Opposition Senator, Isaac Baptiste, has posed a number of questions as it relates to the Climate Resilience Executing Agency of Dominica (CREAD) and its functions.
The CREAD Bill was passed in parliament on Wednesday night.
The Act formalizes the Agency which has, as its mission, “to coordinate all reconstruction work to avoid duplication, maximize economies of scale, spot and fill critical gaps and ensure all reconstruction activities are focused on a single climate resilient recovery plan for Dominica.”
Isaac raised his concerns during his presentation in the debate on the CREAD Bill in Parliament on Wednesday.
“Looking through a Bill and we try to put the structure into perspective, we see a Climate Resilience Policy Board of seven (7) members chaired by the Prime Minister, that will be part 2 of the Bill directing a Climate Resilient Executing Agency headed by a Chief Executive Officer (CEO), part 3 of the Bill,” he said. “Between this board and the executing agency is a Cabinet Secretary which I am not too sure, we will see what precisely the function of that office.”
Baptiste continued, “We then have a CREAD executive management committee section 12, directing CREAD, we have a CREAD supervisory committee directing an executive management committee, we have an audit risk committee under a CREAD supervisory committee and somewhere on the side of CREAD, we have a parliamentary committee.”
He asked, why such an elaborate structure to undertake rehabilitation, reconstruction Post- Hurricane Maria in a country of 70,000 people?
The UWP senator also questioned the duration of the Agency’s 5 year term.
“How can we be setting up an agency like this in the age of climate change, in the age that we all admit the frequency of these disasters, yet we can determine and set up only 4 to 5 years for the lifespan of the agency?” he asked.
Baptiste is also suggesting that the legislation is a declaration by the international donor community of its lack of confidence in the Roosevelt Skerrit administration in implementing internationally financed projects.
Another asinine statement, far removed from reality, from a team that showed it either did not read the Bill or understood what hey read. It was really embarrassing hearing Monell read the Bill in Parliament instead of actually debating it.
And DAT is what you guys want to impose on Dominicans?
You know what is amusing. Opposition leaders rise to support the bill during the debate. They never offered any amendments, but at the voting stage they abstain. In future the government side must call for a division so that their voting history can be recorded in the minutes for all to see because the Act has international implications.
From the title, I thought that there was recent development of the bill that I missed but from reading, it was quoted concerns by Sen. Baptiste to which the government side of the debate rebutted.
From my personal understanding, the more critical and taxing the issue, the more expansive the bureaucracy. Each committee responsible for an aspect of the agenda which is building and implementing resiliency and adaptative policies and procedures in as short a span as possible. I noted policy development, monitoring procedures, financial review, policy implementation, risk analysis, administrative duties all of which are expected to work synchronously to complete limited time. I too questioned the lifespan of CREAD but as I listened and read, I noted the lifespan speaks to the time in which the goal of the agenda is to be achieved and then on a review of the CREAD will suggest the way forward. Note the longer the time for CREAD the longer we remain vulnerable.
The same Mamo that build one lane roads and bridges? Tsk plz. That lady was a plague on Dominica when we needed to get ahead.
Labour Party can only think in Labour Party interest and not in the interest of the Commonwealth of Dominica. A five year term for the CREAD allows the Labour Party Government to play politics with the CREAD. If Labour stays in power they will extend it, and if Labour is voted out and UWP comes in and extend it Labour will complain and will be able to vote against an extension because they are not in power for they and their cronies to get the big CREAD salaries! It is not complicated, Labour is party first and Dominica second!
Truth Be Told, please be open to the TRUTH. The truth is that Lennox Linton supported by his colleagues in the UWP are the ones who have demonstrated time and time again that they are prepared to put self and party before the people,
When Linton told Sam Raphael not to rebuild Jungle Bay after Tropical storm Erica destroyed that resort, he obviously was not putting the workers from Petite Savanne who had lost their jobs first; nor was he thinking of the farmers who sold their produce to that establishment.
When Linton went to New York and told the world that Dominica was committing crimes against humanity, at the same time that PM Skerrit was attending a UN/ CARICOM Donors’ Forum seeking to raise funds towards the realization of his vision of Dominica becoming the first climate resilient country. he (Linton) was not thinking of the people of Dominica!
The truth is that the PM’s vision has been embraced by the international community which has pledged billions, ignoring Linton’s…
Rupert, in your old age let go of the hate. The CREAD is a direct result of the government’s incompetence and the lack of confidence on the part of the international community to allow Skerrit’s government to touch their money.
When Rupert Sorhaindo sinks so low what else is left for Dominica? Eugenia must be weeping in her grave.
Rupert, you must ignore those people who have no understanding of anything much less the establishment of policy by legislation. They have no concept of climate problems.
Now is the time to make notes, dossier, on all their miss deeds. Election will be announced one day, and they will wish they were not in existence. They will holler and bawl, grind and nash their teeth. That is if they show up. They are extremely good, great in bla bla, yakity yack and M.I.A.
For now drop the mike and put them on ignore.
Truth Be Told,
How will labour be able to stop an extension if the UWP is the majority with at least 11 seats?
continued…..
All of these infrastructure enhancements will cost billions and take a couple decades. Who will pay to lay the cables underground? DOMLEC? Lime? Digicel? This will never happen in 5 years. And CREAD needs a much more streamlined and nimble structure in order to be effective.
CREAD is sponsored by the bankers. They own.
Ask Bill Clinton, he holds the purse for CREAD.
Not sure what Baptiste means that donor agencies have no confidence in Dominica when the evidence does not support that at all. However, Baptiste does make some valid points. The structure of CREAD is way too layered. This structure just adds more complexity to an institution (government) that already moves slowly and inefficiently. With all these layers of approval it is almost guaranteed that not much will get done.
It boggles the mind that such a vital agency would have a life span of only 5 years. It will take at least 20 years for Dominica to be climate resilient. Skerrit should be careful that he does not over-promise. Does the government realize that to be fully climate resilient all cables (telecommunications, electricity, etc) need to be underground? And that all waterways need to be properly walled off? And that all roadways with hillsides over 10 feet or so need retaining walls to reduce the chances of landslides?
Setting up a committee, let alone numerous committees, is the best way of achieving nothing at all.
Most committees are a colossal waste of time. Better to let one accountable person get on with the job.
I stress the word “accountable”.
mamo didn’t need all that
Don’t we all wish for the days of Mamo the way everything is going.
Hell no!! She would be on the sidelines waiting for Trump to look in her direction while our youth would be denied education opportunities, poor people would NOT have the support that they now enjoy, the elderly would not know the support they now enjoy, budding entrepreneurs would be left to wallow, etc. Mamo was a hurricane Maria, herself. Do not let persons drunk on nostalgia and fantasy fool you.
Why do we keep referring back to 19… when priorities of this world were minimal. Times change, priorities increasing. Mamo and the rest didn’t have climate change on their priority list. There are so much issues affecting the world right now and countries like Dominica feeling it the most when things happen. You all talking like the 1990’s was so great. Let us compare to the job then to now, or the education, or the housing priorities. Why you all don’t copy the 1990’s living to now? Let me see.
Good going Hon. Isaac Baptiste, good going. This country needs decent and honest professionals in government to take this country forward to the stage of meaningful development. Expose this corrupt Labour government and its blind ministers on the reality of where Dominica is, crippled by this failed Skerrit and his so called Corrupt incompetent Labour government. They must Go and soon too. Skerrit must go, he is a waste of time being Prime (Odd|) Minister. We have had enough. We need change, we need decent development, we need jobs, not waste of time failed politicians.