June 2016

Thursday, June 30, 2016

Skerrit, Maduro and the OAS

Nicolas Maduro (center left), Roosevelt Skerrit (center right)

It does not look pretty for Dominica among anti-Maduro forces in Latin America. A firestorm has erupted throughout the hemisphere over what is being regarded as Dominica's defense of the Maduro regime within the Organization of American States (OAS). We are being maligned by Latin Americans as scoundrels and supporters of repression. And we have Roosevelt Skerrit to thank for that.

The 46 Annual General Assembly of the OAS recently concluded in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. During that meeting, from June 13 to 15, an attempt was made within the organization to take some form of action against the Venezuelan government for its wanton abuse of the country's constitution as well as a breakdown in law and order in the country that poses a grave threat to the security, stability and social fabric of its people. The OAS has within its charter the ability to act against a member state should it be determined that the country's democracy is under threat due to documented constitutional violations. According to Antigua's Ambassador to the OAS Sir Ronald Sanders, this attempt failed. Dominica was represented by our Ambassador in Washington DC, Hubert Charles (see below).

Undeterred by the inability to get some action on Venezuela at the General Assembly meeting, OAS Secretary General Luis Leonardo Almagro Lemes took his mission to assist in the restoration of the country's constitution one step further by calling together a special meeting of the hemispheric body on June 23rd to present his report on Venezuela. Mr. Lemes invoked Article 20 of the OAS's charter, the Inter-American Democratic Charter (IADC) (see below), which gives him the authority to act. Mr. Lemes urged the member states gathered to join in what amounts to decisive actions against the Maduro regime aimed at the restitution of constitutional democracy, including possible suspension from the OAS.

His presentation (see below) to the member states gathered in Santo Domingo, constitutes one of the most consise analyses of events that have unfolded in Venezuela over the last few years. Secretary General Lemes went into detail, listing the systematic dismantling of Venezuela's constitution by the Maduro regime and the collateral damage that has occured as a result. Mr. Lemes clearly laid out a roadmap for the OAS to follow and called on its members to assist in the restoration of democracy in Venezuela. As expected but unfortunately, Roosevelt Skerrit, beholden to Mr. Maduro and his Petro Caribe dollars, has sided with the oppressive regime in Caracas against the people of Venezuela as well as our friends across the region, including the United States. But Mr. Skerrit was not alone in his treachery.

It is interesting that Mr. Skerrit never misses an opportunity to spite the United States in the global arena but is adamant in his desire to have his children born in that country. Mr. Skerrit also is also rumored to own property, financed by ill-gotten gains, in the US under the names of close friends and associates.

The Dirty Dozen

Following his presentation, Mr. Lemes called for a vote of approval from member states. Joining Mr. Skerrit in opposing the desire to restore constitutional authority and stability in Venezuela were eleven other countries; Antigua & Barbuda, Bolivia, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Equador, Grenada, Haiti, Nicaragua, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, and Venezuela. These twelve states, whom we shall call "The Dirty Dozen", are all beneficiaries of Mr. Maduro's largesse at the expense of the Venezuelan people. We are not surprised at their subservience to Maduro but, upon listening to Sir Ronald Sanders presentation, we were appalled at his attempt to minimalize the events unfolding in Venezuela. Sir Ronald first accused Mr. Lemes of having a contentious relationship with Mr. Maduro, which we would agree with considering the situation in Venezuela. In rebuking Mr. Lemes' invocation of Article 20 of the IADC, specifically this section of the charter "an unconstitutional alteration of the constitutional regime that seriously impairs the democratic order in a member state", Sir Ronald went on to paint a simplistic picture of Venezuela today saying that there was no evidence to suggest that this was the case. "There has been no unconstitutional alteration of the constitutional regime in Venezuela...What is occurring in Venezuela is a struggle for power between several political factions, but as of now there has been no unconstitutional alteration of the constitutional regime, and it is that principle for which my government stands", Sir Ronald stated. We strenuously disagree. Has Sir Ronald and the Antiguan government not been paying attention to Mr. Maduro's illegal packing of the courts in order to have his way? Have they not heard of the assassination of an opposition leader? Under what rock has Sir Ronald been living?

The Freedom Fighters

Twenty states voted in favour of Mr. Lemes' presentation. They were; Argentina, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, United States, and Uraguay. St. Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago abstained from voting.

Secretary General Lemes, perhaps chastened by the failed attempt to have the OAS act collectively at the just-concluded General Assembly, called for the establishment of a separate grouping to see his recommendations through. The "Group of Friends", as it will be called, will be mandated to work on solutions aimed at fostering the return of constitutional law and democracy in Venezuela. Mr. Lemes has his detractors, but we join with the Human Rights Watch (www.hrw.org) in encouraging Mr. Lemes to pursue an agenda that seeks to liberate the people of Venezuela from the clutches of a despotic regime.

