Roseau, Dominica (TDN) The ruling Dominica Labour Party (DLP) is preparing itself to steal an election victory in the upcoming general elections in Dominica scheduled for December 8, 2014.
After 15 years in government and facing a formidable opposition United Workers Party (UWP), the DLP in stark violation to the election laws in Dominica has lined up a number of overseas based Dominicans to attempt to remain in office at all costs.
Despite boasting an 18 – 3 majority in the country’s Parliament, prime minister Roosevelt Skerrit has invested millions of dollars towards guaranteeing a further five years in office.
Aided by a bloated voters list in excess of 72 000 voters, the DLP through a series of recruiters including Michael Leblanc in Miami, Paul Alexander in St Thomas and Donna Dodds in Antigua have targeted labour party supporters to vote in constituencies where they believe they are losing.
These potential voters are given an airline ticket and promised $1 000 US in spending money. This nefarious act is contrary to the laws of Dominica, which expressly forbids the paying of bribes to voters to participate in the country’s elections.
In addition, several of these individuals are not qualified to vote. However, they have been aided by an Electoral Commission headed by attorney Gerald Burton that has stubbornly refused to clean up the voters list.
According to Dominica’s constitution, persons are only allowed to vote if they “have resided in Dominica for a period of time during the five years immediately preceding the holding of General Election, and are duly registered to do so.”
However, Burton and his Commission by conspiring with Skerrit to not purge the voters list has ensured that the names of persons who have died as well as those residing outside of Dominica in excess of five years remain on the list.
This same Commission has now ruled that as long as your name is on the list you are eligible to vote. In other words, notwithstanding their failure in doing what the Constitution requires they have now created the opportunity for Skerrit to troll the Diaspora to find persons who have been away for ten, twenty or even thirty years to vote in targeted constituencies.
The financing for this blatant abuse of the country’s constitution is said to come from the proceeds of Dominican passports that have in some cases been sold to crooks and criminals across the globe.
Meanwhile, spokesman for the Citizens Forum Athie Martin has warned those aiming to break the country’s laws to stay away. Authorities in the United States and other Caribbean Islands have been warned of the crime about to be committed and alerted their governments to not allow their territory to be used in aiding this atrocity against the people of Dominica.
Names of those planning to commit this crime are being collected. Of concern is the fact that Dominica’s Police Commissioner appears unwilling to take action against those he knows are about to break the laws of Dominica.
Several individuals who feel aggrieved are vowing not to allow this blatant act of criminal activity to usurp their democratic right and say they are prepared to do what is necessary to defend democracy in Dominica.
This toxic mix of a government unwilling to relinquish power combined with scores of disgraced Dominicans living in the comfort of foreign lands now threatens to stain the long and storied democratic tradition in Dominica.
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