![\"Commentary\"](\"http:\/\/dominicanewsonline.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/commentary2.jpg\")
As a citizen of Dominica, I am flabbergasted by the fact that a Member of Parliament, let alone the leader of the Opposition and Political Leader of the UWP could be of sound mind when he made statements recently on the subject of the political and economic situation in Venezuela, the first independent state to establish diplomatic relations with the Commonwealth of Dominica.<\/p>\n
Mr. Linton clearly has no experience, training or foresight when it comes to foreign policy, and was he foolish enough to utter such comments in the political carnival that takes place at meetings of the UWP, it would not be a matter of too much concern.<\/p>\n
However, to marshal local media houses to a media event to launch an assault on the diplomatic relations between Dominica and Venezuela is very unfortunate and damaging to say the least.<\/p>\n
Without overstating the well known fact that the UWP has openly opposed and sought to discredit the deepening relationship between Dominica and Venezuela, calls by any leader of the UWP directed at the DLP administration to offer any kind of aid to the people of Venezuela is hypocritical and inconsistent with the views articulated on the UWP\u2019s platform. The UWP since leaving office in 2000 has consistently questioned Dominica\u2019s relationship with Venezuela and has distanced itself from some of the hallmarks of the relationship with Venezuela such as the PetroCaribe Initiative and ALBA.<\/p>\n
To add insult to the injury done to our relationship with Venezuela, Mr. Linton couldn\u2019t help but to take yet another reckless swipe at Dominica\u2019s Citizenship by investment program. A program that successive governments since Dame Eugenia Charles, and that includes Edison James, has utilized, but only the DLP administration has leveraged any meaningful development from and raised the program to internally acceptable standards.<\/p>\n
In his remarks, Linton underscores his recklessness by specifically asking that EC $ 1,000,000.00 be used from revenue generated through the Citizenship by Investment Program to resolve the Venezuelan crisis.<\/p>\n
Pause for a second for a reminder that this is the very program that the UWP condemns and discredits on a daily basis, even going as far as writing to foreign governments and organizations requesting that they inhibit and\/or put an end to the program. Try to recall for a second that just two months ago Linton asked us all to stop the work of developing the country in an effort to cause chaos under the false banner of electoral reform through the introduction of Voter ID Cards so that only those resident on island could vote.<\/p>\n
Less than two weeks later, he was calling for state funds to be mobilized to facilitate overseas voting. Today it\u2019s a knee jerk reaction not just to cause fiscal imbalance by removing one million dollars from the treasury but to create confusion. Even worse is the fact that he would have the people of Dominica offer this amount to the Government and people of Venezuela supposedly to help stem the tide of the economic and political headwinds that they presently face.<\/p>\n
However enough is enough, Venezuela has been a genuine ally to Dominica, and the leadership of this country has worked too hard to build the relationship with Venezuela for us to allow reckless men like Lennox Linton to sour that relationship. We must condemn Linton\u2019s statements and stand in solidarity with the Government and people of Venezuela, keeping them in our thoughts and prayers. The recent increase in oil prices will ease the economic pressure and the rains will come to break the drought and fill the hydroelectric dams, restore normal electricity supply and irrigate agriculture.<\/p>\n
Venezuela has helped us to improve energy security, eased the burden on our fishermen by erecting filling stations in fishing communities and provided an alternative source of Liquid Petroleum Gas. The people of Venezuela have assisted us in improvement of infrastructure, increasing climate resilience through the construction of sea defense walls, contributed to human resource development through the provision of Tertiary Level Scholarships and training opportunities as well as medical care. Dominica has (in turn) demonstrated its love, affinity and respect for the people of Venezuela by standing with them on the global stage in championing the cause of the people of Latin America and the Caribbean.<\/p>\n
Our Leader the Hon. Dr. Roosevelt Skerrit, had the spine of steel to stand solidarity with Comrade Hugo Chaves of blessed memory, in support of peace and equality throughout the Americas. He defended Dominica\u2019s position in the establishment of ALBA which was criticized by the UWP but embraced by leaders across the region. He embraced Hugo Chaves and Dominicans welcomed Hugo and Maduro to our shores, yet in every instance the UWP was incensed by the fact that not just one but two Venezuelan Heads of State had visited Dominica and they could not relate to the outpouring of love for the Venezuelan leaders. So it is no wonder that today, Lennox Linton cannot comprehend what is taking place in Venezuela, far less to be in a position to prescribe how Dominica should manifest its support for our Venezuelan Comrades.<\/p>\n
We the people of Dominica must keep the Government and people of Venezuela in our thoughts and prayers. We must put our trust in the sound foreign policy that this DLP Administration is known to deliver and rest assured that the people of Venezuela will indeed be aware of the support of the Dominican people for them, and our genuine desire to see an end to the political and economic headwinds that they now face.<\/p>\n
Viva Dominica! Viva Venezuela!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As a citizen of Dominica, I am flabbergasted by the fact that a Member of Parliament, let alone the leader of the Opposition and Political Leader of the UWP could be of sound mind when he made statements recently on…","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":39536,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-162889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commentary"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n