The opposition forces in Venezuela are attempting to have Mr. Maduro recalled, and we fully support that effort. Mr. Maduro is an incompetent despot sitting on the largest oil reserves in the world. He is directly responsible for the plight of his citizens and needs to be evicted from office post haste. We in the Latin America/Caribbean region are on the verge of witnessing a migrant crisis similar to what has been occuring in Europe since the inception of the war in Syria. If action is not taken to mitigate the crisis unfolding in Venezuela, our islands will be inundated with Venezuelans fleeing their country en masse; are we prepared to handle this coming influx? Mr. Skerrit has not lifted a finger to assist the Dominicans trapped in Mr. Maduro's grasp, we doubt very much he will assist in saving Venezuelans from their own repressive government.

References made in this story.

Article 20 of the Inter-American Democratic Charter.

"In the event of an unconstitutional alteration of the constitutional regime that seriously impairs the democratic order in a member state, any member state or the Secretary General may request the immediate convocation of the Permanent Council to undertake a collective assessment of the situation and to take such decisions as it deems appropriate.

The Permanent Council, depending on the situation, may undertake the necessary diplomatic initiatives, including good offices, to foster the restoration of democracy.

If such diplomatic initiatives prove unsuccessful, or if the urgency of the situation so warrants, the Permanent Council shall immediately convene a special session of the General Assembly. The General Assembly will adopt the decisions it deems appropriate, including the undertaking of diplomatic initiatives, in accordance with the Charter of the Organization, international law, and the provisions of this Democratic Charter.

The necessary diplomatic initiatives, including good offices, to foster the restoration of democracy, will continue during the process."

Secretary General Luis Leonardo Almagro Lemes' Report on Venezuela.

Click this link to view report on the OAS website. SecGen Report

OAS Special Meeting of the Permanent Council June 23rd.

Click this link to take you to the YouTube video presentation: Amb. Hubert Charles at OAS

Ambassador Charles' presentation starts at the 1:46:40 mark.

Sir Ronald Sanders' presentation starts at the 1:07:27 mark.

Open Letter by Human Rights Watch to OAS Secretary General Lemes.

Click this link to view letter: HRW Open Letter to OAS

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Tyranny rears it's ugly head

Daniel Carbon

"Um eine Nation zu erobern , zunächst entwaffnen seine Bürger"

This quote, attributed to Adolph Hitler, translates to "To conquer a nation, first disarm its citizens". Today in Dominica, we have an administration that appears to be on track to replicate the worst abuses of tyrannical regimes.

The Roosevelt Skerrit government is in the process of targeting specific detractors in Dominica. Not satisfied with his ongoing wholesale abuse of segments of our society, Mr. Skerrit appears to have given the green light to his goon squad commander Daniel Carbon the authority to systematically target his opponents in the hopes that they will be silenced in the process. Mr. Carbon is said to have in his possession a list of prominent persons in our society who are licensed firearm holders and has begun to unilaterally revoke the licenses without cause. Mr. Skerrit and Mr. Carbon are on a mission to expose these individuals to conditions that could be described as life-threatening.

The first target on this list is former Police Officer Wayne James. Mr. James, a well-trained and distinguished former member of the Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force (CDPF), is a critic of Mr. Skerrit's government. Mr. James has on a number of occasions expressed his displeasure with the manner in which Mr. Skerrit and his government continues to abuse the citizens of Dominica. Mr. James has also advised Mr. Carbon as well as current Police Officers that their duty and loyalty lie with the people of Dominica, not its politicians.

Mr. Skerrit has deemed Mr. James a threat to his government. Mr. James, who is a family man with a wife and daughter, lives and owns a business that is located in a remote area in the heartland. As a former Police Officer and currently an entrepreneur, Mr. James being in possession of a firearm is critical to the security of his family and his business. Without any cause, and against the rules which lay out the procedure that must be followed when relieving a licensed firearm holder of his weapon, Mr. Carbon has written a letter to Mr. James informing him that his license has been revoked. The letter was hand-delivered by 2 Police Officers, who confiscated Mr. James' firearm immediately.

Letter delivered to Mr. Wayne James

Two days after the unlawful seizure of Mr. James' firearm, his home was burglarized and ransacked. Mr. James has never experienced a burglary before and we believe that the thieves knew that Mr. James would be incapable of defending his life and property. His family is on edge and are in fear for their lives.

We can safely say that Roosevelt Skerrit and Daniel Carbon are facilitators of crime in Dominica. But that should be of no surprise to anyone. We must remember that Mr. Skerrit is a coward and his perceived strength only exists because he governs a population that appears to cowed. Dominicans have allowed Mr. Skerrit to get away with his shenanigans for far too long. We cannot continue to allow this degree of brutality to be visited upon us.

