President of the United Workers Party (UWP), Lennox Linton believes that the time has come for Dominicans to say clearly to those who are governing Dominica, “that what is going on is totally unacceptable.”
His comment came while addressing a press conference held at the UWP office on Monday.
“Whether we talk about the state of the economy which is more an economy for foreigners than it is for the people of Dominica where young people cannot get employed, where young people find that they have to go more and more overseas, even to the neighbouring islands in the Caribbean to find employment and a means of livelihood,” Linton said.
He continued, “Not because we don’t have money, but because the government of the day is not interested in building the lives of people in Dominica, it’s not interested in helping the people to get out of that never-ending struggle to survive.”
According to Linton, Dominica’s economy is not working for Dominicans, “it is working more for foreigners.”
Furthermore, Linton said the state healthcare is also not working for Dominicans.
“The big building that we have, the fancy equipment that we boast about is not yet giving us better healthcare across the country,” he remarked. “[As] a matter of fact, what we have is a rising number of unnecessary deaths causing frustration, causing pain, causing suffering for family and friends all around Dominica.”
He also mentioned the ongoing consultations on the Sir Dennis Byron report on electoral reform for Dominica.
“What the Labour Party is doing with the overseas voters amounts to bribery which is a criminal offense and it ought to have been clarified in this reform through the proposals for change in the laws going forward because this is what reform means,” he stressed.
Linton went on to state that “reform means we are making better what we have,” Linton explained. “If we are modernizing, then let’s modernize. There is a proposal on the table, a modernization proposal- this is where we are right now, we have our brothers and sisters living overseas, we want to facilitate them to vote here in elections, let us facilitate them to vote from where they are and not on behalf of any constituency in Dominica where they don’t live.”
He believes that there is a need for the setup of diaspora constituencies to allow Dominicans living overseas to vote for representatives from those diaspora constituencies, “but will represent in the Parliament whatever interest they have as Dominicans living overseas.”
“That’s modernization,” Linton noted. “Modernization is not continuing to use the overseas voters corruptly to dilute the effect and impact of the votes of those who are residents in Dominica and for whom the elections have the consequence of what happens next.”
“When our brothers and sisters come in and they vote they go back overseas the following day… The elections [don’t] have consequences for them, because they don’t live here,” he argued. “But it will have a consequence for them if they are voting for representatives, people who represent them in the diaspora they live in so far as Dominica is concerned.”
Linton pointed out that in this consultation process that’s ongoing in Dominica, the UWP wants to see a reformed approach from the government to bring on board the reform that the people need as opposed to what is convenient for the Labour Party.
“I am hoping that we will get some assistance from the international observers in some way, shape or form, those who are here from the Commonwealth, from the OAS and from the CARICOM who have observed elections in Dominica,” he said.
Meanwhile, the UWP is calling on the public to join in a peaceful march and meeting scheduled for Wednesday, August 23, 2023.
The marchers will assemble on the Portersville Savanah from noon and will commence marching at 1:00 pm to end underneath the “Arch” at 3:00 pm. The UWP will commence a public meeting immediately after march.
By letter dated August 11, 2023, the Chief of Police has granted permission to the UWP to march from 1 pm and assemble for a meeting thereafter at 3 pm. The approved route is:
‘Assemble at the Portersville Savannah, marchers will move in a southerly direction along the Goodwill Road onto the E.C. Loblack Bridge onto Independence Street, east along King George V Street, north along Bath Road, west along Hillsborough Street, south along Independence Street, along Constitutional Hill, west along Turkey Lane, north along Victoria Street to the Dame Eugenia Charles Boulevard, east along King George V Street, north along Great George
Street, east along River Bank to culminate at the Arch.’
Totally ill planned and wrong timing. Not in the middle of a public consultation where all have been participating in good faith whether you like their views or not. Electoral reform is not to give you or any one party what they think they want and that they should get, it is about all of us. I have to disagree with you and UWP this time. You, Lennox Linton. keep doing the same thing over and over and not learning from your mistakes. You are no longer the leader of the party. You are not the party leader. Stand down and know your place! Don’t let LOPS destroy what is left of any little political credibility that you may have left!
