Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has promised to consult with his Cabinet, about the question of making public in full, the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Dominica signed with China in 2004, when Roseau severed ties with Taiwan in favor of doing business with China.
“Dominica has in China a well respected voice in the international scene,” PM Skerrit told reporters on Monday morning at a news conference where he spoke about the help China has given Dominica during their eight year relationship.
He was asked there by Dominica News Online why the government had shied away from making available to the Dominican public, the MOU in its entirety.
Parts of the document were published in the Chronicle newspaper seven years ago in the paper’s April 29 2005 edition.
However that hasn’t stopped appeals from various quarters for the MOU to be made available to the public.
“This is diplomacy that you are talking about, and there are agreements that you may not want to share because you don’t want copies going around with people’s signatures because it is diplomacy,” the prime minister explained in defense of his reluctance to make the full document public.
He added too that “sometimes some governments don’t want to even speak about what they give particular countries because other countries may want to negotiate the same arrangement”.
According to PM Skerrit, the government has reported to the parliament about the contents of the MOU.
However he acknowledged that there are continuing cries for the document to be made public knowledge, and said the government would consider doing this.
“We can do that, we will discuss it in Cabinet and that can be done, we have nothing to hide,” the prime minister said in response to a direct question about publishing the MOU.
“I can consider that, I don’t want to say definitely, but I can consider that,” he replied when pressed on the matter.
According to the prime minister, the Dominica Chronicle was given the full document back in 2005, although they only published parts of it.
This is a list of phrases, not an essay. you are incompetent
Zor sa matei eh. all u never ging to see that mou, because is state secret.It can compromise the deal.
Pas dire yhou un patat. Zor tou sort. When all u leak the secret and everybody coming to get what we getting. Dominicans grow up.
EDDO FIND A COW AND ASK IT FOR THE MOU AM SURE YOU WILL GET AN ANSWER
EDDO: MR.COW WHERE IS THE MOU ?
MR.COW: MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOU
EDDO: THANK YOU
The time for MOU disclosure has long gone. Skeritt has won 2 elections on the strength of this missing MOU. Any disclosure now is a waste of time and will not undo the the circumstances that have transpired as a result of this MOU.
All those who conspired to keep it a secret can continue to keep it in the dark. Let it remain on thier conscience as a STAIN. Letting it out to the public now after the FACT is an insult to the people and a total waste of time. So KEEP your MOU and its consequences to yourselves.
I must say that this one is the first of it’s kind
It’s the first time i have ever heard any government or governing institution, of any country disclose any type agreement or treaty made or signed with any other governing body available to it’s citizens.
In this age of information some of these agreements if either make or break a government if they fall in the wrong hands,
This is why the American government is so adamant in bringing the Wikileak founder to justice, Some things are meant to be secretive, at the end of this,can any of you change or impact the MOU noooo, do you all want to know for knowing sake or was it instigated by the opposition who succeeded in putting doubt and has failed to represent us after trusting them to do so…
I must that this one is the first of it’s kind
It’s the first time i have ever heard any government or governing institution, of any country disclose any type agreement or treaty made or signed with any other governing body available to it’s citizens.
In this age of information some of these agreements if either make or break a government if they fall in the wrong hands,
This is why the American government is so adamant in bringing the Wikileak founder to justice, Some things are meant to be secretive, at the end of this,can any of you change or impact the MOU noooo, do you all want to know for knowing sake or was it instigated by the opposition who succeeded in putting doubt and has failed to represent us after trusting them to do so…
Boy Skerro I have to give it to you. You are the VERY BEST at Psycology when it comes to politics
On the other hand, you can only fool the people if the allow you the opportunity to do so. GO Skerro, GO!
Has Dominica in the past signed MOU’s with other countries? If so were they made public? Did any opposition call for public scrutiny of these documents. From what I am reading I get the impression that this is the FIRST and only MOU signed by Dominica, since 1978. If there are other MOU’s let us make them public. This might give us a clue as to how or elected officials. operate.
Red China is vex at something man Skerro? I find it strange that now you considering to show us MOU. I must buy my sweat pants,boots, flashlight,crix biscuit,sardine,cornedbeef bread,bar ba len, zar li met,my cutlass,so that i can escape to the bushes we papa.I don’t want to be in neither Roseau nor Possie nah! That’s where the chaos will be. NEXT LEVEL ! SOMETHING IS HAPPENING and it is NOT SO EXCITING!
GOM, I love politics because it allows me to see how stupid people like you can become because of the shades of colour.
