Political Leader of the United Workers Party Edison James says Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit needs to be honest about the real reasons why Dominica severed ties with Taiwan in 2004.
Prime Minister Skerrit declared recently that when struggling with an IMF (International Monetary Fund) programme, Dominica begged Taiwan for help, but to no avail.
This he says was one of the fundamental reasons for ending the Dominica/Taiwan relationship.
However James told a press conference that he was under the impression that it was because of ideological considerations.
“I figured that was the way to go because the majority of the countries of the world saw China as the main country and Taiwan as the province. I thought that was the reason because that’s what he gave at the time. To come now and say it was because Taiwan was not willing to help is a major revelation. I don’t know why Taiwan was not willing to help when Taiwan is in several other countries. I don’t know why is only in Dominica that would sever because Taiwan was not willing to help,” he said.
James said the Taiwanese government has helped Dominica in several aspects of the economy.
He said Taiwan made available US$20-million for the construction of an international airport – US$10-million in grants and US$10-million soft loan – and provided assistance for several road projects on the island.
However, Prime Minister Skerrit has insisted that compared to Dominica’s 21-year relationship with Taiwan, this country’s 8 year tie with Beijing has been “vastly more beneficial to Dominica”.
Major projects being undertaking with Chinese funding (loans and grants) include the West Coast Road project(from Roseau to Portsmouth), the Windsor Park Stadium, and ongoing projects including the $27 million state house and the modern “state-of-the-art” State College.
I am a not Dominican. But love to invest and move there to live it looks great. But for me to do so I would like to know more about the policies of the land. If china is giving aid to the country. what are they getting back in return? Nowhere do I see this information. I am just seeing and hearing the one sided flow of money. I am aware how china do business with others. My grandparents are Chinese. So I am not hating on them. Just got to know what I am looking to move to for the country in now live in.
Look at the big picture folks look at it. It may cost you in the end like other Caribbean countries.
You want answers to questions you already know!!!!
EDO you like the ash after you burn some coal,we are tired of you digging in the past to confuse the future.Dominicans dont need your past memories.we are looking to the future,aite.
Since in the days of Freedom Parrty we hearing about Tiwan and we saw nothing but pron farm corn planting,little chick starter help that did nothing for Dominica.Now since the Wise and ambisous PRIME MINISTES broke that stupidness with the cwas we got we can see a diffrence in Aid Eddison are you blind you oppsoe the west coast road it became a reality, state colledge a reality,sports stadium,State house, hospital,Bridge,and the list goes on,thanks God for China Thanks God for Skerrit,dont u know that Dominica fed up with all the Gabage you and Lenox and Mat and the rest talking day after day we see all you as a bunch of UNPRODUCTIVE LAZY WASTE OF TIME,GREEDY SELFISH HATERS OF DOMINICA,THAT PARTY WILL NEVER RETURN TO GOVERNMENT.Not in this life time so relax 69 year old boy and grow up and know that you will never be Prime minister again.you are real tired.and need to check a Doctor for your madness.LEAVE CHINA AND SKERRIT ALONE LET THEM BUILD DOMINICA NOTHING THAT IS DONE HERE CANT GO BACK TO CHINA,IT IS OURS.YOUR DUNCE CART.
All these projects are being undertaken, infrastructure is booming ( aesthetics), but the little construction workers I remember back home have not benefited or improved their life off these projects. The place will look beautiful, and improved which is what skerrit is aiming for…but the circulation of money in the ( little man’s) pocket is grim. Show and tell. I am not going to deny this, presentation goes a long way but within that presentation if there is no mechanics what good is that. Put the locals to work…it’s not about turning about turning around years from now to say I did this and I did that…it’s about looking at the little man from Newtown or Mahaut and smiling at what these project did for him and his family. Bless
skerro selling de whole place under ally noses. all those projects that taking place are just fronts, the bigger things are happening without all you knowledg. just wait. de bomb must burst one day and by then it will be too late. but skerro and his boys will be laughing all the way to the bank but those sheep that following him will be eaten by the wolf. all you will suck salt.