Wow! (Insert applause button, DNO.) Well-said. Best comment all week.
Ugly Lenny, When I say you are a clown 🤡 you better believe it, I also noticed that you might be senile having showing signs of weaknesses especially old age and a loss of mental faculties, lets face it Lenny, what can your so-called useless party do for us that Mr Skerrit, and his government is not doing much better??? Lenny, old boy let me remind you because your head is not available on your body, If you and your colleagues wants power in Dominica you guys have to win fair and square in the ballot box on election Day, otherwise don’t bother we are fed up with you all nonsense and ready.
I hope thousands,massive support,are you a Jacka?The PEOPLE have rejected UWP,and they have done so over and over again.Today is no different,it is the same lazy,rum drinking,weed smoking useless nothing to do handful blue bugs.The constitution,every Labourite know about the constitution all 111 pages,the reason they know when you,MEME posting stupidness.
I hope thousands will join us. It’s about our country. It’s about our state funds. It’s about getting rid of a tyrant.
Do you own state funds? It is all about you and nobody else.
Good speech, Lennox. There should be massive support on Wednesday.
Anybody can give a good speech. The question is, does it resonate? It won’t resonate when ugly Lenny is at the helm and his pilot in command is up there in Sudan trying to thrust his Fontainomics on Sudanese that just does not work. The people of Sudan continue to live a poor, miserable life as I write.
Ha ha ha Billy, you out to be a goat , to believe Ugly Lenny,
gave a ” good speech ” what is good about it calling a bunch parrots and monkeys out on show, they would be much happier salt sucking and eating bananas.
Tomorrow is the day of deliverance. Mr Linton and UWP have said what they had to say. But we have to take matters into our own hands. Look, Skerrit brought election observers down to observe his fake election reform, so he CANNOT bring RSS to Dominica. Besides, the observers will want to videotape all what is taking place tomorrow so no damn police officer will come dressed like they are on the battlefield with military clothes fatigued and machine guns. No damn police officer will fire a bullet and expired tear-gas because the observers would see and report to the world. Besides, they are bound by law to protect the observers.
So really tomorrow is de day to fix the country once and for all. So let’s make it count people!!! Free at last, free at last, thank God we will be finally free to take our freedom by all means necessary, including by what Anthony Astaphan described as “ Constitutional kool wosh bregade”.
Free at last. You sound like the fake Martin Luther King Jr.. Why don’t you get something to do with your life? Stop wasting time and get on with your life.
But all of you did not vote. What are you all you marching for? Every time is a march that not making any sense.
Your voice was lost when you did not vote. One who does not vote has no right to speak about anything. They just exist and have no say in anything.
When will you people do something that makes sense?
Show me what you have achieved after all those marches.
@Hi Lenny
Why are you worried about people who are marching? Isn’t it their democratic right to do so? Are you so dumb that you are unaware of that?
Are you aware that this right was accorded to them by the constitution?
Are you at war with the constitution? I know that the Starboy of Stupidity has disregarded the island’s constitution, and has also set aside what used to be the Dominica Labour Party (DLP) constitution as well.Are you his seconder?
When you have nothing to say, why cant you stay quiet?
@MEME, If Pm Skerrit, is Starboy of Stupidity what would you call yourself Ugly Lenny, and his useless workers social comedy club, I wonder?
You really think Dominicans worry about your foolishness about Zibalat and Malaysia and China?What they care about is what UWP did to them between 1995 and 2000,and the dishonesty of the blue leaders.
Where is the real leader of the party? The guy who stepped down is now “president”? And after completely abandoning the electoral process in the last election now they want to go marching? How many times they marched and nothing changes?
I agree that the current government has serious problems but the alternative is not that much better
Maybe Linton is the “real leader.” It was he who told the world last week that there was gonna be a walk. It is now he who leads the press event, and it will likely be he leading the march. So…maybe he has already overthrown Fontaine.
CBI citizens give Skerro the right to govern ad infinitum and there are many more of them than native Dominicans! Sorry folks, you’ve missed the boat here! In the words of one shepherd to another when a storm was approaching, “Time to get the flock out of here”!
