Skerrit explains reasons for December 6 as UWP goes ahead to contest. Prime Minister Skerrit has decided it is best to explain the reasons behind the choice of December 6 as the date for the coming general elections. He said he chose December 6 because he does not want the New Year 2020 to be about political strifes and divisions. He wants Dominicans to decide on who to lead them into the 2020 future.
PM Skerrit had earlier announced on October 13 that elections date would be fixed for within 100 days. People however expected that the elections would hold early next year. But they were caught offguard when the prime minister at a Labour Party Got Talent event announced December 6 for elections. He explained that campaigns and political bickerings should not be carried into the new year.
“Keeping in mind the issue of what is best for our country, I have decided that given the divisive nature of general elections, campaigning should not be carried out into the New Year,” Skerrit said.
He used the opportunity to remind Dominicans of what they have benefitted from the DLP administration and what the government has in stock for them once the DLP wins the elections. According to Skerrit, his administration has created jobs, provided free housing, supported business growths and expansions, provided free education and healthcare as well as support for the elderly. He said his government provided for all Dominicans regardless of party affiliations; he noted that even everyone in the opposition parties enjoyed the largesse of the DLP.
“Many of you have gotten jobs, housing, support for your business, pension as a senior, free medicine or healthcare for your children. You have benefited from the policies and work of the labour party…” he said. “Even the opposition has been given constituency offices to help the people in their constituencies. The entire country of Dominica has benefited from the Dominica Labour Party.”
Meanwhile, the UWP and other opposition parties have agreed to participate in the coming elections even if the electoral reforms they initially demanded for were not met. UWP leader Lennox Linton who had earlier campaigned that “no elections without election reforms” has changed the lyrics of his songs to “we will be contesting the elections, make no bones about that…”
The opposition parties had demanded for voter ID cards as well as cleansing of the voters list and even removal of the chairman of the electoral commission among other things. Linton said his party will contest the coming elections even without the electoral reforms they wanted. He said not doing so will mean giving DLP electoral victory on a platter of gold.
“Because if we say no elections without electoral reform and he doesn’t give us electoral reform, and we don’t contest the elections, then the dictator has his dictatorship on a platter and we are not going down that road with him,” UWP’s Lennox Linton said. “He is going to leave office, but in the time available to us we will continue to insist that the reforms be put in place but we will be contesting the elections, make no bones about that.”
Linton pointed out that this will be the last election his UWP will contest without electoral reforms in Dominica.
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