In his response to the 2020/2021 National Budget presented by PM Roosevelt Skerrit to Parliament on Tuesday, Opposition Leader Lennox Linton has discredited the over $900 million budget as “not working for Dominica”. The UWP leader rejected the budget in its entirety, saying it is insensitive to the economic struggles of the rich and poor across Dominica.
In his response on Wednesday, Linton said the budget has nothing to do with the economic realities in the country, and that it is disappointing to the national aspirations of the young and the old. While addressing the Speaker of the House, Linton said the budget will not work for the country because it failed to address the pressing issues of poverty, joblessness, standards of living, health concerns, and housing challenges across the island.
“This budget couldn’t care less that the struggle to survive in Dominica is getting harder and harder; this budget couldn’t care less of the growing number of Dominicans strapped in poverty and dependency; this budget couldn’t care less about the chronic youth unemployment crisis we have in this country, this budget couldn’t care less about low wages, rising cost of living,” Linton lamented. “It is not even working for our rich in Dominica, the poor, the unemployed, the youth, the elderly, the leaders of church. It is not working for Dominica.”
The opposition leader called for a “new economic framework” that will harness tourism, agriculture, renewable energy, water, construction, manufacturing, culture, communication, and technology among others to drive socio-economic development private and public individuals across the country. According to him, all the arms of governments and federal agencies that run the country must be repurposed and redefined for greater impact and productivity to the benefits of every citizen in Dominica.
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