Hotelier and agent of The Citizenship by Investment Program (CBI), Sam Raphael, has encouraged the public both nationally and regionally to get on board with the program and engage in discussions both publicly and privately on its aspects.
Speaking on Q95’s Matt in the Morning Program, Raphael stated that if the public is not on board, then difficulties will arise.
“If we don’t begin to get people on board, if we don’t begin to get our local population behind the program, then it may be hard to defend it in the international community,” he said.
He also said that Dominica’s CBI Program “is transparent as far as I am concerned” but there is not a lot of public education on it.
“I think there is a difference between transparency and public education. There are certain things about the program; you cannot have a list of all the names of the people that became citizens, that goes against their privacy. But there are certain other things that people have some questions about like numbers, the money, how many people get citizenship and they are available and maybe they can be made more available to the people so that we can at least feel more comfortable to defend the program,” he stated.
There have been much speculation on the details of the program from the Dominican public.
The Citizenship by Investment Program allows foreign investors to obtain full legal citizenship and passports for an investor and their family where that investor has made a significant investment in Dominica which qualifies under the Citizenship by Investment Regulations.
Sam….. “get on board with the program and engage in discussions both publicly and privately on its aspects.” Should we get on board on all aspects of the programme…. Is there transparency…?
From our knowledge, we are blind and dumb to what is happening, who is who etc. How on earth we get on board to what we know nothing of. The passport sales appears to be a scam and look about Dominica from al this money that came in has NOT been INVESTED in Dominica and for Dominicans. Sam, you are a very good guy, but please do not play with our intelligence. Go look around Dominica and tell us where is the development. I wish you god luck, I wish this labour government to fall, the quicker the better for Dominica and its poor people.
What is Sam to say about a programme he benefited from not once, but twice. Jungle Bay was built with Passport monies and yet Dominica owned not 1% of that Resort. TSE distroyed Jungle Bay…Did’nt Sam collect Insurance?, so why is he again to benefit under the CBI.
Wake up people, nothing Mr. Rapheal has to say is relevant.
The Train has left the Station.
Is it mere coincidence that the only “CITIZENS” speaking out in support of the CBI Program and the Government’s position are the ones that DIRECTLY benefit from the sale of our Nation’s Sovereignty? I can bet you that the biggest defender of a thief is the person that directly benefits from the exchange or sales of his/her stolen goods. Need I say more????
This What You Idotic People Wanted People Wanted When You Kept On Voting The ANTI CHRIST Into Office, So DEAL WITH IT. I Have NO SYMPATHY For You Guys! May The Good Lord Continue To Bless You Till This MONSTER Is Voted Out Of Office, & KICKED THE HELL OUT Of What Some Of Us May Remember As Home.
Dominicans weather you support CBI or not. We should all agree that full transparency while respecting privacy should given to the Dominican community. We live in a world where terroristic threats are real and thousand of innocent people lose their lives everyday due to terrorism. We should demand that the Dominican Government enact and educate the public on the security measures taken to keep our passports out of the hands of criminals. Especially our diplomatic passports. We should demand transparency in number of passports sold monthly. And we should demand detailed accountability of how and where this money is being spent and or invested. It’s our right. Finally, based on 60 minutes as semester of the program this is a $2 billion dollars per year business. Dominica claim to be number one in this program. Therfore, Dominica / government makes at least $500 million per year in the program. That’s in US currency. Where is this money going to?
DNO the other angle to the story is that CBS and lennox linton did a hit job on Dominica and the rest of the caribbean, Y have your bias choice
I am one D/can who is TOTALLY AGAINST that so called cbi. DA needs Just about one to two hundred Genuine Investors to get the Island moving. The govt. should give citizenship once they are on Island and the Jobs are there. Passports cannot Just be selling like bakes…..In Mailorder style…When is that System going to be stopped?
Sam singing for his supper. Government will build new roads to Soufriere cause his Jungle Bay going up there. Sam don’t believe in God. Why should we even listen to him?
A government for security reason can never tell the country everything that is why we have a government to act on our behalf. Many countries have ambassadors in country they have relations and for cost purposes could have people who live in that country to represent them and not necessary citizens of the country who needs an ambassador. Even First World countries have them.
Many countries have their own CBI program including the United States. When we squeal on our own country there is a word for us. If we think when we squeal to another country; that country does not see us for what we are we are fooling ourselves and when they no longer need us, after they get what they want, do we believe they can trust us? Or admire us? Would you?
If we want to know more of what can be known of our CBI program there is enough information out there for us if we are genuine.
Look at the recent US hacking could they make public everything? You go figure.
Waffle, waffle, waffle.