What did you all think of my cousin Edward Leblanc when he was in office. Does any one remember this Great man, His beliefs,his visions,his passion and his roots. Bring it on!…..
What exactly do you all Dominicans so care about the MOU Report.
After all, my fellow Villageian( Your PM) has had the privilege to sealing a deal with the Chinese whereas a lot of investment were given in AID by this Market Leading Monetary tank. They have as what I can see have built>
1-A superb National stadium entirely as gift, giving you guys a heads up to the sport Phenomenon out there.
2-Have given support to constructing your highways thus to redefine your infrastructure .Yet you people are so pissing ungrateful or is it ignorance.
Like I said in an earlier comment . if those people wants to invest,let them do so. Take as much as you can be grateful for their deeds after all thisis what you Dominicans should aspire too rather than the negativeness i keep reading about day in and out.
There are many critics out in Dominica. Most of you not having a clue of exactly what yo all are writing about.and I am sometimes ashamed to be a Dominican with reference to seeing what I read.
There are better islands world wide which could benefit from a fiscal investment with open arms. Take for instant the whole of the Dockland Enterprises in London England are mainly owned by the Chinese and Japanese enterprises yet you don’t see the English man complaining about it.They all see it as a rise above the rest perhaps Dominican should see this as a measure towards a competitive edge against their neighbours which in turn will boost our respect in this progressive world.Lets all make it happen.You are able to fight a war these days by yourself -YOU NEED ALLIES>>>>>>.
To sum up, Dominica can never be sold as package to a one-off investor as its power are controls by the UK sovereign state who have much of the protective rights to safeguarding all it territories nationals and inheritance.
Please welcome the change, Free off your self from mental slavery for its been to long in the making, go on,leave a successful life by assisting your PM to meeting his/your Golds.
“Under consideration” still????? SO long the people of Dominica asking to see the MOU!!! I hope Dominicans considering taking Skerrit out of office and sending him on exile.
Get him out of office to put who
Name at least one man that would give us the kind of representation and assistance that this country needs
And please try and do it with an open mind
If I as a Dominican think and behave like a fool I will be treated as a fool.
Boy how I miss that news conference today nuh. Boy DNO thanks for those news items. That PM there is a classic. lol
Them fellas released a response to a question in the house and called it the MOU. Many labourites for years kept saying “but allu get the MOU”. Look today skerrit considering full disclosure.
Boy that is commesss yes.
Is there something that is about to explode in our faces? Only now you want to make public the MOU?
Good thing i have a deep cave in the bush where i can run for shelter.
*******IS HE doing us a favour????*****
FULL DISCLOSURE “UNDER CONSIDERATION”?????
As if you’re doing us a favour????
The Prime Minister just made an of Simione Albert
Mehwee Mr. PM; and why some of us stressing on the Chronicle not having published the MOU if and when it was allegged to have been given to them. And why would any body believe that the Chronicle wouldn’t have done such thing especially if it was the only one privy to the information. Exclusivity or is that what we are being made to belive.But even if the Chronicle was given the information it is still not and it never was and should never be the responsibility of the Chronicle to publish or disseminate gov’t information and notices more so of a diplomatic contract or MOU or secret document or whatever the PM wants to refer to it as to the citizenry.
The fact of the matter is for 7 years the Gov’t failed to used the media to make the MOU public The Gov’t has at its disposal the entire media machinery including voice, print and video if it was so interested in making the MOU public; it had then a Press Secretary; it had a public relations officer for the Labour party; there was and still is GIS, Government note book; there was also the opportunity to have it laid before parliament as a public document or they could have allowed debate on it and last but not least they could have had it gazetted. But you know I am of the strong view and have also been reliably informed like the rest of the public, the Cabinet will be seeing the full contents of the MOU if and only if the PM keeps to his word, that is, to allow Cabinet to discuss it before making it public. It is also reasonable to assume that Honorable Reggie Austrie himself has not seen the entire document although he was in China with the PM when it was alleged to have been finalized to include the four pillar projects; remember it was the Honorable Austrie who said that at sometime in the negotiations and formulation of the documents he got tired and left the PM alone for the next several hours negotiating while he went to sleep. I ALSO honestly believe that Gov’t is now putting a document together to present to us as the MOU. I have no doubt that this is the strategy and while some may say to little to late I say bring out what you intend because I believe it is our right to know and you better do that before time finish catch up with you. While on that do we as Dominicans realized that non of the four pillar projects promised has been completed as originally planned. Example the West Coast Highway- we all saw it was the repaving of the road; secondly the New comprehensive Grammer School – we can all see the travesty that now is referred to as the school – the surroundings are deplorable but hey what about the second wing when is it going to start?; the renovation and upgrade of PMH Hospital was one of the pillars also but yet to be started whats up with that; in the meanwhile we have a 27 million dollar ‘malice’ palice’ going up on land that should have been reserved and preserved-similar to what is being done with some of the great houses around the region example ‘DEVON House in Jamaica and the other Great Houses’ in St.Kitts etc. asked Dr. Alwin Bully and Dr. Honeychurch about that.
