ADDRESS TO THE NATION BY HON. ROOSEVELT SKERRIT, PRIME MINISTER OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF DOMINICA MONDAY DECEMBER 2, 2019, ROSEAU Fellow Dominicans, it is with a sense of grave concern for the well-being of our country, that I address you. The Dominica Labour Party will, this evening, cancel all scheduled political meetings across the country. We take this step, not because of widespread violence or the breakdown of national law and order, which there is not. But because it is the prudent and cautious course of action in light of today’s political developments. We are taking this precaution to ensure that innocent Dominicans going about their lawful business, and Labour’s supporters attending public meetings, do not fall victim to supporters of the United Workers Party, who are clearly looking to provoke violence and unrest. As a mature and responsible political Party, the Labour Party is concerned about the wellbeing of all Dominicans. We will not put a single individual in harm’s way or at risk. As Prime Minister, the Leader of Government in this country is the head of the Cabinet and outside of the Attorney General, is the chief lawmaker. A Prime Minister, and certainly, no responsible person who aspires to be prime minister, can also be chief lawbreaker. Yet, in the last few months, but particularly, since the date of the general election was announced, we have repeatedly seen the Leader of the Opposition UWP, become the chief lawbreaker. From a video and notes going around social media, the public is aware that this morning, the presiding magistrate at the Roseau Magistrates’ Court, issued bench warrants for UWP Leader Lennox Linton and former UWP Leader, Edison James for their failure to appear at Court. This is not a government matter, but a legal one. We all recall the 7th of February, 2017 when rioting took place in the capital city and attempts were made to burn down the city by UWP supporters. These supporters were encouraged by Lennox Linton, Edison James and others to defy the police and engage in civil disturbance. As a result of their actions on that day, criminal charges were brought against Linton and James and they appeared before the Courts. The case relating to this matter was adjourned. As a result of the adjournment they were told to appear before the Court, today December 2nd. The adjournment of cases is not new, as time 1 must be given to the prosecution to gather and build their case as well as to accused persons to prepare their defences. Today being the scheduled date, the cases came on for hearing in the Court. When their matter was called, neither Lennox Linton nor Edison James appeared. In accordance with the law and rules, the Court Orderly called their names three times to summon them into Court. Neither one of them appeared. When they did not appear, the presiding Magistrate issued a bench warrant for their arrest. This is standard procedure. Linton, James and their lawyers, all know that when accused persons fail to appear in Court, an arrest warrant is issued. Why then did Linton and James refuse to go to Court until the warrant was issued? A warrant would have been issued for any other Dominican who had failed to appear in court to answer a criminal charge. Surely Linton and James do not think they are above the law? It is significant that not long after the issue of the warrant, three things happened. First - a written message started making the rounds on social media that the warrant had been issued. This note was very inflammatory. The note made it appear that the issue of the warrant was an act of wrongdoing on the part of the magistrate, rather than standard procedure. Second - Both Linton and James suddenly appeared in Court. Third - From videos being shared on social media, some residents of Marigot, Linton’s constituency, started dumping fridges, buckets, plywood and other combustible items into the road, making it impassable. These persons could be seen and heard waving UWP flags and shouting abuse. The material which been placed in the road was also set ablaze. This puts the safety and wellbeing of the public at risk. It threatens the tourism product. It is yet another tactic by the Opposition and its supporters to send abroad negative images of Dominica, give the impression of the breakdown of law and order, tarnish our country’s reputation, try to disrupt elections and bring in outsiders to take over, all for narrow political gain. I am calling on Lennox Linton, Edison James and the UWP, to bring an end to this lawlessness. I am calling on them to tell their supporters to stop. I am calling on Linton and the UWP to put Dominica first. Fellow Dominicans, this is part of a pattern. I have spoken to it before. In the last few days we have been hearing that the UWP has something planned to disrupt elections. 2 . The UWP stopped electoral reform from taking place with violent protests outside Parliament on May 23rd 2017 and by bringing an injunction in the Law Courts in September 2018, to stop Parliament from passing the legislation for electoral reform. Having blocked the electoral reform, the UWP is using its supporters to daily protest the lack of reform, the very thing which they have blocked. On Nomination Night, the UWP led a “walk” across town in the dark, long after its scheduled starting time, direct to the road outside State House which they knew had been closed off. Once at the barricades there, UWP supporters triggered a confrontation with the police. Joshua Francis, UWP Deputy Leader, Edison James and Daniel Lougay, were all present at the protests on the barricades that night but did nothing to try to calm the situation. UWP members present were insisting on seeing the President. They were insisting that the road be opened to let them through to attend a UWP meeting at Newtown. I have already explained that no such meeting had been scheduled by the UWP. This was just a trick or ruse by the UWP to bring large numbers of their supporters to the barricades. Protesters that night repeatedly threatened that there was going to be war. I have made it public and it has never been denied by the Opposition, that their operatives contacted Minister Donnie McClurkin, through his manager and told him that there was such widespread breakdown of law and order in Dominica that he would not be safe if he came to perform here. As a result, on November 21st, the day before the concert was scheduled to take place, I was forced to write Minister McClurkin a formal letter, denying these allegations and assuring him of his safety and that of his team. The attempt by UWP to block the gospel concert therefore failed. Night after night at their public meetings, the UWP has been telling their supporters that there is no certainty there would be elections on the 6th. This attempt to stop the elections was very much part of the narrative the UWP has been feeding to external forces and to the Secretary General of the OAS to try to justify and obtain outside interference in Dominica’s elections, particularly by the OAS. 3 . In order to frustrate these nefarious machinations of the UWP, the government was compelled to send Foreign Minister, the Hon Francine Baron and Ambassador Vince Henderson, to Washington on November 24th, to address the Permanent Council of the OAS. This was necessary to dispel the untruths being put out by the UWP, and to stop the OAS’ intervention in Dominica’s elections, and the taking of any other decision which would have been adverse to Dominica’s national interests. Two days ago, a UWP supporter was intercepted with a truckload of old tyres. UWP lawyers very quickly went to his defence. Where was he headed with the tyres and for what purpose? . On Sunday, as decent Dominicans were going home from church, they were treated to calypsos with the worst kinds of expletives on the UWP platform and not a single UWP candidate or leader asked the performing calypsonian to stop or conduct himself with decorum on their platform. None of them apologized for something that they should never have allowed. And now this morning we have the lawlessness at Marigot. These are the acts of a desperate man and Party who know they are losing and are trying to pull the country down with them. They are using a small group of supporters, lawful and unlawful means, to try to intimidate the general public and to try to create a negative narrative for the outside world. Their ultimate goal is to stop an election that they cannot win in the ballot box, not because of any kind of electoral abuse by the Labour Party Government, but because the UWP and its leadership have repeatedly demonstrated to the country that they do not care about Dominica or Dominicans and they are unfit to lead. This also explains why the UWP did not bring out a manifesto until 2 days ago and why their document is so full of errors and looks so hastily pulled together. They expected to have disrupted elections by now. The government of Dominica has every confidence that local security forces are fully competent and committed to exercising the skill and restraint required in the face of these acts of provocation. They will maintain safety and law and order in our country. They will not let the situation get out of hand and a few people tarnish Dominica’s good name.