Prime Minister and Parliamentary Representative for the Vieille Case Constituency which includes Thibaud, Roosevelt Skerrit, has called on the newly sworn-in members of the Thibaud Village Council to make decisions in the best interest of their community.
He made the call while addressing the 18th Inaugural Meeting of the Council held on Friday October 4, 2013 at the Thibaud Playing Field.
Prime Minister Skerrit reminded councillors that leadership is not easy and it requires great tolerance. He asked them to give support to the Chairman to ensure that the plans and programmes implemented by the council are successful.
He also called on villagers to determine what they want for themselves while urging them to join hands to develop the village.
Meanwhile, Minister for Social Services, Community Development and Gender Affairs, Gloria Shillingford, has recognized the Thibaud Village Council as being one of the more established councils in Dominica.
Shillingford has asked the new council to serve as a motivation and guide for other less experienced councils in the country.
In wishing the new councillors success, Minister Shillingford stated that the council is undertaking a venture which “calls for commitment, sacrifice, diligence and above all, love for your community. It also calls for a spirit of cooperation and a willingness to learn.”
Former police officer, Robert Bontiff, is the new Chairman of the Thibaud Village Council.
The seven other councillors are John Bruney, Mona François, Elena Joseph, Elda Augustine, Justina Joseph, Paul Francois and Theodore Remie.
The 18th Inaugural Meeting of the Thibaud Village Council was also attended by the president of Dominica, Charles Savarin D.A.H.
They fighting again!
I have always maintained that Thibaud is a beautiful village but the mentality of the people have retarded growth. Thibaud has elections round the clock and because of that they have remained stagnated.
Tell me, Thibaud has one of the best playing field in Dominica but Skerritt has to come and cut the grass.
Thibaud has a quaint little beach but Skerrit has to come and clean it for Jean Thibaud to bathe. Jean Thibaud where is your pride? Why do you have to depend on Skerritt for every thing.
Doh lie allyou getting plenty. Both Workers and Labour come Christmas Thibaud people boast of getting the biggest ham and turkey.. is true. I guess ham finish malparlez prends.
Mr.Bontiff now that you are in the hot seat, now is time to prove your worth. You campaigned enough so now is time to put your money your mouth is. You will be closely monitored because you have done enough to empower your people in one way but politically you have been a disaster. If things were so bad how comes you could afford to maintain mucho companions? remember the jeep?
When you live in glass house you mustnt throw stones.Let me see you unite Jean Thibaud after all your political destruction. People are watching.
You must be one of the ones with Thibaud envy.
I am a Le Blanc, so please do not put Le Blancs in your business, the one who talked about the voodoo, we are distinguished and intelligent people.
Congratulations to Mr. Robert Bontiff on your on your very important role as Chairman of the Thibaud Village Council. I know that you are a hardworking and serious young man. I do hope that the councillors and villagers will put politics aside and work together to improve the village. Thibaud is a beautiful village and will always remain close to my heart.
I know many people are upset at the promises made by the PM to Thibaud students. Although I am very upset as well because as far as I am concerned, he is just not genuine. However, the man knows exactly what he is doing. He knows that his FIRST and only gift to Thibaud was to close down the school and that has been the status of the school for 5 yrs and counting. As the saying goes, when you fail to give children an education you have destroyed their future and that of their community. Thanks to Mr. Skerrit for doing just that. Because he is not sure about his political future in Ville case and Penville, he is now coming back to Thibaud to eat his own vomit. But Mr. Skerrit knows very well that 1. By paying the pre school teachers salary for three months is nothing more than publicly and yet indirectly paying his key man in Thibaud, who is the husband of the said preschool for his dirty work. I will not spell them out because I know DNO will not publish. 2. How many students from Thibaud are attending the college and whose children are they? 3. How many children from Thibaud has been successful since he closed the school and caged them in the little place built for sports? I mean when last the village got a scholarship? Now don’t blame this on the hard working teachers that work so diligently to ensure that the children are successful. The state of education in Thibaud today is as a direct result of what Mr. Skerrit did to their school, what he used USD$1 million he said he got from Gadaffie to build a school in Thibaud for, and where they are today. In an effort to buy votes in Thibaud that MODI Pm is now promising the same children heaven on earth. Skerrit, the damage has already been done and your money CANNOT repair the effects your war on Thibaud people has already caused. Just in case you forgot words to Thibaud people after you became the PM, let me remind you sir: “Thibaud people have an attitude and they will never get a thing from me.” I am quite sure your friend Crazy T still has that recording since it was made on his radio station.
The Prime Minister does not speak the truth nor does his ministers.
