ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC -Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit says the ruling Dominica Labour Occasion (DLP) is not going to permit opposition forces to “weaken” the nation as he defended the choice to introduce electoral reform right here.
In an announcement, coming forward of the DLP’s seventieth anniversary on June 1 this yr, Skerrit stated that the opposition forces now need to faux that they “care extra about democracy.
“We began electoral reform. We introduced within the worldwide specialists. We put cash behind the method. We made it occur. So, don’t let anybody twist the reality. We aren’t afraid of reform. We’re prepared for it. We invited it. However we is not going to permit confusion and lies to weaken this nation,” Skerrit stated.
In March, the Dominica Parliament authorized electoral reform laws whilst police fired teargas and rubber bullets at opposition supporters who claimed that the federal government had not been clear sufficient in coping with the matter.
The Dominica authorities tabled three payments late final yr: the Electoral Fee Invoice 2024, the Home of Meeting (Elections) Invoice 2024, and the Registration of Electors Invoice 2024. Parliament authorized the laws, which had been reviewed by the related people and teams since Sir Dennis Byron, the previous president of the Caribbean Court docket of Justice (CCJ), submitted his report on electoral reform on June 12, 2023.
Through the debate, one of many two opposition legislators, Anthony Charles, supported the measure, telling legislators that the difficulty of electoral reform has been an “ongoing debate” for greater than 17 years.
“I stand for the payments to be handed,” he stated to loud applause, including, “We now have to begin someplace. We now have to offer and take, and this isn’t about political events displaying how robust they’re; this isn’t concerning the authorities flexing its muscle; that is about democracy.”
The Registration of Electors Act requires legitimate documentation for voter affirmation throughout a specified interval of 12 months.
Dominican residents residing abroad who want to be reconfirmed on the electors’ record will likely be required to take action in individual in Dominica.
Voter Identification Playing cards containing key figuring out info, together with {a photograph} and superior security measures reminiscent of a singular identification quantity, will likely be issued.
The laws supplies for the institution of the Electoral Fee Fund and different instruments to empower the fee to supervise free and honest elections, enhancing its autonomy and capability.
The laws additionally consists of using know-how in voter registration and document administration, the introduction of an digital voting system, equal entry to the media, and elevated accessibility for individuals with disabilities.
Skerrit stated, “There comes a time in each nation’s story when the individuals should rise, not in anger however in goal.
“Not in concern, however in unity. Dominica, that point is now. This isn’t simply concerning the occasion. That is concerning the nation. Throughout our hills and valleys, from each village and each house, the spirit of our individuals beats robust.
“We’re a nation rooted in service, examined by time, and confirmed by our capacity to rise repeatedly. And when others falter, we endure. When others divide, we unite. That’s the Dominica we all know.”
He urged DLP supporters to make sure that the opposition forces don’t use electoral reform as a weapon of confusion, “a course of that we began, we funded, and we welcomed.”
He insisted that the DLP believes in democracy, saying, “We imagine in transparency. And we imagine in the proper of each Dominican to be heard and represented.
“However make no mistake, Labour is not going to be bullied. Labor is not going to be silenced. Labor is not going to retreat. And that, my pals, is why June 1st is greater than only a date on a calendar. June 1st is a declaration. It alerts to Dominica, the area, and the world that this occasion isn’t just alive. It’s mobilized.
“June 1, my brothers and sisters, isn’t just about politics. It’s about satisfaction. It’s about safety. It’s about proving that this nation belongs to the individuals who stand with Labour,” Skerrit added.
