Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica
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OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER
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PRESS RELEASE 01/2005
LATE PRIME MINISTER HON. PIERRE CHARLES SET TO BE
HONOURED ON FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF HIS DEATH
Roseau, Dominica – January 7th 2005…...The late Prime Minister of
Dominica, Hon. Pierre Charles, was honoured on Thursday January 6, 2005 in
Grand Bay, a constituency he dominated for nearly two decades. January 6
marked one year since Dominica’s sixth Prime Minister died.
A number of activities were held to commemorate
the first anniversary since his passing. The Geneva to Deux Pond Road in Grand Bay, opened in 2003, was officially renamed in his memoryHon. Pierre Charles. The Grand Bay Secondary School was also renamed in
honour of the former Dominican leader.
A memorial service was held at the Grand
Bay Roman Catholic Church followed by the launching of the Pierre Charles Foundation later that evening.
Prime Minister, Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit, other Cabinet colleagues,
Parliamentary Representative for Grand Bay, Hon. John Fabien and large numbers of family and friends participated in the activities.
Hon. Pierre Charles entered Parliament in 1985 on
a Dominica Labour Party ticket and remained undefeated as the Parliamentary
Representative for Grand Bay until his death. He became
Prime Minister in October of 2000 following the sudden death of Hon. Rosie Douglas.
Pierre Charles is credited with having
pioneered an economic stabilization and recovery programme that was designed to
restore stability to the public finances as a platform for the restoration of
economic growth. Despite health worries
in 2002 and 2003, he was able to gain acceptance of the programme by the
Dominican populace and the international donor community and lived long enough
to see signs of an incipient economic recovery by late 2003.
In a tribute to his predecessor, Prime Minister of
Dominica, Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit, acknowledged the enormous
contribution of Pierre Charles at a critical juncture in the
country’s history. Mr. Skerrit said: “I have inherited from Pierre Charles a road map for the future social and economic
development of this country. He did not live to see it implemented, but the
final product will be a lasting monument to his memory.” (Ends)