Lennox is a looser. He has a leadership and money problem. He is clothed with jealousy and hate . His political status by the PEOPLE has been stamped, “EXPIRED “
Where is Thompson Fontaine in this picture?
He has to decide whether he wants to be the leader of the party and Prime Minister in waiting or an employee of the UN. He cannot be both. Thompson is hedging his bets and is unwilling to give up a sure income to be a full time leader of his party. That does not inspire confidence.
Zandoli, You having a laugh 😂 would you give up millions just to be leader of a comic shop??? That is going nowhere at all come on for crying out loud.
So where was the political leader of the UWP during this press conference? What is his stance on this UWP march set for tomorrow? Just last week the political leader, in a radio interview, found it necessary to inform his listeners that “he has not abandoned post.” Paging the leader please!
He is on Zoom from Sudan. Click that zoom button and you will find that wannabe Economist you have been looking for. Both lennox and Fontaine are incompatible in all ways. One is trying to get the people of Sudan out of poverty and violence, the other is working his way trying to stir up violence and run the country into poverty and crimes. One is ugly, the other is soso.
@ds
It’s not because you are the dumbest on this medium to believe Dr Fontaine’s educational attainment can be berated.He is no wannabie economist.. You are obviously wallowing in ignorance and stupidity, if you have the slightest inkling that this is the case. The man spent hours upon hours doing the hard work and he achieved. I am proud of his achievement. So to call him wannbie it shows not only how shallow your thinking is, but how stupid and ignorant you are.
Educational attainment,ha.The man is known by the majority of Dominicans as a dishonest person.Every Dominican know about DASS land and bank account.What has he done for himself and Dominica?A PhD with no land,no house,no money and no family a useless man.You really think Dominicans will vote such a man with no ambition?
One thing you cannot do is to take away my degrees from me. I have worked hard to earn them and, there is nothing you can do about it, so shut up, your bum. Wait until he dies and rest those wilted flowers on his coffin just before his body is inhumed.
Not one single degree you MIGHT have earned could possibly make up for your total character failure. The same, by the way, goes for your CM. Once again the old saying proves to be true: birds of a feather flock together.
What has he done with that PHD in Economics or Deadonomics?
ds, Marie, said” birds of a feather flock together ” I don’t think she realises what she said 🤭😂😭
I won’t wait until you die to give you your flowers honourable Linton. You have been a role model and unyielding advocate for good and accountable government. When i add this to your brilliant oratory skills , your exposure of corrupt deals and shenanigans by greedy leaders, your sharp mental acuity, progressive thinking and analytical mind, you are undoubtedly a good example. Walk with your head high sir!!!
Everything being equal, i shall attend!
Lol! Yet, Aljazeera shows us his signature on a letter promising diplomatic passports to unknown foreigners in exchange of big money for election campaign that was to be routed as “humanitarian aid!”
Zor bon, wi!!
@Putin
What did Aljazeera tell you about the Skerrit Labour Party (SLP) and its greedies?Nothing?
Do you anything about a criminal and money launderer called Ali Reza Zibalat Monfared? Do you know of any gas station up north? Did Monfared pay airfare for anyone to travel from Malaysia to China with his dirty money? Did he contribute to any party campaign paraphernalia?
Do you know any thing about the nature of hungry hyenas?.
Go do some homewok!!
“@Putin What did Aljazeera tell you about the Skerrit Labour Party (SLP) and its greedies? Nothing?” They repeated the ish that Linton showed them WITHOUT offering one iota of evidence (and I am not even speaking of signed documents yet). Not ONE PIECE of evidence to substantiate the claims that they repeated.
Contrast this to the signed letter and the accompanying audio recordings that still remain in circulation in the World Wide Web. Heheheh! (I knew that you would be foolish enough to come back at me with that idiotic comparison.)
What flowers? You mean the faded ones in my backyard? You mean the ones that have already been shriveling up. You mean the ones that have wilted? You mean the high school drop out and vagabond. You mean that aloof and pompous good for nothing? What brilliant oratory skills you are talking about? I guess you might soon talk about his handsome features as well, RIGHT? His head is shaped like a hammer, too bad he cannot walk with it too high. His mental acuity; you forgot his political acumen. Yeah, right!