You see the PM continues to short change us and play games with our intelligence but time will time it always do; and time will catch up with him, remmember the longest road has an end;
We have diplomatic relations with soooooo many countries and have signed countless Mou’s in the past. Have all administrations both past and present disclosed all of these agreements? I think not. So why single out the MOU with the PRC? I’m just puzzled.
This is all politics my friend.
How many other countries have quadrupled the amount of stores they have in town? Not paying Vat, can undercut how many Dominican businesses? That is why this one if important. We even have Chinese Dogs or whatever they are in the main drag of Roseau.
Mi Waan Read It Enuh…..cuz from dem time deh mi ah cuss over it. Caan believe they still have it as a secret and Dominicans were upholding that foolishness….thought we would have protested it at every opportunity!!!
Included in the MOU..
We Build stuff for you FREE…In four years we take over Roseau,making it China Town. LOL I just saying.
This is ‘papyshow’.
If as the Prime Minister said the full MOU DOCUMENT was given to The Chronicle in 2005, WHY DOES HE HAVE TO ASK CABINET TO MAKE FULL DISCLOSURE OF THE MOU NOW?
QUESTION TO THE CHRONICLE: WAS THE FULL MOU DOCUMENT GIVEN TO YOU IN 2005? AND IF SO, WHY DID YOU WITHHOLD ITS CONTENTS FROM THE DOMINICAN PEOPLE?
you want news??? ill give you news!!
LOOK NEWS!
I’LL GIVE YOU BREAKING NEWS!!
better late than never but it is very, very, very late eh skerro!!!!!!!!
You said you gave the full document to the chrono. Then in the same interview you said you are asking paliarment for permission? What is Chronicle, some kind of secret agency? For heavens sake this is not a national security issue. You have a MOU with China on behalf of Dominica and Dominicans are not privy to what is in it? This is ludicrous! So you think you will be in office for ever to protect that MOU? I just can’t understand this PM.
SO WHAT WE GOT YEARS AGO WAS FAKE?
why now?? After, only now?? I wonder if this is because it may not be able to be altered??
OR WAS IT ALTERED!!!
One day de truth will reveal. Nasio fontaine say so.
All of us know that Skerritt and his Govt. continually claimed that the MOU was disclosed to the Dominican public. Why the twist and turn now? So why would Skerritt now talk of Cabinet meeting to decide whether to disclose that MOU years upon years later, after outrightly rejecting the people’s call and concerns?
A Govt. would not want to disclose the MOU, only if an agreement, with that foreign country, deals with arms purchase and sales, security assistance and arrangements, and matters of that nature. Diplomacy? Voila!!!! We want the full authentic MOU that was signed between Skerritt and the Chinese officials. Nothing less. But something is fishy. We smell a big rat.
Skerritt said that they have nothing to hide, but for all those years refused to disclose the MOU, although the entire nation was pleading for it. You could never fool all of the people of Dominica all of the time. To talk only about considering putting out the MOU after Cabinet meet on the matter, the same one you all said was made public, is laughable, baffling. Like the popular saying, “It is putting butter around the cats mouth.”
WA SWEET AH D GOAT MOUT AY TUN SOUR AH EE BATTOM
Boy look big stone our prime minister sending behind us. Sir i respect u as a person but….. Dominica is not yours alone its for all dominicans and we deserve prime minister to no wat you negotiate on behave of us. I rest my case.
yawnnnnnnnnnnnn
Tweak it here, shift some over there. Skerrit doh tired play with Dominicans. I know you like cricket but seriously darling stop doing that. I’m laughing because knowing you as well as I do this is just a seed of chucky play on your part.
P.M tell them again is not dem dam biz and continue to do good for the country.They trying to make u lose focus.
My PM you are so right to try and protect us. It’s not everything that this man does that has to be made public. Some things have to remain confidential for our own benefit. The document was given to the Chronicle and they only published parts of it; so why do we have to bash the prime minister only because after so many years we don’t know the full content? Give me a break. We the people of Dominica too like to lash out at this man when all he is trying to do is better this country. Cha
What can i say?
