Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has described 2009 as a good year for Dominica and has expressed optimism about 2010.
According to Skerrit, Dominica has been very fortunate throughout the year, considering a worldwide crisis.
“We have not seen job losses as a result of the global crisis; money has remained in positive growth and our capital projects continue to be implemented … 2009 was a very good year for us in Dominica,” he said.
However, the prime minister emphasized the need for collaborative effort among citizens, to steer the country forward in 2010.
“I’m really excited about 2010, it’s gonna be a lot of hard work, but I believe we can be equal to the task and determined to achieve things for our country.”
The re-elected leader is also hopeful for a greater level of positivity among Dominicans in 2010.
“In 2009, I believe we spent too much time trying to tear down each other and to destroy each other. I think we should try to build our country and to elevate our people from where they are,” he said.
prophet 2
Agreed.
However, man was not created by God to serve the Devil, no more than a cat was made to eat grass or a car was made to run on kerosene. It will work for awhile but will ultimately be destroyed.
So no matter who serves the devil, be it you, I or the Prime Minister, we are already destroyed. Man was made to serve God and only in Him, does he get complete fulfillment.
To Mwenmem:
I am sorry if I offended you. I did not mean to be offensive. I can be a bit straight forward with what I think sometimes.
I respect your beliefs. I am in no doubt that your faith has helped you to pull through difficult times. Maybe tomorrow if I had some difficulty that only religious faith could mend I would have to go that way myself. That does not mean that that sort of faith is about truth and tangible reality. It is psychological situation. Something in the mind. It worked for you and that’s good. But it is not going to work for everyone. This sort of belief in providence, the idea that there is some supernatural being out there taking care of us is a state of mind. If you look around the world, there is not much evidence that god likes poor people. Yet the churches keep telling the poor people life after death in heaven is where the real future is. We can’t seriously expect to run a country on such vague notions.
You can’t blame me if I find it hard to accept that sot of thing.
If you were the Prime Minister, faced with the task of developing Dominica, what would you do? Sit in your office on your behind all day waiting for God to do his work?
Life in the real world don’t work in that way. We have to think for ourselves and be very proactive with it too.
It has been nice talking with you. talk to you later.
Mwenmem, then we agree that people do serve the Devil.
prophet 2
People worship Satan because God gave man free will. Can you believe it? Out of love He gave us free will in the Garden of Eden to love and serve Him or serve ourselves (PRIDE). We decided to serve ourselves but essentially we are serving satan. ( By disobeying God in the Garden of Eden Eve was essentially obeying satan) and so it continues to work for us here to this day. Satan doesn’t care who you serve as long as you dont serve God. Read the first commandment.
Anytime you say I want to do this for me and not for God we serve satan. God created us and we are only fulfilled when we serve Him. He loves us so much He doesn’t want to force us to love and obey Him. The wickedness you see has one singular purpose:
As man move further and further from God and try to rely and satisfy himself, (his own lust), he has to do more wicked things e.g steal more, lie more, kill more etc. People dont do wickedness just for the sake of it unless they are sick. They do it for some selfish reason. I wanted more food so I take it, I wanted more money, I wanted, I, I, I. It is all about I not others and certainly not God.
When we rely on God literally, he will help us to get want we need in this life. So basically if your father is helping your mother take care of you, then you dont have to steal or kill etc. to get the neceesities of life.
The Evil and wickedness that you see has another effect. It is hoped that it will so scare and repulse you that you will turn to Him for help. Haven’t you noticed that many people only turn to God out of fear, helplessness, crisis etc. When your child is happily playing they wont come to daddy, but as soon as they hit a crisis, they run in your arms and you save them. So is God out of love again He uses crises to save us. HE IS GOD AND HE IS LOVE. AMEN AND AMEN. Call Him and you will see. Don’t let a crises take you to your beloved Father my friend, reach for Him now and let Him heal you. He is dying to revealHimself to you. I solemn prayer that you let Him. God bless you eternally.
persona;lly I think you are a peace of *** (but with potential);. Bur you if you have anything redeaming about you thoughthts contact me I have lots of ways to improve his island (and am good) esp healthn care
How can the prime minister say that we have not experienced job losses as a result of the global financial crisis? I’ve spoke to businessmen operating in the tourism sector and they have stated unequivocally that they have had to layoff a few workers as a result of slowed activity in the aforementioned sector.
While it is true that we may have not experience the type of JOB LOSS RATES as in other countries that is totally different from no job losses.
