Following a clash between police and more than 200 protestors on the Caribbean island of Dominica, the Chairman of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) has called for calm, adherence to the rule of law and constitutionality as citizens prepare to head to the polls on December 6.
The Chairman Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda in a statement declared that “a calm end to violence and other disruptive activity is essential to ensuring that the general elections in Dominica are conducted in an atmosphere that is free and fair.”
Browne who is presently in Washington, D.C. leading a CARICOM delegation to a US Congress Round Table on de-risking and correspondent banking relations called on all parties to respect the law of Dominica and the constitutional provisions for holding general elections that reflect the will of the people.
Similar calls were made by the Dominica Association of Industry and Commerce (DAIC) which cautioned all citizens, political parties and supporters to observe the tenets of peaceful exercise of their electoral franchise in the lead up to, and into the general election.
A statement from DAIC noted that Dominicans “have worked hard to survive and bounce back from the traumas of two destructive weather events which had significant adverse effects to individuals and business owners alike.”
“We must remember the human catastrophe associated with the fallout of Hurricane Maria and the losses suffered. Our country has bounced back to regain a sense of normality because of the diligence and togetherness of the people of Dominica. Let us make every effort to ensure that this is preserved,” DAIC advised.
They stressed that any sequence of events which can and will compromise law and order in the country must be condemned as it will compromise jobs for locals and the economy.
“These events can and will compromise investor confidence and will cause us quite easily to step back to the dark days of the immediate post-Hurricane Maria catastrophe,” DAIC stressed before urging the security forces to be guided by an even-handed approach to law enforcement.
This, they explained means observing the preservation of peace and the protection of the citizenry, private and public property coupled with freedom of movement whilst respecting the rights of individuals to express themselves as is customary in a democracy.
“This marriage between responsible advocacy and responsible leadership is vital in order for this country to continue moving forward peacefully and to ensure that the private sector stays confident through the electoral process,” the Chamber said.
They further urged that responsibility be exercised in the circulation of imagery, both nationally and internationally, which may misrepresent the total view of current life in Dominica.
“We should all be mindful at all times of the power of instant media and the impressions it may give of the island, again compromising the livelihood of businesses large and small and eroding the confidence of the outside world in the entire country. We must ensure that our actions today do not negatively affect our lives and livelihoods after this electoral period is over and that respect for law and order is paramount and essential at this time,” they concluded.
On Monday, members of the Commonwealth of Dominica’s police force fired tear gas into a crowd which had been gathering for a day near the official residence of the president seeking an audience with him on the matter electoral reforms.
The Opposition United Workers Party (UWP) has for years been calling for a reform of the local electoral system which would update the register of electors and where appropriate and lawful remove names of electors no longer entitled to remain on it from the register. Other reforms requested would see the introduction of photo identification cards for the purpose of voting.
The Government has however not instituted the requested reforms and argued that Dominica has always had free and fair elections under this systems.
Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit in an address to the Nation yesterday reminded that both his party and the UWP have been elected to office under the current electoral system and declared that the ongoing protest in the island’s capital therefore cannot be about electoral reforms.
According to Skerrit the protest are “essentially to provide a daily source of video and photo footage for transmission to international media and select international agencies.”
He stressed that they are part of an evolving narrative to suggest that law and order have broken down in Dominica and that elections cannot be free and fair.
The Prime Minister repeatedly invoked the possible damage to investor and tourist confidence which can result from the protest and advised protestors to make their opinion clear in the ballot box.
“The image and economy of Dominica stand to suffer immeasurable. No investor will come into instability,” he lamented.