One day , all shall eat, One day there will be jobs for the youth , there will be honest law men and women (police will have some honesty and loyalty restored back again. drugs will be less in the country, the sick will be cared for . the stupid people who have their eyes closed and agreeing to injustice will see the light . The police will wake up and realize they cannot agree to shoot down their own people ,if they decide to protest peacefully in our democratic county, one day soon a change is going to come. I say my people a change is gonna come some day very soon.
Although the PM spoke very eloquently in Thibaud, since where he stood to deliver the speech was right next to the sea, the see breeze just blue his speech away as it was just empty words. The same person that encouraging the council to work together is the same person that divided the village. As parlrep and now PM, Mr. Skerrit has never once in his 13year in office, met with villagers to plot a way forward. Whenever he has a meeting he gathers his group of about 10 party faithfuls, and discusses with them. In fact he would not even meet with the council although it has been his own council he hand picked.
How could he be interested in the village and council and bypassed them with his actions? after all, does one have to possess a degree to understand that you NEVER pay an individual for three months for work that has not been done? What if Ms. Francois passes? If his motives were genuine then why not present the cheque to the Thibaud Village Council, which has an outstanding and experienced clerk, and would have documented everything? Why not pay the preschool rent through the council Mr. Skerrit? Why not present your 20 toilets to the village council since they know the needs of the community better than you?
As previously said by villagers, he knows exactly what he is doing and the said monies are to pay his friends to continue doing his dirty work.
that’s a good advice sometimes the community suffer because of political differences who brings up a proposal it doesn’t matter as long as it will be good for us. nothing bad about compromising keep talking to each other. we need each other we are neighbors families don’t let differences paralyze our progress the power is in your hands
THAT CONSTITUENCY IS MESS SOME SHALL EAT ALL,JUST A SECRET MESS,VIEILLE CASE PEOPLE ONCE CALLED PENVIEILLE AND THIDAUD PEOPLE MAYBE ITS…..AM FROM V/C BUT THESE PEOPLE THINKS THAT THEY ARE BETTER THAN OTHER PEOPLE ITS A MIX OF POLITICS THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND A BUNCH OF LEBLANCS WALTERS VOODO HANDOUTS BRUMANTS
You are very well included don’t exclude yourself you are one of them.
As a born villager, I need to add my voice here. Congratulations to the new village council! I do hope you all forget about politics and work together as a team that really wants to build back Thibaud. Just looking at the photos of my home village I left since in the mid 80’s, my heart is so refreshed to see my beautiful village online.
One thing though, I left Thibaud in the days of Fabien and Arbo, and I was a very strong supporter of the DLP as was the case of the entire village back then. I was kind of disappointed when the village turned green and then blue, although I could see what the blue party did for my village. When the DLP won back Thibaud in 2000, I and some other supporters of the party had our own local party.
However, I shall never forget sometime in 2001 or 2002 while listening to a talk show hosted by Matt and Lenox on Kairie FM, when a villager called the program and asked Mr. Skerrit who was the then Parl rep and government minister about the rumour of the closure of Thibaud. I was really shocked to hear that knowing how my parents had to walk to Vielle case to attend school in the 50’s. However, I was very turned off by the response given by Mr. Skerrit. Apart from him tearing down the caller, he went on to say on a live program that “Thibaud people have an attitude and that’s why they will get nothing from me.” I was shocked, crushed, embarrassed, to hear that from a DLP parlrep.
I am surprised that he is now trying to embrace the same village he turned his back from and more importantly, to see and hear Thibaud people saying he is the best parlrep they ever had, never mind what he said and the school he closed down.
Crap…this is gabbage talk
@Negbawl, you are right about that because it is truly Crap…this is really gabbage talk spoken by the Hon. PM concerning a community he reprents. If according to you his spoken words are Crap…gabage, then I wonder how you differenciate a person from his word.
Stop this nonsence I was in Thibaud to to long ago about fifty children in the school why mentain a huge school for this amount.
@li, You must face reality. FYI Thibaud school only has 38 students; but right on the other hand, Vielle case School only has 41 children. Is it closed? Is any part of it closed? Furthermore, unlike Vielle case school that is isolated from the village and is not really the community Center, Thibaud school is right there in the village and is our only community / hurricane center. If the Pm find it was too big, then why not build something smaller? Why did he get money from Gaffie for a new school building and sent the money to Sansovere instead knowing very well that Sansovere is not really bigger than Thibaud? I could tell you are not from Thibaud and if you are, you are just a hater of the community or maybe you are bought.