I love my PM, no offence. I recommend that you Gym everyday to stay sexy,look younger and to keep the stress off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@Ann, here’s hoping he loves you too…
Tell me are you for real , or is it greed, blindness, uneducated, or just ignorance wich got you on such a low level!!
Based on Diplomacy, I would say don’t release the MOU. It is going to be used as a mockery and political football by politicians and the likes of that.
I agree, nothing good is going to from this but negativity..
Our government should be able to make tough decisions, and be able to justify their decisions to the people. That is called accountability.
DNO: “According to the prime minister, the Dominica Chronicle was given the full document back in 2005, although they only published parts of it.”
I am confused…
1. If this is true, then the MOU is already in public hands and therefore, what is Cabinet going to “consider?” The MOU is already out there, if the above quote is accurate.
2. Why didn’t The Chhronicle publish the full document then?
3. The Chronicle knows about the public’s obsession with the MOU..why then hasn’t it published the full document?
Excellent question..
Peeping Tom,
You are the kind of logical i want my people to be. WHy would the Cabinet have to be consulted before disclosure if the PM is claiming that the document has already been disclosed?
It just doesnt add up.
My people get all emotional and fail to listen and ask pertinent questions.
HAIIIIII, CHABAY CHUCKIE, the tounge twister….
ohh what now admin???? I looking too close, being to critical???? too paranoid??? OOOOOOhhhh I get it, Im not entitled to an opinion… oh i forgot…
You mean to tell me that eight years after the MOU with China was signed, is only now the PM is considering making a full disclosure with Dominicans! What is wrong with this man? What is wrong with Dominicans? Are we so stupid that we voted a man into power without demanding him to tell us what he signed on our behalf in secret! What if the agreement is for China to take over Dominica on March 31, 2012? Boy we really Dommy!
By the way, concerning the MOU, DNO stated that it was Roseau that severed ties with Taiwan in favor of China; but it would make more sense to say when Skeritt and his attorneys severed ties with Taiwan because Roseau and the whole of Dominica still do not know what is in there.
15 years after ? Really, strategising for next election I see. yeah right.
Honourable PM:
I can forgive someone for physically abusing me, but I refuse to have my intelligence INSULTED. What exactly do you mean by the following:”this is diplomacy you are talking here and there agreements you might not want to share…? You may not wish to SHARE with whom, the Dominican public? But after all, PM, are you adopting a posture of God? Who are you to make such laughable comments? Politicians ONLY manage the country ON BEHALF of the masses, so what matter, entered into on behalf of DOMINICA, can be too sensitive to be divulged to the population? Makes me remember when my dad used to say:”My job is to protect you, sometimes even against YOURSELF!! Really makes me want to huller
I see you left out parts of it for your own gain
“This is diplomacy that you are talking about, and there are agreements that you may not want to share because you don’t want copies going around with people’s signatures because it is diplomacy,” the prime minister explained in defense of his reluctance to make the full document public.
He added too that “sometimes some governments don’t want to even speak about what they give particular countries because other countries may want to negotiate the same arrangement”.
Skerrit also said” we have nothing to hide”. If that is so there is no reason not to make full disclosure, face any criticism and put this thing to bed so it does not keep clouding the waters.
and thattttttt is the LONG AND SHORT OF IT MALATETE!!
you hit it on the HEAD!
I am very concerned that the Country I love so much would make arrangements with another country, give them favors and open contracts to do business in Dominica and where I am from have to get such hard time to do business in my own countyr. And the Chinesse are taking avoer Dominica buying all the lands from under the people and the Government of dominica is allowing it. Shame, shame, shame
If the Prime Minister has claimed that the full document was given to the New Chronicle in 2005 but that they only printed portions of it, why is the question not asked of the Chronicle….Did you or did you not recieve a full copy of the MOU back in 2005 and if so, why did you print only portions of it? ASK THE QUESTIONS ALL AROUND SO THAT WE CAN GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS!!!!
Good idea. And, why has the Chronicle been so silent on this topic in the past years?
I guess the reason why he doesn’t want to fully disclose the MOU is that there is something to hide?
he said he has nothing to hide or didn’t you read that part.
this is such a narrow-minded comment… Where can he hide whatever you think he have to hide??
Boss the MOU is a government document which is not in Skerrit personal draw at his home in Vieille case so use your common sense and stop acting like a Zey Zey!!!!!! Do you believe that there are Classified Documents? i.e. not for the public domain? well ask the Americans they will explain because they have accepted that CIA Documents are all CLASSIFIED!!!!!