Mr. Skerrit is also a man living in fear. He knows that his days fleecing the treasury are nearing an end. We Dominicans must understand that Mr. Skerrit will do whatever it takes for him to remain in power. This is why Mr. Skerrit will employ the likes of Daniel Carbon and Anthony Astaphan to do his dirty work; Mr. Carbon is the enforcer and Mr. Astaphan is the propaganda chief; the Heinrich Himmler and Josef Goebbles of Mr. Skerrit's criminal enterprise. Mr. Astaphan has conveniently parked himself in an upscale South Florida enclave and proceeds to spew venom at Dominicans back home. He has called us parasites, cockroaches, kakadors, among others. Anthony Astaphan is an existential threat to our democracy. We must do something about this; our lives, dignity, and our very existence are at stake.

First they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for me and by then there was no one left to speak out for me.

Pastor Martin Neimoller

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Feds move to ensure Lap Seng conviction

Chinese billionaire Ng Lap Seng
Courtesy: South China Morning Post

Since the untimely passing of former UN General Assembly President John Ashe, speculation has been rife as to how his death may affect the government's case against Chinese billionaire Ng Lap Seng. Undoubtedly Mr. Ashe's death is certain to add a considerable amount of intrigue to a case that has already been punctuated with several twists and turns, but we are convinced that although Ashe's death may force the Feds to make some adjustments, Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara is not going to allow Ashe's passing to impede his prosecution of Lap Seng and his indicted co-conspirators. Mr. Ashe died just 5 days before a scheduled court appearance in Manhattan Federal Court.

From left: John Ashe, Francis Lorenzo, Roosevelt Skerrit, and Ng Lap Seng

Mr. Ashe, who was initially introduced to Mr. Ng by Dominica's Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, was to appear before presiding Judge Vernon Broderick on Monday, July 27th alongside Ng Lap Seng and Jeff Yin, who was arrested with Mr. Ng last September. Mr. Ashe, Mr. Skerrit, Mr. Ng and former Dominican Republic deputy Ambassador Francis Lorenzo were photographed in Macau last August signing agreements on projects pushed by Mr. Ng, including a "Technology Center" in Dominica. Three weeks after that meeting, the FBI arrested Mr. Ng, Mr. Ashe and Mr. Lorenzo, while Mr. Skerrit remains at large. We can only presume that is probably due to his status as head of state.

Letter of Agreement signed by Roosevelt Skerrit and Ng Lap Seng

Mr. Ashe was in talks with prosecutors hoping to secure a plea deal. In his negotiations with prosecutors, Mr. Ashe would have had to provide the Feds with detailed information on Mr. Ng's UN bribery scheme in order to get prosecutors to agree to a deal which would limit Mr. Ashe's time behind bars. We do not know what Mr. Ashe may have handed prosecutors by the time of his death but we are certain it would have had to be of sufficient value to keep them interested in continuing negotiations. We also do not know how close the two parties were to a deal but prosecutors would most certainly have documented the negotiations on video. Therefore, we do not believe Mr. Ashe's passing is going to affect the Feds in any significant way. Proof of that was just 48 hours away.

Two days after Mr. Ashe's death and 3 days before Ng Lap Seng was to appear in Federal Court, prosecutors filed a letter with Judge Broderick seeking a Curcio hearing on a matter involving Lap Seng attorney Hugh Mo. A Curcio hearing is held to examine facts relating to whether an attorney can provide adequate representation to a client during a trial where he or she may have conflicting interest. The Feds may be attempting to have one of Mr. Ng's lawyers dismissed from the case due to potential conflicts of interest.

We informed you in April that Mr. Mo became part of Mr. Ng's defense team upon the withdrawal of Mr. Ng's primary attorney, Benjamin Brafman. Mr. Brafman did not state what the reason was for his withdrawal but he informed the court that Mr. Mo was taking over. Now the Feds could be looking at having Mr. Mo removed from the case.

Brafman withdrawal letter

In his letter to Judge Broderick, US Attorney Bharara stated that the Federal government believes Mr. Hugh Mo "faces a potential conflict of interest stemming from his representation in other matters of clients linked to the Government of the People's Republic of China." Mr. Bharara went on further to state that in November 2015 the government informed Mr. Mo that it had learned that he had served as General Counsel to the Permanent Mission of the People's Republic of China to the United Nations (PRCUN) and requested further details in order to evaluate whether an actual or potential conflict of interest existed.

Mr. Mo subsequently confirmed to the Feds that he has represented the PRCUN as well as the Consulate of the People's Republic of China in New York (PRCNY), where his "duties and representation concerned providing advice and representation in areas of taxation, real estate, liaison with local and federal agencies, and providing general legal advice". He stated that his "most recent engagement...involves serving as liaison and providing legal advice regarding public security matters with the NYPD and do not involve political or policy issues". Mr. Mo also told the Feds that he did not believe any actual or potential conflict of interest existed, but that Mr. Ng was willing to waive any conflicts that the Federal government may believe exist.

