International Airport Tourism Contents Our commitment to make a Difference – Political Leader 3 Economic Development Programmes 5 Infrastructure 8 Agriculture 10 Bananas 10 Non Banana Crops 11 Tourism (Overview) 12 Community Based Tourism 14 Sports Tourism 15 Tourism Structure Plan 15 Finance and IT Services 16 Offshore Residency 18 Social Programmes 19 Education 20 Dominica State College 20 Teacher Training 21 Library Services 21 Health 21 Primary Care 21 Secondary Care 22 Nursing Service 22 HIV AIDS 23 Youth Development 24 Disaster Management Plan 24 Persons Living with Disabilities 24 The Rastafari Community 24 Government Law and Justice 27 Integrity Legislation 28 Foreign Policy 28 Candidates 31 United Workers Party - Manifesto 2005 “Your United Workers Party government will reverse Dominica’s slide into poverty, we will turn around the economy with a strategic focus on revitalizing the growth engines of tourism, agriculture, manufacturing, telecommunications and financial services” Page 2 United Workers Party - Manifesto 2005 OUR COMMITMENT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE From the Political leader The man for the job My Fellow Dominicans, For more than five years, we have been suffering under the policies and programmes of the coalition government. First, wage and salary payments to our public servants were always late, and then they became less as taxes increased. Now our bank books tell the story. We are all worse off now than we were between 1995 and 2000 when the United Workers Party successfully protected our earnings and skilfully avoided what has become the coalition’s commitment to tax us more. Amazingly, this outgoing government seems extremely proud of its contribution to the staggering increase in poverty documented in Dominica’s downward slide of 44 places to number 95 on the United Nations Human Development Index. The coalition met us at number 51, it supervised our decline to number 95 but it simply cannot find the strength of leadership character to accept responsibility for its pathetic economic management performance. Your United Workers Party government will reverse the slide. We will turn around the economy with a strategic focus on revitalizing the growth engines of tourism, agriculture, manufacturing, telecommunications and financial services We acknowledge the extremely difficult circumstances we will inherit on returning to government thanks to the incompetence and wrong side economic policy prescriptions of the Labour /Freedom coalition. Nonetheless, we are committed, willing, ready and able to make a difference not only with the revitalization of the economy but also in the area of social transformation as well. Our vision of Dominica as a model small economy successfully earning its place in the international trade of goods and services is born out of our firm belief in the ingenuity, skills and competencies of our brothers and sisters at home and abroad. And even though we have been plunged into the worst of times by the outgoing Labour/Freedom coalition, it is this belief in our indomitable will to win that propels the UWP team forward in the cause of a brighter future. Your vote for the saw on May 05, 2005 will clear the way for your United Workers Party government to resume its caring, people centred brand of governance in the national interest. We are ready to serve you. We await your call and mandate on May 5, 2005. I thank you EDISON JAMES Political Leader United Workers Party United Workers Party - Manifesto 2005 Page 3 WE ARE READY TO SERVE A message from the team for the jobs We, the undersigned candidates of the United Workers Party are pleased to be part of the team dedicated to the social and economic transformation of our country in the interest of all Dominicans. We are equally pleased to serve under the leadership of the Honourable Edison James – a man whose record of accomplishments both inside and outside of government highlight his ability to bring resources (human, financial, physical) in line with a national development strategy for all Dominicans. But even more significantly, Edison James will lead the renewal of the soul of Dominica which has been severely injured by the greedy, selfish, uncaring and reckless governance practices of the coalition government. With our support as a competent team of educated, experienced and well-rounded professionals, Edison James is ready and able to lead a complete turn around of this unfortunate state of affairs. Let us recall that on taking office in 2000, the coalition shut down the growth engines of the economy We seek your support at the polls on May 5th, 2005 so that together we can join hands in the noble cause of rescuing our country from the path of certain destruction created by the selfishness, heartlessness