By the way is that the way Sam is trying raise the funds to rebuild hideaway? Why not get financing from local banks. If your business was profitable paying back to bank is helpful to the people who save in bank and to reinvest in other private enterprise.
One of the silliest notions is that terrorist infiltration through CIP will expose important nations to disaster. Terrorists do not spend that kind of money for passports that they can replicate or fabricate.
we cannot get onboard with all this shady happenings . this is just afrenzy that is going on with this passport buisness.
The prime minister of Antigua did a good job defending their program on the 60 minutes interview. Why wasn’t our prime minister there to defend ours? Instead we had Lennox Linton spouting mistruths and hearsay.
,..Be4cause he is devious, politically illiterate, lack credibility, would not know what to say and how, a politician still wearing short pants.
Lacks all respect for the processes involved in meaningful development. So every Tom Dick and Harriette are after him, because he is easy catch. hurting our Dominica.
Mr. Raphael, I am a Dominican living in Dominica. I already have my passport of course. Tell me, can I buy a property in your development without paying the government the $200,000 dollars they want from non-citizens to become like me? Thank you.
Dominicans, especially poor, marginalised, struggling Dominicans madness is going on with that selling of our passports.
How does someone qualify to be a sales agent of our passports? How did Sam Raphael and the others, like the two on the Electoral Commission, end up selling our passports? Through an open process, by application, or through special favours, a selected group is chosen?
So Sam sells passports, as an agent, could sell millions of $$$$$$$ worth of passports for himself, by selling our passports to all and sundry, once you have the money. The $$$$$$, millions he makes is for building his hotel ror guest houses? what does he come with as an investor, then, under that selling of passport scheme, misnamed, Citizen-by-investment programme.
Sam has special interests, he and himself, in the selling of passports, where millions are being made from the sale of Dominicans’ sacred ,collective property.
Diplomatic immunity for sale, as well to crooks and…
My God Dominica is dead, we are in deep problem, and getting deeper and deeper. Show me please someone where the development of taking place. No bananas, no industry, no tourism etc.
Show me please
Go check the pockets of the GREEDIES,that where economic growth takes place in Dominica!Where the wicked rule the people mourn…That passport MESS is just the beginning!!
Thanks for educating us….we now have an idea where the money goes. Please keep us updated.
tell them sam my friend.. those that spreading propanganda about the CBI program knows well how it operates they are just downdright malicious. i am happy thta you can explain that to them on their radio station and be aware because the will bash you sam because you spoke rightiously about that.. well done my friend.
What is righteous about what Sam said, all of them are opportunists. All passport monies need to go to the treasury of Dominica, not a free for all and do as you please with it. What nonsense are you talking?
Sam thought he could put LIAT out of business with his airline, look what is happening to him now, he just fired his chief pilot because he refused to fly the plane with a broken instrument, causing his plane to be grounded at Melville hall. He has no choice but to sing for his supper and support this corrupt government and what they are doing.
Q95 does not belong to the opposition but it is because of Q95, Dominicans are aware of what is going on in the country. People like you will continue to bury your head in the sand and pretend that all is well. Why don’t you stop politicizing and open your eyes to what is happening around you.
Sam is living high on passport sales getting his bank account fatter, when last did you save a penny?
dotish
Why are you calling for that now? Why now?
That is simple, Sam’s development at Morne Accouma calls for 120 villas to be sold to new citizens at min. u.S.$.200.000 each. That makes at least US.$.24 million, which has to be financed through the CBI programme. If government can not raise that money through passport sales Sam will be in deep Dodo. Considering that he has already incurred hefty expenses in purchasing the site, plans, advertising, admin. expenses and so on he could be in a precarious situation. Never put all your eggs in one basket, especially those laid by a golden goose.
Oh spare me all those crocodile tears, false sense of patriotism, fake love for country, for 17years we allowed one boy to destroy each and everything in Dominica, while we stood by and cheering him on, what makes us believe that the CBI would be any different?
Sam, you are an accomplice to the CIB being in a coma now, you knew how important the program was to Dominica and you remained silent when it was being abuse and misused,
Evil flourishes when good men remain silent
When our parliamentary representative request information from the nations parliament and the government refuses to answer the questions, suspicions and speculations will arise, if the public account committee is not operating and reports forth coming then that speaks bad on the government side.
DNO he said more than that.
“If we don’t begin to get people on board, if we don’t begin to get our local population behind the program, then it may be hard to defend it in the international community,” he said….that was Sam, with all good intention.