Mr. Bharara noted in his letter that the Feds have continued to evaluate whether a potential conflict exists due to Mr. Mo's representation of the PRCUN among other clients linked to the Chinese government. The Feds believe that a potential conflict of interest exists, though he noted that the potential conflict can be waived by Mr. Ng.

Pages 1 & 2 of Curcio request letter

In requesting a Curcio hearing, the prosecutors are ensuring that their case against Ng Lap Seng is not tainted by Mr. Mo being part of the defense team, a situation which could lead to an appellate ruling that is unfavourable to the government should Mr. Ng be convicted and then appeal his conviction based on the premise that he did not receive proper representation because of the presence of Mr. Mo on the defense team, which the government had prior knowledge of.

In laying out his case to Judge Broderick, Mr. Bharara made reference to several cases where arguments relating to potential conflicts of interest were integral to the individual trials, and he cited a ruling from the Second Circuit court: "The trial court has an obligation to inquire into the facts and circumstances of an attorney's interests either in response to a timely conflict of interest objection or when it knows or reasonably should know of the possibility of a conflict of interest. Failure to engage in such an inquiry, when it is required, results in an automatic reversal. An inquiry allows the trial judge to determine the precise nature of the conflict and how to proceed, i.e., whether to disqualify counsel, obtain a waiver from the defendant pursuant to Curcio, or take no action". Mr. Bharara is dotting his "I's" and crossing his "T's".

Judge Broderick has not made a determination in regards to the Curcio hearing request from the government but we expect that he will hand down his ruling shortly. We are looking forward to his ruling.

Updated: 12:00 GMT

Friday, June 24, 2016

The BREXIT vote

With shockwaves being felt in the worlds currency and trading markets, the spotlight is now being shone on the events that will follow. The Bank of England has assured skittish investors that the bank has the capacity to handle the gyrations of the markets. However, the effects on the street are beginning to dawn on the British.

Already the backtracking has begun among members of the Leave campaign. Nigel Farage, head of the Independence Party, is now admitting that it was a mistake to say that the NHS (National Health Service) would benefit from £350 million in weekly contributions that Britain now passes on to the EU. Speaking on television today to ITV's Susanna Reid hours after the votes came in, Farage said that the pledge to invest the saving in the NHS was wrong.

Reid fired back saying "Hang on a moment. That was one of your adverts". She noted that the pledge may have influenced many people to vote Leave. She asked "You're saying that after 17 million people have voted for Leave - I don't know how many people voted on the basis on that advert, but it was a huge part of the propaganda - you're saying that was a mistake?"

Brits were livid. Farage immediately came under a barrage of criticism on social media and on the streets. Many are saying that the Leave campaign have made numerous pledges to secure votes that they cannot guarantee.

John Pollard, the leader of the Cornwall Council, issued a statement saying "Now that we know that the UK will be leaving the EU, we will be taking urgent steps to ensure that the UK government protects Cornwall's position in any negotiations".

Cornwall receives an average of £60m annually in EU subsidies and they were assured that if they voted Leave, their subsidies which were already allocated will not be affected. Cornwall is the single largest recipient of EU aid in the UK and it stands to lose that assistance. The people of Cornwall voted overwhelmingly to leave.

Statistics show that regions that are most economically dependent on the EU aid are the ones that voted Leave. They now face the prospect of losing all EU financial benefits.

Meanwhile in Scotland, calls are being made to have a second go at a referrendum to leave the United Kingdom. The last time a plebicite was held for that purpose, it failed. But with Scotland having voted to Remain in the EU, calls for Scotland to break with the UK have been given new life. Londoners, who voted in favour of staying, are openly asking whether they could have a vote to leave the UK.

Across Europe, similar nationalist fervor has been awaken. Marine Le Pen, the leader of the French anti-immigrant Front Nationale is calling for a similar vote in France. European leader have reacted with shock and some are calling for a speedy separation, fearing a prolonged process will only lead to uncertainty and a recession.

The Sun is reporting that Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo is calling for co-sovereignty on Gibraltar. The tiny peninsular surrounded by Spain, sits at the mouth of the Mediterranean and has been a British outpost since 1713. Mr. Garcia-Margallo's call for the territory to be co-managed by Spain comes as the results in Gibraltar indicate that an incredible 95.9% of its residents voted to Remain in the EU. Known as "the Rock", Gibraltar has been a major source of contention between Spain and the United Kingdom.

