“Tell him he is lying.”
That’s what the MP for the Salybia constituency, Ashton Graneau, wants the indigenous people to say to the new Kalinago Chief, Charles Williams, who recently said there’s no development in their community.
Graneau used the handing over ceremony of 27 houses in Gullet River on Monday night to take several swipes at Williams.
At the installation of the new Kalinago Council recently, Charles indicated that there should be more development in the Territory based on the number of years the Dominica Labour Party has been in office.
But Graneau, who is also the minister of Carib affairs, said nothing is further from the truth.
“We have heard him say that nothing is happening. We have heard them saying that over the last five years they have seen nothing. I believe this is malicious and mischievous and if we are people of God we need to speak the truth,” he said.
Graneau pointed out that there is evidence to prove that development has taken place in the Territory.
“We have over the last ten years undertaken development initiatives that have impacted our people. Apart from the Housing Revolution there have been other projects that have enhanced our capacity,” he argued.
The Carib Territory Community Capacity Building Project was highlighted as one of the major initiatives undertaken by government.
Graneau said the project is costing some $8.6-million and includes several projects around the community.
“This has a number of components,” he stated. “Some are not visible, including the compnenmt comprising human capacity. The renovation of the southern section of the Horse Back Ridge road costing some $1.8-million and the construction of several new roads.”
He said the St. Cyr Resource Center is currently under construction which included traditional but modern indigenous designs.
“This building is costing $1.9-million and it will be used as a preschool and post office,” Graneau said. “We hope it will be completed by November. There is still to come the Cassava Factory. There are those that have been completed. So when you hear the present chief talking about nothings happening tell him he isn’t speaking the truth.”
He also talked about areas in education, health and infrastructural development which the indigenous people have benefited from.
Members of our community in Puerto Rico visited Dominica in July (2014). They participated in the 111th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Kalinago Reserve (Territory). The six days they spent in the Territory were the most memorable in a very long time, The way they were treated, the openness of the Kalinago and most of all, the humbleness of the people people have left an indelible imprint in our community.. What I humbly ask the new Chief, Charles Williams, is that he please consider our proposal to engage our indigenous base community (Naguakebana) in a cultural-linguistic exchange with the Kalinago Territory. For that we need his official approval. Our president has sent the Chief emails, letters. letters via third parties in the Territory…and still no response. We really want to make a difference in the Territory, at least at the community-school level. Please support our endeavor for the sake of our future generation. Thank You and God Bless You. Jacqueline Fontanez, Special Affairs Director, Office of Community and Indigenous Affairs – Humacao, Puerto Rico.
When Ashton Graneau came into office he met all the projects on Going, the Carib Territory capacity building project, the housing project, the Salybia School project, what then did he initiate that he can claim as parl rephe did to his name and honour , -Nothing.
what he do not understand is that he failed the people and so there is no need for him neither by the people or his party, so what is he barking about.
Ted daily had a song singing then i request that for Ashton Graneau, ” who bit you you crying”
I hope u get one of the houses when u leave office. The worst parlreps that’s ever past. No house for Atkinson and Antrizle but all u will see this election.
The Carib Territory shows some semblance of division on party lines and not necessarily amonung the Carib people themselves.
The weakness is that the DLP is guilty of giving handouts without that bigger picture and developmental plan and the Graneau`s have supported and promoted this mendicancy for years. We have seen rum distributed late at nights on the eve of the last election.
A resource Centre was built in Sineku about seven years ago and it is seriously under utilised and just like Sineku this one about to be constructed will be the same thing. It will bring no economic change or benefits to the people because it has to maintained, and money is needed for this. They are just building structures NOT the people and the economy.
So the Graneau brothers as MP`s have had no effective sustainable forecast for the Carib people as their political allegiance rests with Skerrit, someone who has lost credibility in high office with questionable deeds.
