Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar last night announced the dismissal of Minister of Justice Herbert Volney, accusing him of “serious misrepresentation” to the Cabinet in relation to a note in which he requested the early proclamation approval of Section 34 of the Administration of Justice (Indictable Proceedings) Act on August 9.
The Prime Minister said she had decided to take this course of action after holding a meeting – and receiving a written report and notes from Chief Justice (CJ) Ivor Archie, as well as Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Roger Gaspard SC on Wednesday, in the course of conducting her own inquiry into representations made by Volney to the Cabinet on August 9 that he had consulted both men on the early proclamation of Section 34.
Dominica is the only Caribbean country where the people tolerate S%#T
The only thing left is prayer.
The rest of allyou is exactly the problem with Dominica.
The majority is speaking every day. And they are saying nothing. Just like you.
This is what I thought I was reading.…but it must have been in my dreams as this would never happen in Dominica.
From: The Prime Minister of Dominica
To: The Attorney General of Dominica
As you would appreciate, all ministers and Cabinet members have a sacred duty and responsibility to the country. Clearly, you have repeatedly failed in the performance of your functions as the AG of Dominica.
In seeking to persuade the Cabinet to violate the constitution of Dominica, and to effectively suspended the supreme law by invoking the rarely used doctrine of necessity, you have once again demonstrated your lack of competence and professionalism in honoring your duty to present accurate, credible, objective, and sensible advice in the knowledge that the Cabinet would act on your assurances, machinations, invocations of doctrines, and weird legal interpretations and representations. The Cabinet of Dominica is entitled to rely and act upon your statements and interpretation of our constitutional provisions but it would seem that whenever (i.e., when) we do so, there is always some serious negative consequences.
It is absolutely no excuse that you were advised of what to say by a Senior Counsel, who is my personal legal adviser and the de facto Prime Minister. I owe my position today to him. However, you Sir are supposed to serve the government and provide proper legal advice to us. It is your advice that influenced and guided our deliberations on the issue of electing the new president.
We relied on your advice when we failed to consult with the Leader of Opposition on the acting appointments of both Mr. Carette and Mr. Carbon and in both cases the process was seriously criticized as flawed. This time, the Cabinet thinks that you have gone too far with your misleading advice to us, including the Speaker, members of parliament and the general public. Now, the entire world is laughing at us in shame and disappointment –except for our loyal supporters who would accept any excuse from us even if we give foolish, red herring advice.
In reliance upon your assurances regarding the legality of the process adopted in electing a new president, we have once again succeeded in angering the Dominica public, who I admit are scared of us but now secretly considers me to be a terrible leader. Some have even publicly referred to me as a dictator, who ought to be out of office. I cannot risk this eventuality; therefore, we regret that you must be fired with immediate effect.
Sincerely
Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit
[PS…there is so much more I need to tell you as I am so pissed with your red herring advice]…..
I wish to remind you Sir that you had a solemn duty to faithfully and accurately interpret the provisions of the Laws of the Commonwealth of Dominica and to make well researched and informed representations of your position “whenever”- ( I mean when) you advised the Cabinet. As stated above, you failed to do so on every occasion and the Cabinet could no longer rely on your assurances in good faith. Your failure to do so was seen as a serious misrepresentation that amounted to knowingly failing to disclose relevant facts to the Cabinet, which effectively prevented it from making an informed decision.
My government discussed your sub-standard legal advice in light of the widespread criticisms but rather than standing behind your very advice, you went on the radio criticizing my letter to the Speaker as a red herring. I recall specifically asking you whether the process adopted for the election of our new president was constitutional and you advised that nothing was unconstitutional in what you had proposed. Obviously, you were once again so very wrong in your advice.
I specifically inquired of you whether we need to strictly adhere to the provisions of the constitution and in particular the procedure outlined in Section 19 and 119 of the constitution. I also raised the possibility of Section 28 with you but you insisted that there was nothing unconstitutional about what you had proposed as long as we invoke the doctrine of necessity. I then referred you to the provisions of Section 58 but you simply advised me that all will be okay under Section 22(5) as long as we could successfully ignore Section 103.
You will recall that you drew my attention to Section 18 of the constitution, which states that there shall be a president whether or not the provisions of the constitution are followed in replacing the current president. Again, I mentioned that there are other similar provisions in the constitution that we have not implemented for over 31 years, You then confirmed to the Cabinet that your advice was solid and supported by several other eminent jurists and senior lawyers in the region, including my Senior Counsel.
You would appreciate Mr. Peters that the approval, by the Cabinet, of your piecemeal and repeatedly inaccurate advice was predicated and based on the assurance and understanding that there would be adequate consultation with the Leader of Opposition and that the constitution of Commonwealth of Dominica was being followed.
In light of the circumstances, I regret that just as you entered the Cabinet in controversy as British trained solicitor, I am afraid that my government can no longer rely on your inaccurate legal advice. Consequently, the government of the Commonwealth of Dominica no longer has confidence in your legal advice and we regret to advice you that your services as Attorney General of Dominica are no longer required.