Prime Minister Skerrit must be more careful in his chosen speech. His intentions are no doubt admirable but it’s not intentions that take a country from despair to greatness.
To Mwemen : So if Satan is not a God then y do people serve him by doing so much wickedness in the world?
to prophet 2
Sorry, satan is a fallen angel, God created this universe 3.7 billion years ago. Satan is not God or a God and will be destroyed by the true God at the end of times when all evil will be conquered.
Jah Bless, I am really tied of your nonsensical comments, if you love your Country and think that the Government is taking to much time fixing or building the airport why dont you go a head and do it your self idiot, you posted to much stupid comments about this matter Skerrit was not the one who started this mess with the airport and what we should do is support and ecourage the man that he do the right things now that he has a chance again in office, to try to get this airport situation done in this 2010, and pray God that we get some funds from friends to get our international airport, so patner chill yourself because you are starting to sound really stupid.
Just a lot of hogwash.
you know why the Night Landing System wont work is because of the mountains it has a big effect on the way they land planes. if you need a mile radius
you should develop in the next 100 days like the International airport instead of talking about it how long have you had that man mr vincent philbert on hold
The only power that Satan lacks is to give ‘the breath of life’ otherwise he can do anything he wants just like God, infact Satan is a God himself.
To W wansborough and like minded individuals,
My cheerful friend I use to think exactly like you. I thought being religious was irrational, unscientific, unreasonable. From my days at SMA I thought and read everything that would dispel God. At college, university and adulthood I was a profess Atheist.
My mentors were Darwin, Hegels, Voltaire, Aristotle, Plato etc. I read them voraciously. I did not want to believe in a God that would hold me accountable for my life on earth. That is the basis of atheism my friend. However, all these philosophers were asking the same questions that I ask, WHERE DID I COME FROM? WHAT AM I DOING HERE? WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE.
These questions plagued me for the first 40 years of my life, with tremendous frustration. Evolution could not answer it, Hegels dialectic was even weaker, Nietzche was a mad man who sporned Hitler, Stalin and other tyrants of the 20th century.
Thats what happens when God is expelled.
Religion spoke about supernatural beings and things I couldn’t see, so I simply ridicule them. My friend I simply gave up by saying, there is no God or if he may be there, he is irrelevant. I then decided to take my life into my hands and do what I wish, how I wish.
My friend I lived the so called good life. But no matter how much I partied, drank, eat, travelled, sexed their was no satisfaction. There was just emptiness and hangovers
At the end of my rope, dispaired, frightened, with no one to turn to I called on him saying if you are, help me please. My atheistic friend, I was at the point of suicide because I felt there waqs nothing else to live for. He entered into the circumstances of my life and gave me purpose. All the things of parties and stuff I thought was what life was about turned to be crap, nonesense, destructive. I never joined any particular church, but I worship at both protestant and Catholic institutions. I started devouring philosophers like, C.S. Lewis, Scott Hann, Hugh Ross, Thomas Aquinas, Agustin of Hippo, Anthony Rizzi etc. These men who are all scientist philosophers and apologist to the christian faith who were some of them atheist also. Wansborough, I trust that our conversation will be a spark to light up your world based on God my friend. The only purpose for drawing your next breath is to have a relationship with your father. He has transformed my life forever, I have turned from ridiculing,denigrating and persecuting him to studying, learning and defending him. Anyone who knew me when I use to think like you and know me now call me insane. But then I wqas insane, God gave me my sanity.
If you tell me what subject you are most familiar with, biology, physics, astronomy, history etc. I will suggest a book fthat will move you towards discovering your creator. He picks us up from where we are. He used my studies that tried to dispel him to bring me towards him. HE IS GOD INDEED.
I am delighted in talking to you my friend and pray that you will be led to your eternal father. God bless you immensely.
Congrates 2 u and all the rest, by the grace of god u will surely make it .Rome was not build in a day,be patient and caring always. We look 4ward with u as DOMINCA moves 2 a HIGHER LEVEL.. MR ST-JEAN, ALL THE BEST, I NO U GONNA MAKE IT.
10 years and nothing to show. Somebody please point out the development that we are talking about. The only thing I’ve seen in the Labor Party is the DLP has brought corruption to a much higher level than the UWP.
Behold! In his response to a caller’s quest, on the nation’s station, DBS radio, earlier this evening, as to the proclamation in Dominica by some that he, Mr. Skerritt was chosen by God to lead Dominica, the PM responded , “I believe I was appointed.”