There’s no Taiwan and Dominica relationship or Beijing and Dominica relationship, there’s only a China_ Dominica relationship and that’s that. Although Taiwan has their individual governing body however this body is still a fragment of the whole, which is mainland china so though Dominica has claimed to be in a relationship with Taiwan for many years both directly and indirectly it has been in a relationship with China. End of story!
and he brain wash Dominicans just by saying that.think Dominicans think
excuse me mister james i may not be as smart as you but common sense serves me just right,you said that, he said this was one,let me emphasize one of the fundamental reasons why he dropped taiwan,so you looking at another reason does say that he does not have more than one reason,all i see he did not chose to disclose all the fundermental reasons,he chose to disclose part of what he wanted put out there,i see nothing wrong in that,what are trying to say is that he is lying,you are disclosing that dominica recieved monies to build an international airport,but not giving any information as to where the money went or what it was used for,but anyway moving along, did’nt long before skerrits administration and which of course your party lead government was in control,was’nt there lands purchased and plans to build an international airport already in place,why did not your administration pursue or completed the venture,could’nt the government under your control uproached countries like the same taiwan for monies to at least get the project of the ground,this airport talk been around for so long,lands were purchased,engineers had already looked at place,man james it’s a shame that you guys would raise that subject right now when you all where already in the driver seat and could have done so,man james if you chose to play opposition politics instead of trying to help eleviate peoples lives in dominica,it’s all on you,everyone goes to the grave one day to be eaten by worms,which gets eaten by birds which we feed on,life’s a circle do what is good,unite and help build our country,so you will be rememberd for doing good.
huh !!!!. Let me drink two pwev to understand what you are saying cause that sound like drunken rationale to me.
Maybe I am too tired and hungry from the misery in Dominica. huuuuh! belch
Mr. James you are a smart man…but i don’t get the point of this one nuh….we are seeing work with China happening, i understand maybe you feel that the PM is not honest or was not honest about the move from Taiwan to China but that’s neither here nor there cause work is happening. give jack his jacket and find something else to bring up to help us to work on developing the country even more.
I really kick back and wonder if the members of uwp read comments coming off the Internet. If they really try to identify who their supporters are and what their main objective or party motor should be. You cannot tell me that after all this time slandering of one man is still going on. Yet, the man is as popular or arguably more popular than before. Sort of like free promo from the opposition. You really mean, that after all this time, uwp cannot put a long term plan in place for the development of the country and show people what they intend to do if they win an election? What is the plan to build Dominica should you win an election mr James? We seeing what labour doing, you all not happy about it, ok. Then show us your road map, show and tell us how you would get the funds, and then you might gain support. Till then, waste!
Find some current issues to address please. Let that go Mr.James.
EDDO JUST LIKE THOSE REPUBLICANS IN AMERICAN, JUST GRASPING FOR ANYTHING REASON TO CRITIZE THE COMMANDER AND CHIEF….GIVE IT A REST MR. EDDISON.
Are you saying he is a Tea Party Member
This is an issue why? Grenada is now under threat by the Taiwanese who wants to cease their airport.
The action of Taiwan re the Grenada issue is unfortunate but tell me, which one of you would be happy to extend favours to a friend and have that friend cut all communication with you for no reason? As soverign states in our own rights we should not allow anyone to tell us who should or shouldn’t be our friends. The same way we castigated the U.S for trying to dictate to us who our friends should be, we should also show that same passion in defending our right to have relations with Taiwan if we so choose.
$27million dollars projects well atlease the government and the chinese can give the local man a job even if is to clean up after them…:-(
Eddo,
Garcon, this is just too much comedy in Dominica.
We are very much indebted to China after 8 years. Even while they have taken over all business in Roseau, we are very much indebted to them.
27 Million LOAN – State Palace
College – MORE LOAN
Then sometime in 2010 we heard of a 100 Million LOAN, which I suspect was payback for the West Coast Road and Stadium that they claimed were FREE.
These fellas will continue to do that to Dominica and Dominicans because people don’t read, they don’t take notes, they don’t connect the dots. They are all caught up in the psychology, tricks and catch phrases.Pretty soon the DLP will manufacture a catch phrase to deal with this Taiwan/China question and they will all go around repeating it. No one takes time off to ask their self some serious questions.
They have already started to post their illiterate and ignorant nonesense.
A set of mahjee
You so bright and read so much, how comes you doh know the $100M dollar loan from China is what funding the State house project, the College, and Apartment buildings for single parents?
You so well inform how comes you don’t know that this loan is on very concessionary terms,in fact you should have read the terms, which is 2% interest pa with a 15 year grace period, so Dominica will commence paying that loan after 15 years. You should have also read that the great USA owes Communist China over $13T (Trillion).
Now Mahjee tell us what was so bad in going with China? The 4 pillar project as earlier stated by the PM is proving to be true… the west coast road, the grammar school the stadium and now the hospital…..
Boss man pah try sah.
First of all there is no way the new state house will cost 27 Million dollars. That’s an overstated figure where the other monies going elsewhere.
Secondly, if you subtract the cost of the new college and the apartments this leaves us with a huge excess.
So doh come here trying to call people mahjee for letting people know that this 100 million loan is inclusive of PAYBACK to china for things which were supposed to be FREE.
Alot of people don’t know better, but alot of people know better!
Wheel and come again.
Your comment about USA and China, out of context, off topic. Just another catch phrase from the labour kitchen to side track people and justify none sense.