Sam, I have been in there in government, I will advise you that this inept Skerrit and his bunch of corrupt Labour Government people are not interested in this model of transparency you talk about. With the outside defacto ministers advising on a daily basis, I do not think he even listen to let alone takes advise from his own elected cabinet. They are like moo….moos.. I ask you please, you are an honest man, to be aware of these people, they use others to get what they want. I know of a victim who thy wanted to run , offered money and declined to join, he still gets blows to this day. These guys are dangerous and devious and do not act in the interest of us.
They know nothing of development as some of govt people in this field know they`ve been side-lined.
Well said 100% truth and when I listen or read of Dominican making false and damaging statement about their country I wonder where they wont our country to go and what would they do to help beside talking down the country that’s the only country in the world that their people crying down their country because of politics never hear Barbadian Jamaican not even Antiguan is time we put politics behind us and start building up our country moral LABOUR ,UWP FREEDOM or not.
Are you for real , or a hypocrite, clueless to what is happening in Dominica., or are you hiding under the political skirt of Skerrit. ? Get out of there it is un healthy
Those people don’t listen to DBS so they’ll be uneducated about the program but if you there listening to Q95 you’ll just hear all negative talk not learning a thing. Q95 is an opposition endeavour to cause an uprising against the Government. I stay from overseas and can tell you what how transparent the program is.
DBS, you must be mad man. Listen to who, to what….man wake up smell the salt….and the corruption.
Sam I will say to you just like I’ve said to Mr Gregoire Nassief that I respect you as an astute business man but you need to man up and be truthful to the people of dominica because this passport selling program is not transparent enough and you passport peddlers continue to hide behind the vale of secrecy. Without passport selling dominica have survived and will continue to survive ok.so please stop trying to fool Dominicans. I agree with the exposure on CBS it was only 13 mins and 11 sec of truth .What if it was a full 60 mins? ?Guess all of you would be wetting your pants involuntarily…………….
Hey Sam,
You should continue on to inform us why public education is lacking on the Dominica’s CBI program .
San, wouldn’t public education lead to greater transparency. Things like the amount of commission pair to agents, who are the agents, how does one qualify to become an agent. How and by whom is the moneys accouted /tracked into our everyday economy.
Thank you Sam.
I really don’t know ho difficult it is for those in Authority to understand this. I live in Antigua and ever so often the P.M will announce that x amount of revenue has been collected from the C.I.P program and it will go to xxx. Either you choose to believe him or not, the public room for argument becomes less. this has to be an ongoing dialogue between those in power and we the people who may never understand the mystery.
The level of arrogance that I’m seeing from the government in Dominica t is uncalled for. There is nothing wrong in stepping down from your high chair once in a while and address the public. I have been a strong supporter of the labour party for years, but looking at what is going on I am left with no choice but to join the opposition and make that change, A change I hope will save the next generation
lol
Then if there is not enough public education of the CBI program it is not as transparent as you think. You understand it because you benefit highly by it. Encourage the powers that may be to come clean. By the way I am in faor of the program.
that is an amazing statement. you don’t burn, you don’t destroy what s yours. i feel the frustration of Mr. Linton but what he don’t take into consideration is, that,s the same US that tell us coconut oil is bad for our health. the same US that are now telling us bananas can kill you if you eat twenty a day. because they are losing the market of their wax cover apple. that,s the US who tell the world there is weapon of mass destruction (WMD) in Iraq, then go in Iraq kill more than half a million Iraqis to prove the point and still did not find any. every news organization or media has it bias. the push their own agenda. those people make a living doing that and they are good at it. so it’s easy for a man with the backing of giant CBS TO MANIPULATE OUR OPPOSITION leader. they will use you in the worst way to put their point forward. they will let you think that you all are fighting the same battle. like the enemy of my enemy is my friend BS!
You are totally off target..Honourable Linton is not one of the peddlers,so he should not shield them,as you would have done and implicate himself in the dirty mess!I fully support Honourable Linton and reject with contempt your foolishness…Stop giving comfort to evil and wicked human beings.
Given your recent attempt to champion the cause of the CBI programme by saying it is open and transparent, substantiating possibly a lack of Governmental sensitising of the populous to be the problem – then what says the following:
“The enabling condition under which transparency may lead to accountability intertwines with ‘Ambiguity’ of “Open Government”. The lack of an analytical framework on the CBI Programme evinces the ambiguities underlying the charge levelled against the Dominican Authorities on “Open Government” ethics.”
The distinction of the Dominican Government’s failings re the CBI programme is a conceptual milestone in the field of open government and data and a welcome addition to a CRY for OPEN TRANSPIRANCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY, as being the real crock of the matter.
All a deliberate act by the Dominican Authorities to keep the people in darkness!!!