and incompetence of the Labour/Freedom Coalition. Sincerely, Ron Green Julius Timothy Earl Williams Julian Prevost Charlesworth Mills Norris Charles Peter Carbon Norris Prevost Claudius Sanford Vernice Bellony Thomas Belle Ferdinand Frampton Curvin Ferreira Abraham Browne Leonard Newton Cuthbert Joseph Marcelin Lockhart James Alexander Delroy Registe Nichols Andrew Page 4 United Workers Party - Manifesto 2005 Economic Development Programmes 5,000 Jobs in 5 Years • International Airport • 2,500 Hotel Rooms • International Stadium • 50,000 Tons Of Bananas per year • $50 Million Per Year From • Non-Banana Crops • 5% Back To Public Officers United Workers Party - Manifesto 2005 Page 5 Target: 50 000 tonnes of bananas through increased productivity and farmer confidence X Economic Development Programmes THE AGENDA FOR ECONOMIC REVIVAL & GROWTH Overview With less than 5,000 persons paying income taxes in a country where the income tax threshold is $1,250.00 per month, it is clear that we need an economy capable of delivering and sustaining not just robust job growth but also an increased number of higher paying jobs. This state of play sets up a national leadership and management challenge which your UWP government will tackle head on with its trademark passion for results. The deeply flawed economic thinking of the past five years has forced down the throats of unsuspecting citizens the notion that somehow it is possible for Dominica and Dominicans to shrink to greatness. As such, all of the economic policy prescriptions have fought against growth in the expansion of national and individual economic opportunity. We witnessed the shameful episode of the Labour/Freedom coalition cutting the already meager salaries of public servants to help correct a revenue shortfall that emerged after government incompetence succeeded in shrinking the economy to the point where the treasury lost over $10 million per year in taxes on profits. Ironically, as they increased the tax burden to straighten out government’s disgraceful revenue and expenditure performance, the revenue continued to decline as the economy dutifully galloped to hell in the Labour/Freedom hand basket There can be no doubt that in the absence of a decisive change of course away from the obsession with taxing meager salaries to cover up fiscal indiscipline and mismanagement the Dominica economy will completely collapse, notwithstanding the existence of IMF life support. Let us all be clear that no amount of vote-catching promises of millions of dollars on Government projects on the eve of an election can effectively deal with economic problems borne out of reckless mismanagement by the outgoing coalition. In order to redress the hemorrhage and trauma that the Dominican economy and people have had to endure during the last five years, your United Workers Party government will hit the ground running with a multi-pronged approach: • Develop a world class tourism brand by attending to critical infrastructure inputs, service requirements and facilitating new investments especially in high growth categories • Breathe new life into the financial services sector. Page 6 United Workers Party - Manifesto 2005 Under the United Workers Party, X Dominica is going International X • Complete legislative and other arrangements to make Dominica an attractive domicile for IT development and international marketing companies. • Address the country’s housing crisis with the provision of 500 houses in 500 days with the programme commencing within 6 months of a new United Workers Party administration. • Put the full weight of government behind the banana industry in an effort to move production to 50,000 tons per year • Facilitate initiatives in non-banana agriculture to boost annual revenue to $50 million • Create 5000 new jobs within the next five years • Restore the importance of disposable income and the confidence of public servants in the economic development process by restoring and refunding the 5% taken from their salaries • Implement a Short term Community Enhancement Programme immediately upon coming into office. This programme is designed to bring immediate relief to rural communities in the form of short term jobs. At the same time, it will improve the esthetic appeal of the natural environment Dominica is "Going International" under a new UWP government. This initiative will deliver: o an International Airport, o an International Stadium o an International Creole Queen Festival, o an International Convention Centre, o an Enhanced World Creole Music Festival, • For the purposes of this development plan, Dominica will be organised into seven districts based on the seven health districts as currently exists. This demarcation will be adjusted, amended and adopted for general organisation and