Disaster in Europe

The English people have voted to leave the European Union and the result will have serious political and economic ramifications. The first casualty of the vote is Prime Minister David Cameron. Speaking on the steps if 10 Downing Street, an emotional Mr. Cameron told the nation that he has informed Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of his decision to resign and that he believes the country needs a new leader by Conservative Party's conference in October.

The BREXIT vote is a victory for the nationalist movement in England led by former London mayor Boris Johnson and its effects will be wide-ranging. In France, leader of the ultra nationalist party, Marine Le Pen has hailed it as a success and is calling for a similar vote in France, calling it FREXIT. Global markets are in free fall and the world appears poised for another major economic crisis if the shocks cannot be arrested quickly. The British Pound has collapsed, trading at its lowest point in over 30 years, a considerable loss in value which could result in a spike in the cost of living. The FTSE is under stress as billions in share values were instantly wiped off the books. Nick Parsons, a global currency strategist at NAB in London, said "we've had a 10 percent decline in six hours, and a vote to leave provides an existential crisis for Europe".

Experts are predicting a cascading effect across the European Union which could potentially lead to a break up of the Union. News from the German Chancellery this morning indicate that the 6 founding members of the European Union will be gathering in Berlin tomorrow to discuss the UK referendum. There are fears of a recession in Britain that would affect Europe. Investors are rushing to US Treasury bonds hoping that they will prove to be a safe haven, while ratings agency Standard and Poors has warned that it would likely downgrade Britain's triple A rating.

In the Caribbean, we should brace ourselves for another downturn in our economies. The uncertainty in Britain and Europe coupled with the value of the Pound and the Euro may have disastrous effects on our tourism industry as Brits and Europeans hold on to their wallets until they feel secure about their economic future. Dominica's economy, already in shambles, will likely be shredded even more. We're in for a wild ride.

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Former UN President John Ashe has died

Former UN Assembly President John Ashe

Former UN Assembly President and Antiguan Ambassador John William Ashe has reportedly passed. The Antigua Observer is reporting that Mr. Ashe succumbed to a massive heart attack today, June 22nd, in New York.

Ambassador Ashe was a central figure in the ongoing Federal investigation of bribery at the United Nations. The investigation involves payments made to him and several other individuals by Chinese billionaire Ng Lap Seng, who is under house arrest in New York.

Ambassador Ashe was scheduled to be in Manhattan Federal Court this coming Monday, June 27th. In addition to Ashe, Ng Lap Seng and Jeffery Yin were also scheduled to appear at Monday's hearing. We informed you last month that Mr. Ashe's primary lawyers, Sills, Cummis & Gross, had filed a request with presiding Judge Vernon Broderick to be removed from the case. The request stated that the law firm was having problems getting paid by Mr. Ashe and that it could no longer continue to represent him. The request was approved by the judge and the court appointed new lawyers to represent him.

The hearing scheduled on Monday would have been the first time Mr. Ashe would have been in full conference before the court with his new lawyers. Exactly how this affects the case moving forward it is yet to be seen but we are certain it will not hinder the work of Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara. Unconfirmed reports indicated to us last week that Mr. Ashe was considering a plea deal with prosecutors. We were told that Mr. Ashe was a broken man, and with the Federal government about to add more charges, he was apparently about to sing to prosecutors. His death coming just 5 days before his next court appearance is certainly mysterious.

The UN bribery scandal continues to intrigue us. There have been many twists and turns and questions abound. We wonder; was Mr. Ashe ill? This is a curious development. We will continue to follow this case as it develops.

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Real Mas in the Cemetery

Msgr. Eustace Thomas (c.)
Photo: Dominica Vibes

News reaching MiTC overnight indicate that there was an altercation at a funeral on Tuesday which may have resulted in one individual being detained at Police Headquarters and another at the Princess Margaret Hospital.

Details are sketchy but from what we understand, pandemonium broke out at the funeral of a lady today in Dominica. Sources tell us that a member of the family of the deceased was engaged in what may have been a shouting match with the head of the St. Alphonsus Church, Monsignor Eustace Thomas, who is also said to be related to the deceased. Update: our initial report of a shouting match as being the source of the altercation is erroneous. Ms. Robin has informed us that the Police arrived with a previously prepared arrest warrant which alleged that she "poked" the Haitian woman, which prompted a Magistrate to issue the warrant because she was considered a flight risk.

The individual who was engaged in the confrontation with Fr. Thomas, Ms. Fran Robin, is Fr. Thomas' cousin who recently made headlines when she revealed on social media that the Monsignor was having an inappropriate relationship with a Haitian woman who was living at her house in Roseau. Ms. Robin, who resides in the US, has been attempting to get the woman evicted but has run into considerable interference from Fr. Thomas, who she says uses his influence and connections to frustrate her efforts. At the funeral today, Fr. Thomas apparently used his influence once again when he confronted Ms. Robin and her family, who are in Dominica for the service and burial, and allegedly orchestrated a series of events that resulted in Ms. Robin being rushed to the Princess Margaret Hospital while her husband was detained at Police Headquarters.