You all are very ungrateful, put on your thinking cup and do some think.
@lee, what are we ungrateful for? Can you please name me one project that has Skerrit’s signature in Thibaud? Yes I know he paid individuals and painted a few houses; but that’s not project aimed at improving the village.
Hmmmm….how much they pay you to say that?
Utter rubbish that! Who is that ‘they’ that can pay me to hate my village? Corrupt money? I am not that hungry and no one or political party can ever and will never be able to say they gave me a piece of bread. If I can accept money to dislike my people and my village, then what will I not accept money for?
Prime Minister Skerrit reminded councillors that leadership is not easy and it requires great tolerance. Please Mr. Chairman do not insult your people by telling them to go to Hell when they are asking you reasonable questions.
Hello, “He” the PM called on “villagers” to determine what they want for “themselves” while urging them to join hands to “develop” the village.
“Meanwhile, “Minister for Social Services, Community Development and Gender Affairs”, Gloria Shillingford, has recognized the “Thibaud Village Council” as being one of the “more established” councils in Dominica.”
Is there not something wrong with that? How is that possible? Am I reading right?
The man who wants to eradicate the pit toilets must be very desperate as General Election appears to be getting close. According to a friend from the village of Thibaud,” I almost forgot what the face of the Prime Minster looks like.” This gentleman was telling me it has been years Skeritt had not visited the village. The eradication of the pit toilets is the least of the people’s problems in that village. The young people need jobs,a proper playing field, no pit toilets, then let them be part of the housing revolution. This is an ideal time for Mr. Bontiff to declare himself as a candidate for the next General Election on a UWP ticket and in months, Thibaud, I believe would become the most progressive village in Dominica.
Well I dunno where this man staying but I know for a FACT that Skerrit visits the village. Not every week but he does visit! And I am not saying that because of party this and party that. But truth needs to be spoken. As for the rest of your comment, I am not even going there.
@Doc. Love, even if I don’t like Skerrits corrupt style that has destroyed the entire country, it is not true to say that Mr. Skerrit has not visited the village in years because he is here almost every week now. Just that he does not engage the public in a meeting and only meets with his DLP team comprised of about ten (10) persons who depends on Skerrit for money, are either not Thibaudians by birth, their spouse not from Thibaud, their parent (s) not from Thibaud and as a result, they don’t care about the interest of the village.
Boy finally Thibaud is important!The newly elected president, the Prime Minister and minister for community development in Thibaud? Take that Penville and Viell case! I hope Robert and them made it very clear to them that they want the playing field, health center. School, and beach back. For those that do not know what I am talking about, according to Government’s record dating back to 2010, Thibaud ends at the new bridge Skerrit built and everything south of the bridge belongs to the village of Paix Bouche. So what is known as the Hugh Fabien Field now belongs to Paix Bouche and the beach now belongs to ROP Armour, while the discarded school that we knew as the Thibaud Government School, has been closed by Skerrit for some 5 years now. This same gentle man is now making a push for Thibaud, after 13 yrs of political war and victimization on Thibausd. Yes, we talking about the same gentleman that had police to arrest six young men of Thibaud during the 2005 election for throwing an egg during a political meeting. But he is a new man now and thinks we all stupid.
I agree with your views. Election coming so the prime Minister is telling more lies to the world , He hates Thibeau people because they stand for what is good and just. Give us back our school. Where is the * million dollars that was supposed to be used to build the new school? Skerrit papa Bouie you will have your day with god one day soon.
You fooling only yourself and the devil.
It has become a picturesque village to what it looked like in the 1950’s, I am impressed with the improvements in architecture. Part of my roots are in that village, my grandmother, my father’s mother parents are from Thibaud,
The Linton Klan, to which I part and parcel of hales from that sea side village, and made their way to Marigot!
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
Mr. Bontiff you are a good man. Do as the PM said. Be tolerant, do not tell your people to go to hell and please make decisions in the best interest of your community. Do not align yourself with any political divide. MAY GOD CONTINUE TO BLESS YOU
As one that grew up in the village of Thibaud, everywhere talk you hear nowadays it’s about politics but more so the hatred that they have for one man. Everybody has a right to their opinions and they are there to be respected but we don’t have to accept it. Mr B, the people have elected you to work with them in Thibaud in the community. Where ever you see the downfall you are in the position to make it right. Putting all politics aside, and hatred and work to make that village you grew up in something special. Have a mind of your own, because now you are in a position to feel the heat that people in position will feel. Some will love you and some will hate. Do good my brother and good will follow you. I wish you all the best in your work you have been put there to do, so do it well. Peace…