We thank you for your service to the Commonwealth of Dominica. We wish you well in your future endeavours.
Your Comrade, Skerrit
I am late reading this one, but if this letter is actually from the Prime Minister to the Dominica AG, it would appear to me that the AG is highly incompetent, and should not be allowed to continue to fill the position he now holds.
The Prime minister should ultimately fire that guy!
The effectiveness of any lawyer, and the people he serves depend on his understanding, and actual interpretation of the law, according to Mr. Skerrit in that letter it seems he has recognized that the AG, is incompetent, and as a result he disseminates bad advise to the government, as such I believe any legal decisions made by him shall be wrong, and due to his incompetents, controversy shall continue to exist in the country.
Then again we are in Dominica where when someone is murdered in plain view, the murders usually walk out of court free.
The AG should be fired, or his contract rescinded forthwith!
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
I am waiting to see what will happen to Jack Warner. Then we will know who has balls and who does not have.
I am sorry that the T & T PM fired Justice Minister Volney. He probably did not give it a thought that what he did was wrong or that the T & T PM would not accept it in such a manner so as to dismiss him. She does not seem to give some ministers a break and is quick to fire them. Consider this. Eight of them have been fired since she took office. She stated that “no minister in her government was fired.” She surrounded herself in office with only her own. This should tell us much about her and the type of person she is.
I was told that she appointed only Indians or the majority are Indians in her cabinet. I got it from good source. If this is not discriminating and practicing preferential treatment, who and what is?
She is not that well-loved in T & T. Her four-year tenure will come to an end. It would be interesting to see if she will be re-elected. Hope the votes will not be rigged so that she will be re-elected.
She will do well to curb the murders which are ever-increasing in T & T. The curfew helped a bit in controlling drug trafficking but it did not decrease murders. There are some bad eggs in T & T. A Canadian retiree was murdered in Tobago. T & T is no better and by far than Dominica.
I reference this (section 34) debacle in a post earlier this week. Truth be told Volney is the fall guy but the bigger picture is Trinbagoians did not sit idle by and let the life blood of a Nation be tampered with, they pulled out copies of their Constitution and knew exactly what section of the law they tried to Hoodwink them with.
Opposition members and ruling Coalition members marched to the President’s official residence together, delivered their petitions and let it be known, The undermining of the Trinidad and Tobago Constitution will not be tolerated, it has nothing to do with politics.
Kudos to the DPP of Trinidad, who after finding out the country was Bamboozled and mislead ,he didn’t sit on his donkey but consulted with the Chief Justice and say are you seeing What I’m seeing or is it me. The Chief Justice, just sworn in by this ruling coalition, addressed the Nation and now we find Volney being sacrificed but there are more heads the people want out. Stay tuned.
Stand up for what is right and just, Country before political affiliations. Let there be meeting of the minds we are not living in a vacuum.
Here goes the Dominican illogical way of reasoning!
How can Volney be the fall guy, when Volney himself accept the fact that he made a mistake?
It is his fault why he is fired, he accepted his faith, when he admitted he made a mistake, the mistake he made favored criminals, that is a huge mistake, and he recognized that.
I read it in the Trinidad Express, it is there in black and white; in another forum I disseminated that information, I drew it to the attention of Trevor Johnson yesterday when he called me a name in the process of him railroading Volney with a steam roller.
I do not know why in Dominica our views, and comprehension of every issue are forever different from what the truth is!
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
Go back and read the article…and reread what he admits to making a mistake for.
This is how propaganda spreads. When people claim to have read something, but incorrectly quotes things they misread and misunderstood.
Dominica is not ready to take dominica to the next level. No one wants to take blame so we will blame it on the island itself. Corruption is rampant, no transparancy and no one want to DO the right thing.
Being a leader = doing what is right
Being a manager = Doing right
Political leader = forget what is right.
@ dom
The issue here is the firing of the T & T Minister of Justice. Trinidad and Dominica are two different entities. Why not stick to the issue?
Wow that female PM not joking. She has more balls than those male PMs in the Caribbean.
She practices preferential treatment. She is not all that a fair person. I would not sing her praises. You have to be living in T & T or be in contact with some T & T people to know and comprehend this.
That picture is so appropriate. He looks shocked.
Not in my Dominica! You see, we are a unique pleople like no other in the Caribbean. The corrupt politicians have successfully enslaved us mentally, bribed and bought us with crumbs. The, they pinned our our backs against the wall, blinded us in the color ‘RED” while we take blows and stay silent. Only in my Dominica.
then, they pinned our backs against the wall.
Not in my D/ca this will ever happen. You see, we are a unique people who is enslaved mentally, that when our backs are against the wall we continue to take blows and stay quiet all along, especially when we are bribed and bought for crumbs of bread etc etc.
In as much as our elected Parl Reps continue to disrespect the people, disregard the laws of the land, and despite their ineptness and poor performances, the constituents will vote them in. Only in my D/ca.
@ Anonymous
From reading some of those articles including yours. I concluded it is the other way around. Some Dominicans are disobedient, unruly, disrespectful and with hard, hateful hearts. They let their emotions and false pride get away with them. Relax, contemplate and pray to God for discernment, you will see a different picture and act and speak differently.
