Public protests generally occur when people believe that their government is not listening.
Our research reveals that the Dominica bus drivers protest of April 12, 2021, was sparked by disagreements and discontentment over several issues, and especially exacerbated by the recent hike in the price of fuel.
While the Alternative Peoples’ Party (APP) understands the action taken by bus drivers, we are not in agreement with the disruptive episodes and what appeared to be brutality and the use of excessive force and a militarized presence at the protest. APP calls for peace and tolerance, even while we understand the struggle of the people.
Protests are never the best forms of negotiations, but when people protest it means that things are serious enough to cause them to take action. The authorities should and must always listen, and act in the interest of the people. Dominica is a democracy, and protest is a standard practice in democratic countries. The people who chose to protest as well as those who refuse to should be protected, understood and respected. APP is willing to play a role in achieving mutual cooperation.
Our party, when in government, will reform the entire public transportation service. We will build two major bus terminals in Roseau: one to serve North and West and the other for East and South. The state will invest in standard public buses which will be contracted or leased to certified drivers and bus operators and conductors. Private minibuses will also be registered with the National Transportation Association (NTA) and will operate by standard laws. The NTA will also administer the operations of school buses. Public bus fare will be subsidized by the state, especially for senior citizens, and buses will operate on particular schedules.
We will discuss our plans in greater detail in the near future, but in the meantime, we ask bus drivers and operators to keep hope alive that a new day will dawn on their business with an APP administration. Our party looks forward to speaking with the bus operation and presenting them with the party’s plans for the future.
Let us fix our problems together, as one people, with one destiny.
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