All Shall Eat... Nowhere Near the Promised Land

To the Editor
Dominica Politics Watch


Empty-hollow-overkill, rhetoric, unsubstantiated innuendo, mischief, misdirection, deflection, shock and awe.

These words effectively define the art of communication DLP style, post December 18th 2009.

Unlike the flowery courtship lyrics used on the hustings to flirt with and 'sweet talk' the voters, the language of this Administration has soured over the last fourteen months as one by one the members lose their composure and reveal themselves to the populace as arrogant, incompetent, contemptuous opportunists.

With little or no successes to buoy them through the rough patches, this unimpressive Administration's almost legendary failings are dragging them below the acceptable popularity index and is causing many diehard supporters to hide their heads in shame.

Is this what replaced the Lion of DLP politics Rosie Douglas? 

Even when hobbled and bleeding, his euphemisms lifted the listener and sent most scurrying for their dictionaries.

The lack of class displayed by the current Minister of Health is an indelible embarrassment on the national memory, as is the thuggish antics of Reginald Austrie in the House, the comic incendiary explosiveness of the Minister of Education and the forever 'off the handle' churlish attitude of the Prime Minister .

Charles Savarin's handling of Jerry Brisbane on air for everyone to see was a display of grandiose perceived power that has never been effectively dealt with and has scarred the Skerrit administration possibly for life.

The appointments of under-qualified party hacks to State Boards only underscores the lack of professionalism in the hiring practices of this Government and goes to the heart of its incompetence.

It was never about Dominica.

It was packaged and sold to us as that, with a list of reasons that demonized the last Administration out of Office, but only so that the current group could enjoy the spoils.

Like many of my Freedom Party friends who still support the Dominica Labour Party, we are only in this pappyshow with one toe left, waiting for the last straw or for a better offer, because what we got into bed with under Rosie in 2000 is not who we woke up with on December 19th 2009.

Worse, it wasn't just a one night stand, and we have to look at that line up day in and day out for at least another four more years barring some sort of miracle.

As it stands, the Public Sector workers are unhappy, the Private Sector is hurting, the poor are suffering and even the protective services are ready to rumble whenever the call for revolution is made, and all we're still hearing is "Father Skerrit" from Petter St. Jean.

Seriously?

This Government does not appear to have any answers to the problems that plague our country and no one seems to be taking the Prime Minister's explanations and platitudes seriously anymore.

Someone asked me in council if given the opportunity to advise the Prime Minister on a way forward what would I suggest, and for the first time I found myself completely stumped; I mean, what do you do, what do you say, when you realize that your Government's best interest and your country's best interest are  mutually exclusive properties?

Regardless of the talk, spin, rewrite, attack, defend, whatever, the unadulterated, cold-water-in-your-face, unvarnished truth is that this Government is perilously close to having failed in Office and even their own supporters have no idea how to defend them now.

It seems that they have found themselves completely up a river without a paddle and their major weapon has run out of steam.

Tony Astaphan, this is not about Eddo and the UWP anymore...


Dominica Labour Party Supporter