In giving context before this response, Mr. Skerritt asserted that the Bible says, “The voice of the people is the voice of God,” and that “God chooses and brings down governments.” The people of Dominica had chosen by thier vote.
Try as he might to get Mr. Skerritt to equate “appointed” with “chosen,” the PM told his caller to essentially draw his own conclusion.
The PM’s response is at least curious, some might say frightening and dangerous.
Having dessimated the oppostion, the argument for his belief is understandable. Yet, we are all witness to the calamity wrought by religious zealotry. We would be wise to be very wary.
History is replete with examples of where that kind of thinking, belief and pronouncements, expoused by the PM is that which preceeds authoritatrian rule and eventual dictatorship. Or at the very least an abuse of power.
There is countless precedents throughout history where the victor, having vanquished the opposition, give credit to some power on high for their convincing victory.
The conviction that their conquest could only be God-ordained begin to manifest itself in a desire for absolute power. Wanton disregard for the rule of Supreme law, law codes and natural law become the order of the day. That innate, inborn compass, the inclination to be civil and magnimous with respect and honor for fellow humans take a backseat. An all-out power grab begins to characterize government and governance..
Still, if that fate befalls Dominica, rest assured that the context for it was set forth in 2005, when as part of his campaign slogan, Mr. Skerritt co-opted the phrase, “God is good all the time, and all the time God is good.” This was the rallying cry for much of the Labor Party crowd then. And while the phrase was not much repeated in the recent campaign, the foundation for his supporters’ faith that Mr. Skerritt was God-sent was quite evident.
And as if in affirmation to the implicit – somtimes spoken – belief that Mr. Skerritt had some kind of green light from the Almighty Himself to lead Dominica at this time, he won and won big This time virtually obliterating the opposition. Voila! The attestation that act ot providence!
Against this backdrop, it is supremely crucial for the opposition, what’s left of it, with its opportunity to appoint senators in the House, should not – in fact, can not – abdicate the only chance it has to perform its Constitutional duty as the FIRST check on the government. The rest must come from civil society – the media/press, organized labor, and NGO’s.
Mr. Skerritt, in his own words tonight agreed that there is nothing more that he wished for than for the opposition to take its election seriously and fulfill its duties in Parliament.
Mr. James, and the rest of the UWP elected members owe it to Dominica to take their place besides the Government and present it with as effective an opposition as possible under the circumstances. Lest we indeed move from a one-party state effecively to a dictatorship and all that portends.
To all the DLP haters,
please leave Dominica for the labourites and go to live on Bird Island where Ron Greene , Edison James and Judith Pestaina are your leaders. We don’t need your lies and currupt behaviour influencing potential investors to help us in this economic times. UWP RAN THE COUNTRY BANKRUPT AND THE PEOPLE VOTED FOR A CHANGE, DLP BROUGHT THAT CHANGE AND I WITH THEM ALL THE WAY.
GOD is a good God and he has given us Skerritt.
yea! he airport is a must we must have the answers to the airport scandel.
he optimistic …!!!!!!
i hope it doe av no new taxes!!!!
congratulations pm.we know you can do.we are your and will surely go all the wat with you ,the right of god is working in our land.
Are you really serious? You lead the charge at destroying people, and tearing them down and now you want your victims to ignore all you did. You must realize that almost half of the voting population don’t support your government and its policies. You must learn to be more tolerant of other persons and their ideologies, instead of tearing them down yourself or setting your high and low class henchmen on them, it would be easier for you today going forward.
We know you can Mr PM with the help of the almighty and the Dominicans tha want to see Dominica move forward we will pull it through.
Sadly that there are those who are asking what was done in 2009, it would appear that they are wearing wooden glasses as my good friend would have said yes ago(they are playiny that they are so blind). I live in faith that they will start seeing the light in 2010 and will stop denying the truth that they are confronted with with the many projects that are taking place all over Dominica.
Long live PM, we love you to the max.
You got god on your side. No weapon against you shall prosper.
Mr PM I have grown tired of the promise of an International Airport. An International Airport has become a political football you keep throwing around political field with other parties. Politicians need to stop playing mind games with us.
I hope in 2010 you come with something solid and ready to being work on this project. I am tired of a task force set up or some major press release. If you have take a loan from China or Venezuela, Libya to build it then do it. We need a leader with political will and desire to change the status quo. For too long Dominicans have put up with LIAT’s monopoly.
St Vincent is building an International Airport in 2011, that my friend is progress. Mr PM take some leadership and give us what Dominicans deserve.
