Dominica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Francine Baron, rebuked Secretary-General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Amalgro, for uninformed statements about Dominica in view of the coming elections.
Amalgro had stated that the OAS’ Observation Mission would be necessary if the coming election is to be “democratic, fair, inclusive and transparent”. He said it is not good that Dominica turned down recommendations made by the Joint Mission of the OAS and CARICOM to implement electoral reforms before the election date.
Speaking to a Special Meeting of the Permanent Council, Baron told the OAS that country representatives must say things that better the lots of OAS member states in a fair and balanced manner after considering all the facts to a particular situation. She reminded the council that both the UWP and DLP had won and lost elections under the same electoral laws that the UWP wants changed now for the past 40 years.
“Both the current Labour Government and the UWP Opposition have been elected through this exact process and under these same laws,” Baron said. “It is this same process and these same laws that saw the United Workers Party increase its seat count in the last general elections in Dominica and its share of the popular vote.”
She said the DLP administration would have implemented electoral reforms since 2015 if the UWP opposition had not vigorously opposed it in parliament. She said an independent professional from the Commmonwealth Secretary reviewed the draft legislation submitted by the government to parliament and suggested the removal of certain provisions which the opposition wanted removed.
She said the offending items were removed to make the bill standardized for the review of electors register and verification of voters, but the opposition still went ahead to block the passage of the bill in the parliament.
“Government is of the view that what has been proposed is the best course of action to achieve the reforms that have been recommended,” Baron said. “We have not been able to move forward because of misinformation and half-truths being circulated by the Opposition on this matter and their encouragement to others to engage in civil disturbance.”
Based on the foregoing, the foreign minister said member states must never say things that constitute an interferrence in the local affairs of another OAS member state as Amalgo did by insisting the Observation Mission of the OAS must be called in before elections can be deemed free and fair in Dominica.
St. Lucia’s Ambassador to the CARICOM, Anton Edmunds, said it is not obligatory for any OAS member state to invite the Observation Mission to monitor its elections.
“There must be recognition that there are a number of highly credible bodies that observe elections and the Commonwealth of Dominica has invited for them to observe its own election,” Edmunds disclosed. “There is no obligation for any member state to invite the OAS. The Caribbean has always had a strong tradition of democracy, notably free and fair elections and considering previous electoral commissions in the Caribbean. We are confident that the OAS understands this. We encourage impartiality.”
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