where are they going to money to put in the offering? Yet you are asking THEM for 10% for doing nothing. Wicked!
It is a fact our constitution was given to us as a road map.What happened to that road map?UWP disregarded section 32(2)(a) of the constitution and dragged Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit to court like a common criminal,that case was thrown in the garbage.Annette Sanford dishonestly accepted nomination for President while employed at the state college in total disrespect for the constitution.Ronald Green contested the LaPlaine constituency as an American citizen and served as a government Minister,in total disrespect for the constitution.The constitution does not give anybody the right to break the law and rob other people of their constitutional rights.Labour party was removed from office after 20 years.Freedom party was removed from power after 15 years.United Workers party was kicked out of office after 4 1/2 years.Labour party is in power for 24 years.You want to murder people for exercising their constitutional rights in keeping UWP in the DOG house.Like the pastor UWP is lost.
Dominicans tell that minister stop taking what ever she is taking and open her eye and tell dominicans what is it she seeing and stop talking garbage.
Denise you love the wig on your head more than you love Dominica. So SHUT YOUR MOUTH!!! What for you to do in tourism you and your useless greedy DLP cannot do. Or refuse to do. So we do not want to hear a word from you.
To parody Winston Churchhill:” never before have so many errors have been made in so few words by such an elevated officer”! And I am refering here to the Minister of Tourism.
Get used to it, Denise. There will be many more of these campaigns in the future. The good will of the people has run out with this government and it has run out with the Crime Minister and You in particular. Do You have an exit strategy??
We will always be a non-nuclear power – what these guys do. There is no place in the international community for a group of people who choose to use “their past flings” in offices.
CALL THE ELECTIONS. ALL THE CONSTITUENCIES.
Past? stupse. let me come out there eh.
You love Dominica so much and you know what twenty years of government could produce – Vince Henderson, Francine Baron, Levi Peters. No one in involved in politics we would have the United States in its place and would remember that the USA decreased our funding a few years ago when you spoke about the IRAQ WAR. You know for a fact that there were concerns with this by countries in the international community then. A repurposed war.
We have concerns of ours that need to be dealt with, we are out there accepting their business – You all are aware of a lot and you all still are engaging.
You all have all types of ambassadors – ocean and sea – italian american, an ambassador in some place in DC or somewhere -American registering cargo ships and if one had not been seized we would not have known that he exist. Even asking on Dominica to go in talks – when the company has its attorneys and business dealings. Foreign Ambassadors we have
Prime Minister of Dominica – go to his office all of the I saw them – I was there and trying to see you all. Madam Press Secretary passing following “Mano”, Blackmoore -national Security Minister – creating and engaging in nightmare himself. Dublin himself Damian came into Ministry of Trade while I am talking to one of the employees. I in the Prime Ministers office Prime Minister is coming to listen and passing on top – Do you know who did it? I was banking on the fact the Dominica was and is not engaging in this. Denise Charles is in this a talking GOD. Francine engaging on UW campus in Political Economy Class.
– Denise Charles DOES NOT LOVE DOMINICA and if you LOVE GOD – you all are flirting with EVIL harming people. All of you all are going to run to the USA.
– largest recipient of federal research funding among public universities, and currently ranks top 2nd among all public and private universities in the nation THESE POLITICIANS ARE OUT THERE FORMING THE AS.
Where you all are engaging – the entire schools population undergraduate including staff is the total population of Dominica. The problem is I am not affiliated to you all in anyway shape of form. I am a student and I do not care.
Denise Charles you have not worked one day. Dominica Labor Party it is over. You all do not know the value of a sovereign state. Engaging in the international community it would mean ALL of you – Denise Greencard – you were fliting around with USA citizens, Prime Minister is the Same – while in Government was in bed with a US citizen himself then he got married and have his wife and US citizen children at the helm in Dominica, Vince Henderson is married to an Ethiopian citizen himself, the next one Justina Charles herself past grand bay Parl Rep ended up flirting with US citizens and married and left Octavia Alfred – blurting out everybody have to know what is going on -herself the same, Mirium Blanchard is blurting out “Tibet”,
Denise Charles stop talking. “You have to love Dominica first and any political party…” Denise you are involved in what is called International Criminal Behavior. What you are doing is equivalent to TREASON. You all are engaged in what the United States is involved in. When you all did what you all the USA has been involved in this business long before you.
The problem with you is that you are a Human Rights violator. The current US Ambassador in Barbados today is from a state where you all do not know. Where you cracking your neck in the House of Assembly and all the nonsense talk about Christian nation is Hypocritical. You are a USA Resident and you all are engaging is such practice that you all do not know where it came from.
What you are involved in you all need to know is a CRIME. Can you imagine you are in the “you have to have sex to do business deal?
I know you all – Dominica is not in anyway shape or form prepared for what you are engaging in.