Journalist Carlisle Jno-Baptiste recently had a run in with Fr. Thomas for what many suspect was a surreptitious attempt to silence him and other members of the media on the issue relating to the Monsignor and the Haitian woman. A few days ago, while speaking to Q95 Hot Seat anchor Mathias Peltier Jr, Mr. Jno-Baptiste recalled details of his brief encounter with Fr. Thomas which at the time appeared to be amicable. Mr. Jno-Baptiste said that the Monsignor greeted him affectionately and the two exchanged pleasantries. Not long after that encounter, Mr. Jno-Baptiste reported that he was served with a cease and desist letter from attorney Lenox Lawrence on behalf of Fr. Thomas. The letter purportedly instructs Messrs. Jno-Baptiste and Peltier as well as Q95 from making references to Fr. Thomas. The letter does not apparently make specific mention of the issue involving Fr. Thomas and the Haitian woman, but the inference is clear in the wording. Mr. Jno-Baptiste has since referred to his encounter with Fr. Thomas as a "Judas kiss".

Upon learning about the altercation yesterday, MiTC reached out to Ms. Robin to express our concerns for her safety as well as that of her family.

Full disclosure: When the allegations about Monsignor Thomas first surfaced on social media, we immediately reached out to Ms. Robin for clarification. She expressed to us then that she was dealing with a death in her family and so could not talk to us at that time but would talk at more appropriate time. Ms. Robin then traveled to Dominica for the funeral. The confrontation on Tuesday occurred at that service.

We can report today that Ms. Robin is safe and is in the care of loved ones. She has also indicated that the confrontation was orchestrated by Fr. Thomas and has released a statement to Mas In The Cemetery.

Here is the statement by Ms. Robin.

Note: The image above represents the true and accurate prepared statement by Ms. Robin as released to MiTC. It has not been edited in any way from its original content. Ms. Robin asserts her right to express herself and she has chosen to do so in this manner. She has done so freely and without inhibitions.

Update 13:40 GMT: We can inform you that this statement by Ms. Williams was presented to the Bishop of Roseau, Gabriel Malzaire by her lawyer. We are also in possession of emails as well as screen shot text messages that appear to be between Fr. Thomas and the Haitian woman.

Monday, June 20, 2016

The Liberators of Marigot

Ian Douglas (l.), Roosevelt Skerrit (c), Janet Charles (r.)

It is without a doubt that the picturesque village of Salisbury is the birthplace of Dominica's Independence from Great Britain; the beautiful town of Marigot stands to be the birthplace of our Liberation from another oppressive master, Roosevelt Skerrit. It remains to be seen how this will manifest itself over the coming weeks, months and years, but one thing is for certain; the people of Marigot and the north-east have thrown down the gauntlet and have scared the shit out of Roosevelt Skerrit.

Roosevelt Skerrit is afraid of Marigot. In fact, Skerrit is a coward. Like all cowards, he exerts his authority through payouts to those who exhibit a lack of principle and convictions, and for those who resist, he uses his position to commandeer a bully pulpit to goad his opponents and instruct his dimwitted flock to follow his lead. Does "when you see Lennox Linton and supporters of the United Workers Party go to them and shout traitor" come to mind?

Skerrit, having known that the people of Marigot and the north-east intended to have a public meeting, march and prayer vigil, hastily scurried away from Dominica in advance of the event and brought his traveling road show of lies to England. Hearing that a march was planned, Skerrit must have feared that the people of Marigot would have done something to halt operations at the Melville Hall airport, which would have hindered his escape from Dominica. He therefore had his goon squad commander Daniel Carbon issue threats and position his officers in the bushes around Marigot in the hopes that they would suppress any uprising. But the people of Marigot are not fools; they were not going to cater to Skerrit's whims.

The demonstration and prayer vigil was held to bring further attention to the deplorable state of health care in the north-east. The government of Roosevelt Skerrit has allowed what was the primary health facility in the region, the Marigot Hospital, to first partially close due to a termite infestation. The hospital is now fully shut due to further deterioration. Dominicans know that the hospital is closed with no operational alternative in close proximity. Yet Roosevelt Skerrit, after fleeing Dominica out of fear of being caught in an uprising, showed up at a meeting in London held under the auspices of Dominica's High Commission in the United Kingdom spreading lies.