@ Justice & Thuth,
One of the reasons why we are where we are today, is becuse of the degree of blindness that prevents us to see the truth. And that’s the cold truth!
Skerrit should take a leaf from the book of the Prime Minister of Trinidad.The nonsense that is happening in Dominica could only happen in Dominica. At the first meeting of the house to elect a president, the AG later said that the intended letter of resignation written by the President and sent to Skerrit was a red herring letter,in other words, it was like putting wool over the head of the people.As far as he is concerned only a resignation letter from the president sent to the speaker should be recognized, yet he allowed the process of appointment of the new president to go along without consultation.The speaker told us that the meeting of the house a week later relating to appointment and swearing in of the new President was a continuation of the first meeting of the house, therefore, their was no need for consultation.
@ Doc, Love
What is past is past. Some of you make a mountain out of a molehill and a storm in a teacup, blowing everything out of proportion. Say it loud and clear. You do not support the DA PM. You support the opposition. Therefore you are prejudiced against the PM to the point of hating him. Nothing he does will be satisfactory to you. You will always criticize him as all others who support the opposition.
Can you not see through the T & T PM? Have you been reading, hearing and following the T & T News since she took office? Do you have relatives and friends in T & T who apprize of what is occurring there, the attitude of this T & T PM and their feelings about her?
I do think that PM Skerrit is much more just than she is. If you think that another Party could do better in DA, think of the one who was previously PM before Skerrit and others previous to them.
In future, you may be punished by getting a really bad PM. Wait and see. Tomorrow does not belong to you and you cannot see the future. The problem with some of you is you do not think beyond. You only think on the surface. There is no depth to your thinking. One day you may suffer for it. This is a prediction which any sensible person should know.
Mista remind me of skerrit, good thing skerro in safe Dominica bwoy!
This is what I call “the Iron Lady” – no time to negotiate – I like that – It’s all about principle.
@ Anonymous
Poor principle and impatience. She is not a nice person. It is too bad you are not enlightened to see through her and her actions, even at a distance.
While I do not like the idea of someone getting the pink slip. I like the other message which can be deduced from this. “Not because we are in power, you think you can do what you want.” It means that once hired you can be fired and it’s not an inheritance.
@ Citizen K
Under her dictatorship/domineering attitude, some people, except her own, do not stand a chance. She has projected it.
He must have thought he was in Dominica,
Mr Volney comes across as a person with a superiority complex.Very pompous ,all knowing and yet ignorant of the true picture.Sometimes it seems that he is just saying or doing stuff to make the public feel hes a hard-working minister. All fluff.no substance.
These are NOT my words. They were published on a T&T blog.
Arrogance will always come round to bite you on de ASS. Just like His Bro from the DAIC.
How unlike the other Bro at the State College.
I have listen and seen this man on trinidad and tobago parliament channel, the manner in which he refers to his opponents in such derogatory ways reminds me of the Hon Speaker of our parliament and how she treats the Official opposition, i am now left to wonder how will this Hon. Gentleman speak to his opponent now
Does’t he also reminds you of Lennox Linton, Q95 hosts and callers how they treat the Prime Minister?
@ CIA on the Watch
If you think this is the type of person he is, in your narrow-mindedness, you have overlooked that he is a politician and all politicians speak and act alike towards their opponents. One is not different from the other in this respect. This should be nothing new or exceptional to you. It appears that you have blinded your eyes and deafened your ears to what you hear and read of in DA.
You are the pot calling the kettle black. Your attitude is no different. Note what you stated about the Speaker of DA Parliament.
I have known her since we were in the same Form at the CHS and not once has she ever been indifferent to me. She is a likeable person. On one of my visits to DA I visited her. She is the same person to me, in that, respectful.
You forget that in her position she has to fulfill her obligations. Some of the opposition, if not all of them, could be disrespectful. Place yourself in her position. If you were in her position, what would you do and what would your reaction be to those who also speak discourteously? Only when people are in a position and experience what people as her have experienced, could they truly judge. Put on your thinking cap and give this a good thought.
What about the brother that was hired and fired within a month. The responses from both brothers tell an ugly tale. Condescension and arrogant
@ tommy
If you believe what you read on that T & T blog, then do not criticize what I stated and believe what I wrote. You should know what I mean.
Henry his older brother is a great Dominican who returned to develop Dominica.Mr left DA in the early 70’sHe may return to lead DFP if he can find a constituency.
People power.
Tings that cannot happen in Dominica. Toothless trade union, timid and dotish people, religious control, plantation owners in full sway.
18-3
Be patient, Dominica will get there. Afterall, the world is not stagnant.
I wonder when? Maybe when we get another woman Prime Minister or when Dominicans decide to wake up and smell the coffee.
I hope you are not a Dominican. If you are, you are condemning yourself with your own words. I am almost certain that you are one of those people whose position on a matter depends on what your favorite political party says about it. Speak for yourself. Leave the rest of us out of it.