Just look at HUMPTY DUMPTY face,the real face of Satan.Greed have the man head buried between his shoulders.When UWP was on stage and incharge,it was project after project for Humpty.Now Humpty the rattlesnake pastor have people questioning the Bible.A rattlesnake pastor who supported corruption,victimization,greed and lies between 1995 and 2000.This guy is so tormented he still believe in his corrupt mind,UWP can resurrect,for him to continue to rape Dominica.Because of jealousy and greed,like what is inside Humpty Lucifer became Satan.
@Lin clown
If you know the meaning of greed,(i am sure you don’t), just get out of exile, come to Dominica and visit the Skerrit Labour Party, then you will know what greed is..
Your stupid clown!
Lin Clown
Humpty dumpty sat on a wall, humpty dumpty had a great fall all the kings horses and all the kings men could not put humpty together again. Dominica Labor Party.
I am there with the Dominica Labor Party.
You know what they say about fatted calves, and turkeys,
the slaughterhouse awaits them, all of them. Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock……….
Politics and religious debates are not my forte nor my cup of tea. However, while stumbling on the political discuss amongst the different parties it almost impossible not to encounter the quagmire that exists within the citizens of Dominica. It seems as though each individual’s paramount concern is self. (Me, mine and myself) and who cares about Dominica? President J.F. Kennedy once said, “Think not what your country can do for you; think what you can do for your country.” Love your country, do good for and to your country. It seems like we are no longer able to differentiate between good and evil; wrong and right. Our constitution was given to us as our road map, our guide and security to ensure our liberty, our rights and protection. But we see that there’s no outrage when someone says “to hell with the constitution.” But all hell breaks loose when another says to “Do nothing.” Are we for real? The status quo is what many prefer and it doesn’t matter if the entire country suffers.
We Dominicans chose to ignore our history with international criminal architecture:
Operation Red Dog was the code name of an April 27, 1981, military plot by Canadian and American citizens, largely affiliated with white supremacist and Ku Klux Klan groups, to overthrow the government of Dominica,
2000 general election:
UWP 15555 votes, 9 seats
DLP 15362 votes, 10 seats
PMs Rosie Douglas and Pierre Charles “mysteriously” die (like Alexei Navalny) before the next election.
Would it be beyond all reasonable doubt to assume that their deaths were because they refused to be part of the plan by international masterminds to sell Dominican citizenship and passports to enrich themselves while disallowing the people from knowing where or how much the funds are?
That my dear Denise Charles-Pemberton is the reason for the “Do Nothing” peaceful campaign. So get out of the way while we get the monkey off our back!
Not DLP. Because if not for Freedom Party, DLP would not be in office. in the 2000 election there were 3 parties that sat the election. Between Freedom and Labor, they both captured 10 seats. It was not DLP alone that did it. Because if not for the Freedom party agreeing to have a coalition government, DLP would have NEVER been where it is today screwing up the country and selling all our resources to chinese and arabs.
@If we knew better:
I stand corrected. Thank you!
The coup leader Charles Savarin won his seat for Roseau North and left the Freedom party to get his “thirty pieces of silver” while Rosie and Pierre were dispensed as mere paws in the CBI chess game.
In my opinion, the pastor gave Charles a knockout punch. She ignorantly used the scriptures of the Bible to contradict what she herself supports; and that is what the pastor pointed out. People are given money and housing without doing any work. So it’s hypocritical to be against the “Do nothing” campaign when Roosevelt has been carrying out the very same campaign for decades. The only difference is that Roosevelt is not saying what he’s doing, but when UWP declares that they are going to do something which is far less dangerous by all measures then the Dougs Red Dougs all burst their chains and got on the attack. Very sad to see the level of ignorance and blindfolded people who take their ignorance in public and online for the entire world to see. “She who knows not, and knows not that she knows not; is a what?” Yes, these are the types of individuals who think they “run things.” The rest of us remain ashamed of where we are from. So “Do nothing” because they run everything.
So the good pastor, contrary to the teachings of the bible, would prefer see people who are unable to, or not at work, starve rather than given handouts by the state. or people who are unable to afford a roof over their heads thrown out on the streets and live like parro rather than given a decent home to live, all in the interest of the political party he supports. Mr Rodney, if you do some research you will see even in all the most developed countries, there is something called the welfare state which is a safety net to allow for the needs of the same people you are so apathetic about. Maybe at some point in your life even you might need a helping hand. So you should stop playing politics and live by the word of god which you preach.
@Eagle-Eyed
You are the one making those claims and arriving at your own false conclusions, not the good pastor. I fully endorse what he is doing. It should continue. Left to you, everyone should shut up and accept Skerrits wickedness. Of course you must be one of the greedies who are benefitting full time for doing nothing, so you like it so.
The country is on the right path, this shameless mouthpiece states. Let me ask you, on the path to where? On the path to hell, I guess.
I agree wholeheartedly with the statement yet I have to ask why there is not an equal and as vigorous denunciation of the policies of the black putin who is shutting Dominican businesses down so that they can then be sold.to the Chinese? Why is there not a denunciation of the lack of law and order.in the country? Why is no-one.mentioning the lack of progress of the Dominica International Airport nor the Roseau improvement programme? Where has all of the money gone? Meanwhile you ministers are all getting fatter and fatter whilst some do not have enough food to put on the table.