We received correspondence from the High Commission inviting Dominican nationals residing in the UK to a meet-and-greet with Portsmouth MP Ian Douglas on Thursday June 16th. The invitation letter, received on the 14th, was dated June 13th. On June 15th we emailed the High Commssioner requesting a one-on-one interview with Mr. Douglas, who was said to be in England on no specific official business. We received a response from Ms. Josephine Mason rejecting our request stating that Mr. Douglas could not accommodate an interview with MiTC due to his schedule. We sincerely doubt that was the reason. On the following day, hours before the scheduled start of the meeting, we received an urgent email from Acting High Commissioner Janet Charles informing us that the Prime Minister will be joining the meeting.

Roosevelt Skerrit showed up at the London meeting armed with a battery of lies and half-truths. Dominica's Liar- In-Chief proceeded to inform the nationals gathered that the Marigot hosiptal has been moved and that his government has found a building to house a new facility. He failed to acknowledge his government's failures; the man continues to paint a rosy picture in the face of imminent total economic collapse. Where is did the Marigot hospital move to, he is yet to tell us. Our people in Marigot cannot locate the new facility either.

Roosevelt Skerrit is not only a coward but a certified pathological liar. The local press in Dominica needs to step up and question this man about the lies he continues to tell the people of this country. We cannot understand how the press, who's job it includes being the vanguard in defense of our democracy, continues to give this man carte blanche to continue with this charade. The High Commissioner knows MiTC was not going to allow Ian Douglas or Roosevelt Skerrit to get away with their bullshit. This must be why our request for an interview was firmly rejected.

We at MiTC would like to thank the people of Marigot, Concord, Wesley, Woodfordhill and surrounding villages for their resoluteness. One year ago, the people of Salisbury stood up and raised their fists. The people of the north-east are following in their footsteps. We have nothing but praise for a people who have guided us when we sought our Independence and are now clearing the path to our Liberation. We can only hope the rest of the country follows.

There is an inherent strain of resentment, some say prejudice, among a considerable amount of Dominicans against the people of Marigot and Wesley that we have a hard time understanding. Some of our finest minds have come from that region; the north-east has been critical to the development of our country. It was once the most productive agricultural sector in Dominica; that was before Skerrit and his band of misfits destroyed the industry. The region retains the capacity to feed us as well as producing sufficient product for export that will bring us desperately needed foreign exchange. We need to do what's right; we need to unite behind the people of the north-east and yell "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore".

Remember, Skerrit is a coward.

St. Joseph's Village Idiot

St. Joseph MP Kelver Darroux, resident idiot

village idiot (noun): a person of very low intelligence resident and well known in a village.

idiot savant (noun): a person considered to be mentally defective who displays brilliance in a specific field.

The "village" is St. Joseph and the specific "field" in the case of boy minister Kelver Darroux, is stupidity. Kelver has once again embarrassed himself and Dominica by making a ridiculous proclamation that the country is poised to become a regional "Silicon Valley". How he came to that conclusion we cannot tell but we can probably presume that he may have been driving through the Layou Valley, admiring the soaring mountains and cascading valleys and, having read somewhere about a place called Silicon Valley, came up with a fanciful and preposterous thought; "Layou Valley will be my Silicon Valley". Jackass!

Does Kelver know what really goes on in Silicon Valley? The region is populated by highly skilled technology professionals who design and create the sophisticated products that we use. These professionals, from top tier universities in the US and elsewhere, are engineers in computers, artificial intelligence, science, and related fields and have been in this business for years. Kelver is putting forward the idea of having 3 Indians train some Dominicans at the State College over a 2 year period and believes that is sufficient to "position" Dominica to be the region's Silicon Valley. This boy is as dumb as he looks.

At the opening of an ICT center at the State College Kelver is quoted on a GIS release as saying; "The ICT Center for Excellence and Innovation is expected to deliver the following certified courses and others; developing with Java Basic and Advanced, 3D Animation with Maya, Software Business Processes, Basic and Advanced Linux, Communication and Networking, Web Designing and Applications, Visual Basic, Relational Database, Advanced Linux administration and others".

Kelver Darroux, the professionals in Silicon Valley are engineers with advanced degrees, real degrees, not the type you buy in India. They did not become ICT engineers by doing 6-month courses at a mediocre college. Did the 3 Indians come from Lovely Professional like Roosevelt Skerrit?

People are laughing at you. Fool!

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

No Law, No Constitution

Speaker of the House of Assembly Alix Boyd-Knights

No Law No Constitution.

This phrase has become synonymous with the government of Dominica, one man, Roosevelt Skerrit. But undoubtedly, it is also the rallying cry of everyone Mr. Skerrit has placed his filthy tentacles on. One such person is Alix Boyd-Knights, the obtuse and cantankerous Speaker of the House of Assembly (HoA). Ms. Boyd-Knights is the antithesis of what an impartial and law-abiding Speaker is supposed to be.