The DLP government has systematically failed the Carib people and the only treason or rather reason (LOL) why they are scared of Chief Williams is because he is one not to compromise his loyalty to his people and his own beliefs and will say it as it is…….that will not go down well with Skerrit. So as long as Chief Williams is Chief; Skerrit will avoid and woill be scared to enter the Carib Territory.
mr william come back again with his political agenda.all he had to do is ask linton for him to go up for workers for the carib reserve,then he would see.it seems like he needs to visit an eye doctor because he cannot seem to see all the good things that are happening in the reserve
Ashton should be taking swipes and the previous MP his brother kelly, who did nothing
Giving poor people houses and toilets does not equate to development. They still cant pay the bills in the house or maintain it. Development is giving the people the means to be self sufficient, to develop and build wealth based on their on efforts. Development is teaching them how to be healthy to increase life expectancy and productivity. I can go on. So Mr. MP stop implementing the socialist, (Cuba, Venezuela) policy on the people. Infrastructural development alone is the least of development. Why do they keep fooling the less knowledgeable at election time.
Very good feed back.
An addition to your comment,
Tell Skerrit, he cannot continue to fool the people of Dominica by attempting to build loyalty instead of independence by conducting a ‘Red Clinic’-
that is giving handouts.
Merina Mckenzie
Graneu your falling right where Skerrit want you to fall,your a native of your tribe just like Williams and your fighting him.Politics has really gone to the pit latrines.Shame on Dominica.
Politician at home sure know how to express their stupidity on a platform.
Mr Graneau isn’t saying that there haven’t been development but is saying, “it haven’t been enough over the period of the DLP time in office.” I think its a fair comment to make because we always believe much more can be done by any government or more so the chief during his time in office.
Our leaders need to show more class and even humble themselves when challenged. The future of politics at home isn’t bright I must say.
Allyou sit back enjoy yourselves and let the Government of Dominica do everything for you. i should do the same sit back and let the Gov of England look after me and my community. I am not working but I don’t blaime the gov I blaim myself I should have furthered my education and develop life skills.
I hate to hear people saying the Gov do give us nothing where in the world you hear Gov giving people things, if that is the case why work just wait to be served. Club together buy a boat go and fish sell the fish. Make cassava sell it that is what normal people do
Graneau has no sense.the man entered the race in pre school and five years gone he himself still in first grade.what development can this man bring to his people.after five years in government living in someone’s house and skerritt building how many mansions.he and his neighbouring partner that more @$$ in the Labour party.
Your articles are so biased… Stop hating on labour and get some credible journalists to start writing your reports..
i think that this disagreement is a clear case of a difference of point of views. it all depends on from which angle the chief is coming from. mr. graneau is the parl. rep. but mr. charles is also the Chief. both gentlemen should maintain their Dignity.
The Chief never said that nothing has been done. All the Chief said is that more should be done in all these years and I totally agree with that statement. I dont understand why the people in the ministry of Kalinago Affairs are so one sided and putting party before people… Talking about all these millions but how much of it circulated within the Territory? More than half went on consultants and the other half went to outside contractors and only 13 Kalinago men worked as labourers. 10 of them worked on the Horse Backridge road an 3 still working on the resource center in St Cyr. Re the houses,the people who worked on the Venezuelan houses are the same one who were contracted again and they all had their same crew both times and they all were red. So tell me!!!
Graneau leave chief a lone. Take your swipper to Da’s puppet master. Teach him to do hard work: swipe, till the land and how to plant ladies yam and yam jaune. He talks too much cabbage and christophene.
It is plane to see that Layba is also working in the Salybia constuency too. The chiff is rolling with the UWP, so he will keep putting weges in the wheel to make things look otherwise.
Graneau should be ashame of himself.after ten years stop fooling the masses. The carib chief knows best.
“Some are not visible, including the component comprising human capacity….”. Hon. Ashton Graneau, can you kindly expound on that please? $8.6-million has been “spent”. $1.9-million and $1.8-million. As the Minister of Carib Affairs you MUST have at your disposal as (or on what EXACTLY) the remaining $4.9-million. In the absence of listed accountability, can you really chastise the Chief in totality?
That Chief not Easy!!!
Chief you built a hotel or guest House about 10 years ago under the same Labour Party. What is that? Employment creation and poverty reduction – putting money into others pockets.
One of your daughters within the last ten years under Labour Party studied law and works in the Ministry of Legal Affairs. What is that? People Development!!!