Lady you talk like one who deserves a good carlot or more than one.
You that ugly wig head do have a reason to love Dominica, since you are another blood sucking parasite of the country!
You had better understand that do nothing is the same strategy Charles Savarin used in 1979 with the suffering nation behind him to topple Patrick John and his regime!
I hope parasites like you will be sensible enough to simply resign like John ministers did while the civil war played out, leaving John alone to carry a palmlist basket of water on his head.
Running your mouth off will not change the inevitable, rising your head like a mongoose to hang the smelly wig back as if the trash is growing out of your scalp while not detour the inevitable, the wool has began to fall off the eyes of the people!
The massive crowd you saw last Sunday is just a wake up call to the nothing parasitic people like you destroying our nation with so much economic potential.
There is no economic power in the sale of the nation passports!
Francisco, one can use the same strategy but if the public doesn’t view the cause as one deserving of that strategy, it will not get anywhere. The reasons given for the do nothing day are different from what led to the strike in 1979. In 1979, the entire island felt threatened therefore it was easy for the strike to take root. Today, the majority of citizens are not overly concerned about life on island for they don’t see all the Doom and Gloom that the opposition and their surrogates keep preaching therefore this strategy is very unlikely to work.
Having said that, if I were advising the administration, I would tell them that they should not dismiss or ignore this move by the opposition for I suspect this might be a test, a dry run so to speak to gauge and measure the appetite of the citizery for a potential island wide strike.
The government should not ignore what’s going on so that they’re not caught flat footed in the end. Just keep on doing what they’ve been doing…
But mark, in 2024, the whole nation is threatened with an already Chines take over: In Patrick John day the term ” corruption” in government was unheard.
Let me tell you the whole thing was orchestrated by a disgruntled Charles Savarin who was moved from teaching, in a secondary school for reasons I don’t want to say you see.
Nevertheless; he said plenty about John, it all boiled down to ensuring John went to jail for a measly $3.00 he could not present a receipt after he returned from a trip.
Today’s situation is different, it might be harder to get people to start demonstrating, but eventually it will happen!
There is something known as the trickle-down effect: You see, the Melville Hall and Londonderry river, they both originate at the same source, the river branch off at the top of Melville Hall Airport.
When I was I kid I saw the source there was less than five gallons of water flowing from what I believe to be an artisan well, but from that the two rivers now exists!
Denise can bump her cabalist gums all she wants but the “DO NOTHING” campaign is well on its way. Hamlet by Hamlet we will do and say nothing about those doing something to liberate us from this life of sorrow imposed on us by evil men and women of the DLP. So therefore, I encourage ALL to do nothing that will endanger those doing something to free up Ma Dominique.
We shall do all we can while remaining silent…….shhhhhhhh! Those who choose NOT partake in the campaign should be chided, ridiculed in public, and their name broadcasted on social media so we all know they are part of the “OPPRESSIVE REGIME” plundering our state while we suffer. Let us all join the campaign in whatever way we can and encourage ALL in our circles to “DO NOTHING”.
True to form! If anyone knows about doing nothing, it is the UWP whose esteemed leaders, pre-Skerrit, were dubbed the “briefcase carrying gang”.
Two decades on and no one, except the carriers” knows what was really in those briefcases.
My hope is that those with bills to pay and mouths to feed will ignore this misguided and non-productive advice that can be labeled foolishness and folly.
The UWP should instead focus on how to move the country forward and upward if they prevail during the next election cycle. There are a lot of good and talented Dominicans in the UWP tent who can make a tangible difference without condoning distractive stunts.
@Skeptic
This government is the most non productive government in Dominicas history. Twenty-six ministers doing NOTHING…
So if you know NOTHING, don’t try to pretend that you know.
It’s a waste of time government, that gives away your money to lazies who are doing NOTHING!
But Skerrit still hanging unto some of his lazy do nothing former parliamentary representatives. de result is this dead economy……….Skerrit fault because he run things in Dominica.
One thing eh…….This time around there is no official opposition Party since the members are all independent
de announcement came at an assembly of multi political parties……..but it appears is UWP, or particularly Lennox Linton and Eddison James dat does cause dlp blood to boil.
is she admitting dat UWP has de influence to get people to follow de do-nothing campaign and cause further slowdown in de economy even for a day?
well that would be a sweet victory for we de people.
Show us your fears!!!
But your leader could have spoken for himself….I don’t get what your Tourism minister hat can do to out dat fire…square peg!
dlp might just go around de country distributing food and money packages as pacifiers for de suckers!
sick….she don’t think people are getting fed up with this lazy bunch….? are you all really working to have gotten this big wage increase? and the working class is barely making it?u all need to wake up and stop being lazy…. y not fix d port first and then we will encourage visitors….is this government back to front?
But this is a normal day for government workers,do nothing. so just go to work as normally.