Unemployment, the decline in the productive sector and the state of the city of Roseau, are some of the matters that concern the United Workers Party (UWP) as Dominica prepares for the presentation of the national budget by the government.
The UWP will hold a meeting on Thursday in Pottersville, at the foot of Federation Drive, to discuss some of these concerns, Roseau MP, Norris Prevost has said.
“The UWP will be speaking to these very serious issues, and will be informing Dominicans of some of the UWP plans and programs for creating jobs and growth in the Dominican Economy, reducing the cost of living, as well as UWP plans for preserving the Nature Island,” Prevost said.
Prevost said unemployment, which according to him, has hit every town and village in Dominica, is a huge concern for the party. “The worst hit are our young people, many hundreds of whom are graduating from high schools, college and university with their diplomas and degrees,” he said.
He noted that the UWP is “deeply concerned” about the decline of the productive sectors such as tourism and agriculture. He pointed to what he described as “the run down conditions” of Roseau “from Fond Cole to Kinghill,” and the poor conditions of playing fields on the island.
The MP further pointed out that “the very high cost of living which Dominicans are facing” is of extreme concern.
“It is our hope that Government will take some of these UWP ideas into the budget, especially the job creation ideas, so that our young people and other unemployed Dominicans can get jobs,” Prevost stated.
He also pointed out that although the financial year ended on June 30, “neither the Prime Minister nor the Speaker of the House has yet informed the Opposition of the exact date the Budget will be presented to Parliament.”
Speakers at the meeting are expected to include UWP Parliamentarians, Senator Danny Lugay, Member for Marigot and UWP Political Leader Edison James, Member for Roseau Central Norris Prevost, Member for Salisbury and Leader of the Opposition, Hector (Spags) John, Senator Ronnie Isidore, Senator Ron Green, Senator Ezekiel Basil, among others.
There is speculation that the budget date will be revealed before the end of this week.
He pointed to what he described as “the run down conditions” of Roseau “from Fond Cole to Kinghill,”
The streets in these areas were paved with gold in the time of the UWP ? The answer is no. I am urging the public to take a drive up to Fond Cole, almost all the inner roads have been concreted.Looking at Fond Cole as you drive past the Deep Water Port, tell us what you see.
Am willing to meet the cost of new glasses for Mr Prevost ?
Let Freedom Reign
Is it all we do everyday,talk politics? Dominica is by far doing better than fne rest. In Antigua and st Lucia rent is CD 1500.00 a month , electricity xcd1000.00 a month vat on food went up. International airports cannot be maintained. Roads to hotels are dilapidated. These countries are now following Dominicas footsteps to try and develop themselves. You all must travel and see miser and hard time.one can live in dominica with little than any other in the region.we never hungry because the almighty created an environment to feed us. We need to go back in agriculture , not government but the people because we depend on government for everything be independent and stop chatting pray for your could try not against your fellow man and we will be blessed.
BREAKING THE LOUD SILENCE ON THE UPCOMING 2013/2014 BUDGET
The silence prior to the 2013/2014 budget is deafening and this should be of tremendous concern to all Dominicans -as it is to the people of the Roseau Valley and the UWP.
We support the efforts of the UWP, DFP and the usual suspects on Q95 FM to discuss the very serious issues confronting the country. The UWP must keep showcasing its plans and programs for creating jobs and to rebuild the dying and almost extinct Dominican economy.
We recall that on page 3 of the 2012/2013 budget presentation, the PM stated in his usual arrogance; “Madam Speaker, we hear noises from Opposition quarters in the lead up to the budget; setting forth what ought to be contained therein. But what is more laughable, Madam Speaker, is that they are armed with the same ideas and suggestions they could not implement when they were in office.”
Well, we must keep making noises to ensure that the DLP is not given another opportunity to destroy our country by recycling its same failed ideas and plans. Since the PM would like to convince himself that all the answers for our economic prosperity reside in his youthful head, it is hoped that in the 2013/2014 budget he will provide honest updates of the status of the economy- void of the undue self pity and noises of the impact of the “global economic crisis” and “turbulent global economic flood waters”
We have already heard of the “No new taxes” chant. That is encouraging. But we need to know whether the government’s revenue decreased or increased in the last budget period (grants not included. We hear that some people have not been paying outstanding taxes but the PM must tell us all who are not paying taxes (besides Linton). Are there any business enterprises in that category?
We want clear information with regard to the current account. Do we still have a surplus or are we operating a national deficit? Most likely the latter, therefore how do we plan to come out of this situation? What about our overall balance of payments/balance of trade situations? Is the current expenditure within budgeted limits? These are the noises we want to make.