Another child of yours within the last ten years is a pilot working with Liat. What is that Chief?
Almost 100 young persons from the Kalinago Territory have attended the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus in Barbados and the St. Augustine Campus in Trinidad within the last 10 years including the present deputy leader of the UWP!!!! Ah Magway Sa !!! Mechastay
Are you saying that the former Chief did nothing in the last three years too?
You have been getting away with a lot of foolish talk and somehow convince yourself that is leadership. That cheap psychology and politics will not always work. Chief Garnet Joseph will always be a bigger man than you
The carib chief just won a landslide election and i believe he ran on the platform that the government has not been doin anything for the territory.. so mr graneau u got some catching up to do.
Weeee bon dooo….Skerritt send Graneau n blast d Chief… N I quote” go n put that bastard chief straight, dam lazy , incompetent un ambitious tick of a parl rep”.lolololol. But seriously Chief make skerro vex Graneau was sent to respond…thats all peps. Graneau just hv to constantly prove his loyalty even if he must bring down his own….All hail the KING…. LONG LIVE THE KING.
Great Graneau Great some people have a way of deliberately blending their eyes to push their wicked points. Great Graneau great u are right on track.
Graneau u have guts my friend are u seriously counting a few projects in 10 years and think that’s the most ure people deserve, and why is before every election you and the dlp find it fit to do development, u think the people of my Country foolish sir, no they are not and our Kalinago folks should be treated better.
dat is so true…and 2 Mr.Graneau, wat about ATtkinson and Antrizle dat have received ntn frm d DLP for the past 10 years?
How dare you take credit for projects that were not your idea in the first place…they’re not even funded by the govt.
Government cannot and must not be the sole financier. Government is not a bank. Stop shifting the goal post!
@Peepting Tom u make international news
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=r_WOrmaphFw
Yes Mr. MP or could we say as Mr. Politician .In .Government is that the way to skillfully appose the opinion (only a stated opinion with no substantive data to prove the contrary!!) of the Kalinago Chief .. “Tell him he is lying.” Where is the political wit and craftiness in your rebuttal to the Chief’s comments… if only he can prove you wrong.
How does one rebut a statement that cannot be proven? The Chief, in his usual loose-mouthed manner, has uttered a statemnet that he has not substantiated. How can anyone rebut an argument that does not exist?
That’s what dirty politics does. Put the kalinago brothers at war with each other. The masters of the resources are laughing. What a shame! At the end the people are still poor and need toilets.
What’s wrong with these no class DLP bunch? These guys are crude, rude, disrespectful and down right stupid.
They have really brought Dominica to its lowest.
In the presence of the Chinese ambassador how can Ashton ask the Carib people to disrespect the Carib Chief.
My God please deliver Dominica from this bunch of vagabonds because if we believe it is bad now, just give them 5 more years.
I’m totally disgusted.
US Congressman “Joe” Wilson called President Barack Obama a liar on live prime time TV during a joint session of Congress. The President had his speech interrupted when the Congressman shouted “you lie”. How classy? Only in DA!
Carib Chief didn’t come. As a matter of fact HE snubbed the Chinese.
15 years and that’s all you can boast about graneau? surely more could have been done in almost 2 decades
too little, too late.
Mr. Graneau And Mr. Charles you are two men that should definitely not be fighting but working closely together not just for the development of the Kalinago people but for all Dominica. Look at the Larger picture. Gentlemen just leave the politics out and work for the development of our people. I know both of you well and you are very brilliant men that can and have accomplished much for our people in the past years even when you were very young Adults. So Gentlemen don’t fight; work together; you are not even competing for a seat. God’s Guidance and direction to you both.
my friend am happy you say that i spent some years up there and there was never all this problem from the time this DLP came in to government thay have familys fighting with familys thay need to stop that i had some very nice years living up there when it was the DFP it was better we all know how good the DLP take familys happiness away from them now its up to this two guys to think about there people and stop that work with any and all Government that is there for the good of there familys GOD bless you all am from Roseau but i have lots of friends up there
Love this sentiment, which should be applied to the whole of Dominica. Leave the divisive politics out of it and work together for the benefit of Dominica.