From the outset, let me declare that I support all those who, in times past and present, have championed causes to alleviate the people’s plight. I also understand those who have given up the struggle for whatever reason or reasons, as I seek to awaken new energies in an effort to keep the spirits of those who have perished in the struggle alive. It seems as if a tranquilizing cloak has been placed on the ascendant spirits, but it is my hope that the following article will help to inspire the next generations of revolutionaries. I rest this claim in the will of the good spirits of the ancestors.
I will stop here for now, because there may be other dimensions at work. For one, the Dominican political culture has been radically transformed, especially within the past generation (20 – 25 years). This must also be considered when planning any public protest. The present governing incumbency has embraced Dame Eugenia’s principle of silencing the descending voices by purchasing them into subjugation. How else must one explain the April 2018 crossing of the floor from the opposition into government side of a very vocal and aggressive Member of Parliament, Joseph Isaac? Isaac’s ambitions alone did not push him across; economic considerations certainly played a lead role in that outcome.
Electoral politics in Dominica no longer appears to be an honorable pursuit to serve the people; it is probably the reverse, and this should be reversed. We have entered the domains of popular fanaticism where the glitz and glamour of the moment influence the people’s action. This is what has to be rivaled. The people need an alternative approach or design that would transform their ideas of politics and beliefs, alter their convictions and provide them with an all-abiding hope for the future. Beginning from the 1980s, many Dominicans were rubbed from their financial independence and, as has been discussed, this has not gotten any better. There is a hyper-socialization approach which is advanced by the ruling regime over the past years that has eroded the traditional Dominican way of life. It is this stretch out your hand syndrome that has sucked the spirit of fight out of many.
That dependency or mendicancy craze in Dominica is a major humanitarian fiasco. This is the main tool which is being used – especially post Topical Storm Erika and Hurricane Maria – to mussel the aggrieved masses and this situation need to be addressed urgently. This dependency has rubbed the people from their human dignity and their independence; the people cannot help but to feed at the feet of their providers. On the flip side, some of those who are financially independent have consolidated that status within the ruling elite. The remaining majority is up against all odds and as such may not readily stand against even their very state of destitution. Simply, the people fear of being left to starve if they show any descent and how can you blame them with the evidence which have been seen.
This article is copyright © 2019 DOM767