Respectfully
Roseau Valley
STATUS OF THE RESPECTIVE SECTORS
According to the PM in his 2012/2013 budget presentation
– “the banana subsector is expected to grow by 1.7% and other crops by 5%. Did they really Mr. PM?
– “The Tourism sector is expected to grow by 1.9 %- Did it Mr. PM?
– Construction: “Projections suggest continuing growth in that sector.” Did it, Mr. PM?
– “Education is expected to expand by about 4.3%”
Did it, Mr. PM?
– “Financial intermediation: “Projection envisage a further expansion in the sector as a whole with an anticipated growth of 2.6%.” Did it, Mr. PM?
Respectfully
Roseau Valley
OH! THE NATIONAL DEBT!!!!
The national debt was about 900 M in 2012. Would the PM tell us what is our real debt situation to date, including the full Petro Caribe debt and the Morocco Hotel project debt (which is not a grant). What is the real debt to GDP ratio, Sir? What are we using the increasing debt for? What measures are we putting in place to stimulate growth in the economy to repaying this increasing, unsustainable national debt?
As the PM and the Roseau Valley Parl. Rep will not tell us the truth, the initiative of the UWP –the next government of Dominica, to discuss these issues and to highlight the imperative of an international airport are welcome.
Respectfully
Roseau Valley
I hope all of you who are blanjaying on here will show your yourself at the UWP meeting….you all like to hide behind the computer and blancjay, blancjay and when it time to show yourself, you all afraid of showing your face claiming fear of victimization…they can victimize me if they want, is Potterville I going tomorrow night
Let’s see if UWP finally stop attacking Skerro and focus on what they have to offer and can do better.
They have always had a lot to offer. think that the members of the UWP are smarter, less corrupt, more patriotic and these are the things that makes the difference.
THIS GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN A FAILURE!
By stop attacking I guess you mean that they should not talk about the wrong thing which skerritt himself is engaged in
Dominican need a FARMER FRIENDLY GOVERNMENT. if you dont use it you will lose it, GOD bless us with the conditions to prosper.but agents of satan, with their influence, has told us agriculture is a has been, what a crazy thought,this same ex minister, who join the cabinet, only to feather his nest, is busy flooding the nation with junk foods, k f c and other outlets even now importing vegtables DOMINICAS wake up now or never
we need a change …you never leave on government in power for too long. they get to comfortable. lets try the UWP and if they fail we kick them out. let us put country first, not party. UWP need to get some young Bloods.. educated people to run the party.
I hope Dominicans are realizing what is happen . We cant afford to let these labour party keep ruling they a shoving Dominica into more financial debt they are just taking loans to develop the infrastructure but what about creating jobs, investing in the human resource, increasing countries production sector, exporting more by investing in agriculture !!!!! take a stance pple stop vote labour in all the politicians are too busy getting rich on poor peoples expense to even care about all the unemployed youth who are finding themselves in drugs and crimes … all the governement is investing in is tourisn but tourism is dead half of the year how are we ever gonna pay back those million dollar loans ???? CHANGE IS NOT AN OPTION ITS A MUST
Not only that, but it is the high rate of poverty that they have created on island. They seem to be all lost/at bay as to what the country needs to propel it.
While all these things are happening they are both rich and greedy.
The UWPwe will do better with their Manifesto still on the line hanging out? Up to this date I do not know what are their plans. They had promised the farmers $1.00 for a lb. of banana, what happened to that
When and if they win the next election, they are going to shake the monies from the trees to create jobs and ecsential services for the DA people. There’s a global economy all over the world. I can say Dominicans are living sweet compared to the outside world.People don’t hear Dominicans loosing their houses or loosing their jobs . As far as I can see and what I’m hearing, DA economy is booming in comparism to the USA
Change is an option;Labour is a must this coming election!
It’s easier said than done Mr.Prevost.Election coming so your talk is like honey to catch a fly!
I don’t want to have my salary deducted by UWP and not a bit going to SS then Edison james will say is there was no money in the treasury when we came in office for there will be another increase in SS benifits so Edison and your worthless crue take a step back please and see DA grow
You cannot be serious. You seeing your way now? Under Labour SS age of pension increased, public servants can’t even get 1.5% raise, cost of living gone up…. Well allu people really not easy. Anything but this present administration
See DA grow? How so? You live in DA? Dominica is the brokest and most indebted its ever been in the history of this island.
