Roosevelt Bernard Douglas

Roosevelt Bernard Douglas succeeded Edison James as Prime Minister of Dominica in February 2000. He was born on October 15, 1941, and hailed from Paix Bouche constituency in Dominica. He became the prime minister of Dominica in February 2000 and served only eight months in office before his death on October 1, 2000.

Rosie, as he was fondly called by many, was the son of a wealthy farmer, conservative politician, and businessman. He attended secondary school in Roseau before proceeding to Canada to study at the Ontario Agricultural College. When his Canadian visa would not be processed in time, Douglas telephoned Canadian Prime Minister John Diefenbaker who intervened for the visa to be expedited. Diefenbaker even dispatched MP Bruce Robinson to collect Douglas at the airport. He was 18 years old at this time.

Douglas finished from the Ontario Agricultural College and went to Montreal where he got admitted to study political science at Sir George Williams University. He got involved in politics at the university and soon joined the Tory Party, using his influence to advocate for better standards of living for black students living in Canada. He later became friends with Martin Luther King and Stokely Carmichael as well as other world leaders. He was also instrumental in establishing The Montreal Congress of Black Writers in the country.

After his graduation from Sir George Williams University, Douglas moved on to McGill University to study for his Master’s programme. After he left Sir George Williams University, black students rioted at the institution over the living conditions and the riot escalated into police violence. Douglas was not at the riot but he supported the rioting students and he was charged with being the ring leader and instigator. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

While in prison, he wrote the book Chains or Change detailing his experience in prison vis-à-vis his political ideologies. After completing his prison term in 1976, Solicitor General Warren Allmand ordered his deportation and Douglas was deported from Canada in handcuffs and leg irons. He swore to return to Canada after he became prime minister of Dominica his country.

Douglas returned to Dominica and forged a friendship with the government of China, the Soviet Union, and Libya among others. He even befriended Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and became the executive chairman of World Mathaba, a group that supports guerrilla warfare and based in Libya. The group supported the release of Nelson Mandela from prison and the withdrawal of Iraq from Kuwait among other things.

Ultimately, Douglas became a parliamentary member for his Paix Bouche constituency in 1985 under the DLP and went on to become the leader of the party in 1992. And in 2000, he won the general elections to become Dominica’s prime minister, ousting PM Edison James from office after forming an alliance with the DFP.

True to his words, Douglas visited Canada again on an official state visit and held bilateral talks with his Canadian counterpart. He worked with other world governments to transform Dominica into a technology-driven economy.

Prime Minister Roosevelt “Rosie” Douglas was found dead in his home in Portsmouth on October 1, 2000, after eight months in office as Dominica’s national leader. He was succeeded by Pierre Charles.