All the way with China
All the way to hell upside down!!!
YES in a hand basket!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THATS SO YOU MR JAMES, BELLY ACHING LIKE A CRY BABY. BUT JUST TELL US, HONESTLY WAS THE MOVE GOOD OR BAD?
YOU WANT YOUR TAIWAN, SO STAY WITH YOUR TAIWAN AND TAKE WHAT YOU GETTING. ONE THING WE KNOW YOU CANNOT BRING DA BACK THERE BCAUSE, ACCORDING TO THE GOOD BOOK IT IS EASIER FOR A CAMEL TO GO THRU THE EYE OF A NEEDLE THAN FOR UWP TO REGAIN THE REINS OF POWER HERE IN DA
Stuuuupppeees!
No statement in public solidarity of young lady who was ill recently.
No statement in public solidarity on crime and masked robberies on island.
No statement in public solidarity on tourists raped and battered with guns and knives.
But statement on Taiwain. Selfish!!
So Eddo tell us what you think, was it a good move or bad move?? To us that is the most important thing we need to know, if it was bad in your opinion why was it bad etc…
Stop that stupid narrow politics, raise the bar a little whatever the reason Skerrit gave for moving is irrelevant, what is relevant is whether the move was good or bad!!!
we not going backward (2004) we going forward. Tawian not there so what, we with the china.
Eddo…give this a rest. I am not affiliated with any party and indeed the Chineses are more forth coming with assistance than the Taiwanese did. Anyone can see this is so.
So can you share some light as to what happened to this $10 million which was given/loaned/donated for building the airport. As the opposition you should have direct info on this.
And finally, can you give us an update on what progress has been made on addressing the loop-hole in the constitution, that allowed the Prime Minister and a few others, to contest elections whilst holding nationality of another country. What progress has the opposition made in championing this amendment to parliament.
OHHHHHHHHHH for goodness sake, you are in opposition , show us what you are doing or going to do to pull up the country or turn it around to what you all want it to be , these things have already passed. let us know what UWP is going to do to make a difference. So people can vote for you all if you all want to get back into Government we already know what Labour Party doing or no doing. Geese man
These guys don’t believe in building the country, all they are interested in is tearing it down. Why does’nt he find a way to work with the PM in order to find ways of bettering the country. Instead he is wasting his energy on things that does not matter. Work collectively! Lets get rid of those self interests. Dominicans!!!!
What a disgrace, are you living in DA? I don’t think so.
Please explain. Why are you so perturbed?
When you get back into power that’s if you ever do, we will listen to your vision of the truth for now we have to put up with the puppet master version of the truth,
All of this is due to the infighting and poor leadership skills within the party. These past months have put us in a state of dismal disappointment in the leadership skills of one of the party representatives, his poor leadership skill cause you to be where you are right now, having to gather up the pieces from a fragmented party. Mr. James if it wasn’t for your monopoly on the leader front and the two mistakes that you put forward in Mr. Green and Hector John with their bickering on several topic that never really caught the nation interest due to their constant fluctuation on those topic, and their inability to offer solutions left us dishearten and disappointing in the party that once was.
There is great need for an inoculation of a fresh vision and new mission statement for the party
You know the verse Mr. James” You just can’t put new wine in an old wine skin…”
Eddie u gettin worse with age ehh
eddo take that to the grenadians, taiwan wants the airport back
RON RAINBOW, only time will tell lets wait to see what the chinese will want back from DA.
Did you say $20 million for an international airport? Please tell us you are missing a zero in the 20 million.
Suriname is doing something similar with US$20 million……..go figure……..inform urself man
Do your research on the cost of a runway then come back and post where in the world you can build an airport with $20 million dollars………not even to land kites it can be done
Stupes. According to the leader of the oppposition, Mr. James is just causing a “distraction” at the time when the public is going to celebrate another game changing development in Dominica, the E.O. Leblanc Highway.
I am sure there are a 100 more reasons, and at the time for diplomatic reasons, there would be some spin on the real issues behind the scenes.
Who cares about 10 million in grant and 10 in loan when we are now enjoying real Chinese assistance worth hundreds of millions of dollars? Just cant compare. This was one of the best strategic moves ever by a Caribbean politician, and the fact that so many other Caribbean countries followed, just reinforces that. Sorry Mr. James, find something else to make news about.
Mr. James don’t you get it?
NOBODY CARES!
Mr James = A drowning man clutching at straws…!
Really Edo, really???…..where is the MOU for that…let us see it…lol
some people really have S for brains.
what MOU for what.
Taiwan had a 21 year relationship with Dominica till 2004 UWP was in office from 1995 to 2000, go figure S for brains.
so wat the point wat u really want to know