Re
Sam Rafael sided with the Government to hide the truth from the Dominican public about the program , he sat back and said nothing now he is running to defend them it’s wrong and that’s what it’s all about. Sam got money from the program to set up his business and really that was so far the only business we knew of but over the years things became a secret and they didn’t have to report to the people we were all kept in the dark., Now Sam is saying that they should write to CBS to tell there side of things, Sam your words were listened to closely, who is ” They ” because you a part of the same gang .
Only speak when it’s of self-interest… this explains D/ca’s problem!
Given the recent attempt of an agent of the CBI programme to champion the cause of the CBI programme by saying it is open and transparent, substantiating possibly a lack of Governmental sensitising of the populous to be the problem – then what says the following:
“The enabling condition under which transparency may lead to accountability intertwines with ‘Ambiguity’ of “Open Government”. The lack of an analytical framework on the CBI Programme evinces the ambiguities underlying the charge levelled against the Dominican Authorities on “Open Government” ethics.”
The distinction of the Dominican Government’s failings re the CBI programme is a conceptual milestone in the field of open government and data and a welcome addition to a CRY for OPEN TRANSPIRANCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY, as being the real crock of the matter.
All a deliberate act by the Dominican Authorities to keep the people in…
What is the privacy about having you name on a list. All citizens have right to vote and thier names are on voting list. There should be a list of those who are citizens by birth and one for every other category. It does not have to be plastered on a post but in registry where any enquiring mind can find. Why be ashamed to show yourself ?
Amen Shaka, what is so secret about wanting to be a Dominican citizen if it is such a good thing? If people don’t want us, existing Dominicans to know that they want to join us they surely must have something to hide! if you want a simple licence to open your rum shop, a bar or sell liquor you must put it in the paper but something much more important like citizenship must be secret. Why?
I agree 100% if I want to check Sam Rafpael date of birth, profession and place of residence I could get that info at the registry. Why should it be different for someone who bought the passport? I mean the passport number is private but everythin else should be open to the public.
I wonder who is advising Linton because it seems like he is the only one in the UWP. Aren’t there 5 other members of parliament and 4 senators? Are they all moo moo? I follow DNO, not the radio, but even DNO quotes q95 an dbs and it’s only Linton talking about the program (or any issue) on the opposition side. Should the UWP get into power is the country going to be ran the same way it presently is? One man running the show?
Sam, FYI the Republicans were in opposition for eight straight years and not one time you ever heard anyone in the media refer to anyone as Opposition Leader. In fact opposition leader is not a good title as it lives one to believe that his job is to lead an opposition to anything the government says, good or bad. So to hear you accuse CBS news, who is reporting to a US audience, as hate hitting because they referred to Mr Linton as Parliamentarian and not Opposition Leader, really has me to question your intelligence, motives and honestly. How shameful! I am not interested in anything you said because opened your mouth and removed all doubts WD had
Wilderness Voice. The American and us have a different type of government, We have the West Minister System where every country in this system have an Opposition Leader and address them as such.
The Republicans and Democrats refer to members of the House and Senate and depending on who they are addressing as Speaker, Leader of the Minority Party etc.
It was misrepresenting himself by not saying or not correcting the CBS reporter that he was a member of the Opposition. That was bad. Because that is what he is. And yes he is the leader of the opposition in parliament.
…………… Sam sure gave up the respect we all once had for him. To hear Sam Raphael demonize CBS news, and accuse them of producing a report based on hate is unbelievable! Furthermore, to hear Sam say that CBS news NEVER referred to Mr. Linton as leader of the opposition so persons would understand that Linton’s view was from opposition perspective, is nothing just of misleading and flat out ignorance. Sam should know that although CBS news is watched throughout the world, they are reporting to Americans and must speak the language Americans understand. Americans don’t talk or refer to any elected person as “Opposition leader”. They refer to them as representatives or Parliamentarians and that’s how they referred to Linton.
But our system is not the same as their system… if it were an american democrat speaking against a republican and CBS omitted that that alone is a lot of context out the window.
Just be striate with the people and lets move on , the U. S. does the same but there process is transparent, they don’t build mansions , and buy real estate with the taxes payers money , cus that’s what’s, happening here .,
I think all there is to explain is the truth. And take resposibility for the actions of passport sellers. When we sell the country what is going to happen to us. If this continues the country will be destroyed just how jungle bay got destroyed
We will no longer be masters of our own country. Any foreigner who buys a Dominican passport can stand for election and become a member of parliament, even Prime Minister.
That is scary.
Sam, we need to build our own resources and products and cannot be depended on a scheme that is highly vulnerable. We need leaders in government to plot that action plan that Dominicans are trained, educated and go to work, and not migrate and be dependent on fast-food economy that may burst sometime. You of all people should know that. Skerrit and his band know nothing of development,