LABOUR MUST GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For any change to happen in Dominica it must start with the people. Dominicans have lost their Values. Please step back for a while and look. See how the people live their daily lives. I don’t want to sound stereotypical as there are those who will understand. I am not a supporter of any political party but to many times we blame every single thing that go wrong on the government of the country . We are reluctant in paying taxes and want everything for free. How can the Nation Survive. Our people needs to be educated first before Dominica moves on. We must think as a people of the third world and let go of our backward minded thinking.I don’t live here but visit very often. I see development in the Country infrastructurly. How ever we are larking human development and in most areas we can’t get that from the government.For example while on holiday I visited 4 local stores one of them owned by a Chinese man. And it must be a joke but I only receive the kind of service that I was looking for from the Chinese man. I only wanted a Red T Shirt as I did not pack one. One of the stores I could not believe that the young lady (Attendant ) treated me with so much disrespect I really wonder what was I doing in there. You might think that I stray a little bit from the whole point but again personal development be it in service or what ever but we have a long way to go. Just step back and take a good look Dominica.
that is true but how can the people develop in mentality when their not avenue for them to develop .. most of Dominicans cant afford to go to collge and if you on your own want to pay your way through theirs no jobs available .. also when your done with college its so hard to save up to go and study further for a hihger degree when the salary is so low am not making excuses for the people but its just the fact maybe if the government was investing more in the countries human resource providing them with training … making education more accessible and jobs more readily available then the people would be wiser … HOWEVER ITS TRUE THE PEOPLE ARE TO BLAME CAUSE THEY VOTE THE GOVERNMENT IN THE FIRST PLACE !
once the people can perform let them work. what age yuo all talikng about. what age is the pope? what age was Mendela? you all so stupide let tony keep u all in bondage. they know eddison can change things around for us so that they will fool us so they afraid. come on let is ‘saw’ them out Workers!
Ki oui lay qui oui palay nous ca ba yo Labour!
I Have been wondering when is it that UWP would stop making the issues petty and personal ,these are the real issues,and i look forward to hearing your side.The economy is terribly and as one who has gone to all the educational channels and yet have difficulty buy snack in town ,i look forward to hearing what you have to say if anything.
Was it better under the UWP? I can remember having to wait six weeks to get my salary of $1,500.00 under the UWP reign, so please tell me what is better, getting a salary by the 26th or 28th of the Month or having to wait 45 days before you can get a salary. Dominicans seems to forget those times but I won’t.
@ Civil Servant yES IT WAS 1000 0000 000 000 000 000 BETTER unefer uwp. HIGHER EMPLOYMENT RATE,LESS DEBT, more basic medical needs were at our main hospital(PMH), less greedines by members of the government,free school books, money in peoples pockets. There was hope for farmers, those in tourism, we would have had our international airport long time.
The leaders under UWP were not arrogant, greedy, incompetent and insultive.
LESS BOBOL,less feathering of nests.
It WAS 1000 000 000 000 000% BETTER.
THE ELECTORATE NEED TO KICK OUT THIS GOVERNMENT AS FAR AS POSSIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Vote hector john lennox matt in the morning and blessings
%, You must be talking about the St.Lucia UWP because I have no recollection of what you are talking about, and btw, the world wasn’t in the economic crisis which are experiencing now. Unfortunately for you, most Dominicans are satisfied with the direction the country is heading although we must admit there is much left to be done. Other than talk and more talk, the UWP has nothing to offer the people of DA. We need viable opposition, end of story.
Qui oui lay qui oui palay nous ca vote labour in again!
No it was not; but it was better under the Dominica Freedom Party. The time has come for a re-birth of the DFP. As a fredomite, I voted the DLP because the DFP was going into a self-inflicted political exile. But now, the time has come! For good governance, vote Freedom. For accountability, vote freedom. For renewed prosperity, vote Freedom. For progress, development and a better tomorrow, Vote Freedom
Where a the members of the Freedom Party?
I teach in a supposedly “poor” area of Dominica. I have a parent who will not send her children to school because things are tight. But she already have a z10, on the other hand a parent who has an 8 to 4 job and sells about $700.00 worth of farm produce weekly. Unemployment is in the mind of our people
Dominicans just want to remain poor they must vote back labour and thats skirret them plan to keep people poor so that people will stay dependent on them and come and beg in the red clinic for a little money or a little wooden house . They dont want jobs to work for themselves and build their houses for themselves
Change is not an option its a must ! Dominicans needs to open up their blind eyes …. whole labour party and their friends getting rich while the people stay poor they can only afford to raise teachers salary 1% but they building extravagant shop for their woman yep i said it go ahead an dislike it
Dominica is not alone. It is a world issue, unemployment every where
stop make excuses !!! every where has unemployment but not everywhere its as high as 23% in the us its 7.6, in uk its 7.7, in antigua its 11% , In st.lucia its 14 % so why should dominica own be double another caribbean country rates .stop make excuses change is no longer an option its a must !
dominica is not alone but its only in Dominica the unemployment rate is 23% thats very high for a country with a population of 70000 and the labour force is only 23000 people
Remember the 23% should not include school children, retirees and other senior citizens. So if we ask the illegible working population about employment status you will find more like 52%. let the department of statistics reveal the truth but then again the government has a strangled hold on all the departments that depend on the government for a pay check .