The Prime Minister who builds the International Airport will have the upperhand in the future elections.
Dominica Freedom Party ruled Dominica for 15 yrs from 1980-1995. United Workers Party was in power for 5 yrs from 1995-2000. Both had plans and Workers purchased land with consultant’s. This did not happen at all.
Dominica Labor party in power for 10 yrs, a decade and no improvements from 2000-2010, Labor Party choose the cheap option of Night Landing System and after years of delay, it still has NOT delivered this project on time and on budget.
Most Dominicans like myself are fedup with airline situation and no competition to give us choices.
2. Airport expansion paves the way for more flights
Work is currently underway to redevelop Dominica’s Melville Hall Airport into a modern, all weather facility. As well as a runway expansion, new electronic guidance systems and night landing capabilities will improve connections between Dominica and hubs for international flights including Antigua, St Lucia, Barbados and Puerto Rico.
The option for night flights into Dominica could improve access for UK travellers, enabling them to use a wider variety of Caribbean hubs to reach the island. At present, one-day transfers from the UK to Dominica are only available via Antigua due to the timetabling of trans-Atlantic flights and since regional Caribbean airlines only schedule flights into Dominica during daylight hours. The potential for late afternoon and evening flights would allow travellers a wider choice of connections without the need to overnight in neighbouring islands.
Work on the airport expansion is due for completion in early 2010.
WHAT IS LABOUR DOING TO THE COUNRTY THE PEOPLE ARE INTITLED TO THEIR MONEY BACK
blance i hope you have good blance when the pm take you to the next level
those of all u complaining if all u was in America or England all u would be leaving in homeless shelter, crazy from all you jalosys and negativity, leaving on foodstamps and social, stop demonstrating all u level of hatred. Pray for the PM to succeed if he succeeds so does all of Dominica.
i have been looking and reading all the comments on the site and mostly every comment on here is against wat skerrit hass said and then u look at the elections and every body votes for himmm….why dont u guys just agreee that wee are a comunistt state………… recently ./…refuses to place ads of som ppl who they think is not on their side…wat side that is i dont kno……wee are slowly becoming a commmunist…i wouldnt be suprised if DNO does not place this comment…
Mmmm. So what about the impact of the British American disaster, Mr Skerrit ?
To Mwenmem:
Let us please keep our religion private. There is no place for superstition in the affairs of state. Please, leave the serious matter of running the country in the hands of rational people. Religion is a bad idea in this day and age.
Someone who is naive enough to believe in heaven and hell without evidence, is not going to be up to the task of thinking things through on earth.
Happy New Year Prime Minister. You are a good example to us. Continue to maintain your optimism and God will see us through. You are on the right track.
Mr Pm, no jobs were lost to begin with we had none to lose, how can you lose what you never had in the first place ? eh, may God open the eyes of all Dominicans to see this great LIE. NOTHING FROM NOTHING STILL LEAVES NOTHING.
PM you should proudly say the positive things that happened in 2009 are: an increase in the poverty rate,an increase in the unemployment rate, a total neglect of the productive sectors of the ecomony,an absolute and total dependence on foreign governments,an increase in our National Debt, a buying of the electorate,an increase in the dependency syndrome,and a refusal to answer questions pertaining to good and accountable democratic government.
Our biggest enemy in Dominica presently is the mindset of so many people that “I am not obliged to work,because someone will GIVE ME FREELY,and i as a consequence will become his footstool of floormat.
LORD HELP THIS COUNTRY!!!!!
Dman you still aint finish the melivel hall airport project yet whats up with the wesley international airport genereal james cartwright general james conway general geoger casey jr captain rodrick porter sergeant micheal sample
I must take my 5 to 10 years HARD LABOUR, one day somebody will free me up !
In 2009, we were tearing and destroying each other down, but 2010 we must stay like MOOMOOS!
Mr. PM are you for real? what positive that have happened in 2009. Ofcourse people have been loosing their jobs in the private sector because of reduction in economic activities, and have the economy grown in 2009 my PM? come on lets get real
Great!!!
Hon. I hope you have included a ministerial department for interfacing with faith or religious organisation. These organisations need to have access to Government. They continue to be relegated to the fringes of our society. I was moved by the opening sentence of your victory speech. For us and your welfare make HIM integral, and he shall make YOU integral. If the Lord builds not the house, they labour in vain that build it. Amen.
Way to go Mr.PM,way to go and in everything put God first and he will take us to the next level.blessings on u.