I didn’t vote for a government to address unemployment EVERYWHERE! I voted for them to address unemployment HERE!
I am not so naive as to believe that what happens in the outside world (particularly the developed countries) does not impacts our ability to do a number of things. Still, we need to develop an employment plan that takes into account those external challenges. That’s what it means to govern.
I like your post, Just Saying. That, to me, is the crux of the matter. A leader’s ability to devise a means for lifting his/her people’s hopes and fortunes – economic first, and most other things will fall into place.
This government, led by Mr. Skeritt, continues to demonstrate that they are in over their heads. Not a clue about how to raise our economic chances, never mind the crippling economic downturn the world has seen in the last 5-8 years. You still have to deliver.
At the very least, articulate a home-grown plan to jump-start the flagging economy. To do that, the man has to stay home long enough and purposefully dialogue with the broadest cross section of the business class on strategies to resurrect the flailing business sector.
It astounds me that, in the face of protracted non-performance on the economy, these fellas continue to fritter away untold sums on travel abroad in search of crumbs. Always at the behest of some other country’s largesse. Is as if the Administration is bereft of imagination. Is the only thing that will save us in this dispensation: we have to rally together and think, plan and self-manage ourselves out of this economic malaise.
To my mind, not until we’ve put together a comprehensive, well-thoughtout plan, should we seek technical help in assisting us with implementation.
Stay home, Mr. Skeritt, and do the peoples work. From the ground up.
Well said and I agree with you we as Dominicans we have to stop comparing ourselves with other larger and much better off Countries/islands let us try to clean up our back yard instead of driffing away from the issues at hand, ask yourself is unemployment a high priority and I hope you believe it is begging is embarrassing one looses their pride and dignity so wake up folks because you have the answer in your hand.
thats not an excuse for true cause employment rate in the us is 7.7% in uk 7.6% in antigua its 11% in st.lucia its 14% so why should Dominica own be double another caribbean island rate is that too much
Eddoe and Prevo, it time to hand over the leadership of the party. You are so disconnected from the youth, in Dominica, in so many ways.
Claudius is dynamic, but alas he cannot win his seat.
lol he cant win his seat because when he speaks about Economics and development them caribs dont understand but when labour give them a free wooden house and some free stuff that wont even last untill the next elections thats what they understand .
How dare you insult the Carib people. As a Dominican, i take great offense to your venom. These people are contributing immensely to the development of Dominica. You are causing more harm than good to Mr. Sanford. Please respect the Kalinago people. One Love!
No disrespect to the Carib people but for many of them who vote, its true.
Stop your crap about Cladius cannot win his seat. You believe it’s every time that Skerrit and his gang will fool the Kalinago people? Think again.
I’s time we get away from this age issue I live in a country where men get into power who are up in age and they are doing well so D’icans have to stop looking for matters that are really not important look for what the person can do for the island one who listen to it’s people and who believe that our island is important to save from futher distruction
Claudius just have to work harder and you should help him but that does not mean because the olders men/women are in the party prevents him from being elected you believe in him then help to make sure he get’s ellected and remember a politician is for all ages and their interest in bring back DA to a better standing has nothing to do with younger/older person it have to do with all of us
I’m not a supporter of either partys I just want my people and my island to be in a much better standing because I love my homeland dont you !
Eddoe, Prevo. Its time to go. You are so disconnected from the youth in Dominica, in so many important ways.
And who is? Skerro?? Quite frankly I see a disconnect on both sides.
A budget based on recycled VAT revenue can never be sustainable. Change is a must.
Exactement!! Depending on recycled VAT and Sales of Passport will eventually fail when more caribbean competitors come on the scene..BEWARE!
Something needs to be done in Dominica we cant go to school for 18 years finish college than have to wait another year to finally get a job the only pays 1200 by the time you subtract you expenses 400 rent 200 for light 200 for cable internet and phone and 100 for passage and 300 for food what are you left with nothing …. gosh hope Dominicans dont vote back labour 13 years of hardship is enough ..Dominicans need to stand for their country make a change we need one
way to go start the ball ROLLING
cost of living is sky high and salaries are soo low
Amen praise God is time some one stand up about this nonsense labour is only building infrastructure and not the economy or jobs or the future we need a change UWP please continue to step up the youth cant stay unemployment like this .. the country is too hard 23% unemployment rate an the labour is only 23000 what a shame! labour needs to go they do not have a good strategic plan
Bravo,bravo, United Workers Party,CHANGE IS NOT AN OPTION,IT IS A MUST.You forgot to mention the most dynamic young politician in Dominica today from kalinago Country,Mr. Claudius Sanford.