Today June 15th, marks the sixth-month anniversary of the last sitting of the House of Assembly (the last sitting was on December 15th, 2015). Ms. Boyd-Knights, who sits as overseer of the HoA, is infamous for using her authority to frustrate the members of the political opposition. She collaborates with Roosevelt Skerrit to ensure that his opponents' rights within the chambers of the HoA are violated with impunity. While she cajoles and cuts off members of the opposition during their contributions to the House, Ms. Boyd-Knights plays dumb and leaves the barn door wide open to allow the roosters and hens on the government side to roam wild, shitting all over the rules of the House as well as the Constitution of Dominica ad nauseam. Alix Boyd-Knights has brought the position of Speaker of Dominica's House of Assembly into disrepute. It is hard to imagine anyone who would replace her doing any worse.

The sixth-month anniversary of the last sitting of parliament is another marker in a long line of systemic abuse of our institutions of democracy by Mr. Skerrit and his appeasers, including Ms. Boyd-Knights. Part 3, Section 53, of Dominica's Constitution states;

Alix Boyd-Knights sits in violation of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Dominica. The Constitution clearly states that there must not be a six month gap between any two sittings of Parliament and so Ms. Boyd-Knights has failed in her responsibilities under our Constitution. What can be done to reprimand her is unclear, because the Constitution does not appear to make these provisions. We believe however, that the President of Dominica has it within his scope of authority to act. However Charles Savarin and Alix Boyd-Knights are part of the same corrupt cabal lead by Roosevelt Skerrit, so we can expect nothing to occur in the foreseeable future.

It is important to note that Ms. Boyd-Knights is paid approximately $6,000 per month from the taxes we pay into our treasury. She has so far drawn at least $36,000 in compensation, (not including additional perks such as travel and security, which she demands), without working one day in 2016. Interviews with current and former public servants who have had the misfortune of working for Ms. Boyd-Knights indicate that she spends her time traveling at the expense of the state.

Alix Boyd-Knights at the 60th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Yaounde, Cameroon

Alix Boyd-Knights is a lazy woman with the warmth and demeanor of a crocodile. Widely reviled, she is known within the public service as a woman with a prickly and abusive personality, having garnered numerous complaints from members of her staff, some of whom have gone so far as to meet with Skerrit, hoping that he could intercede. To appreciate the extent to which Ms. Boyd-Knights is loathed by the public servants who are assigned to work with her, one needs only to take note of the significant changes in personnel in her office during 2015, with four different clerks. That is an incredible turnover of staff in such a short period of time for an office with a lite workload. Furthermore, Mr. Skerrit himself was quick to acknowledge the deeply held disdain for Ms. Boyd-Knights when he hastily withdrew from consideration her nomination as President of Dominica.

Ms. Boyd-Knights continues to preside over a Parliament that has done little work year in and year out. At its sitting last November, Ms. Boyd-Knights shepparded in the passage of punitive financial legislation which enables the rich and powerful to snatch up assets belonging to the less affluent. The Eastern Caribbean Asset Management Act, rushed through Parliament in the blink of an eye, overtuned sections of the Banking Act and made it easy for financial institutions to shift what they determine to be non-performing loans to an asset management company for disposition. This piece of legislation will undoubtedly impact the poor in our society severely, since they are generally the ones who tend to have difficulties servicing their outstanding loans whenever a downturn in our economy occurs. Our economy has been in a tailspin for years and we can expect more non-performing loans that have been secured with tangible assets being passed on from the poor to Mr. Skerrit's and Ms. Boyd-Knights rich friends.

The Pay-to-Play child sexual abuse scandal that erupted earlier this year has shone a light on the prevalence of child molestation cases in Dominica. Ms. Boyd-Knights is on record numerous times strongly advocating for women and children and the need to protect and empower them. She has been conspicuously silent, however, on this particular case. Why would Ms. Boyd-Knights forego an opportunity to speak out on the abuse of our children and push for legislation on their behalf?

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to determine why Ms. Boyd-Knights has been silent on Pay-to-Play. The individuals involved are her personal friends and Ms. Boyd-Knights would much rather sell the female minor to the highest bidder than to condemn the actions of her friends. For all the talk from Ms. Boyd-Knights about the protection of children, in her failure to step forward at a moment when the symbolism of her presense and her authority would be felt the greatest, she has chosen to squat on the child and in the process, revealed herself to be a hypocrite and a woman who tacitly condones the sexual abuse and molestation of children.

Alix Boyd-Knights is a member of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and the Commonwealth Women's Parliamentarians (CWP). Both organizations are known to champion the rights of women and children worldwide. We are seeking to clarify whether Ms. Boyd-Knights is involved with any activity in the Commonwealth involving issues of child welfare. Should we receive positive confirmation, we will waste no time in suggesting to the CPA and CWP that they reconsider her participation; the Commonwealth already has its hands full with a Secretary General, Baroness Patricia Scotland, who has been exposed in the British media as a benefactor of corrupt governments in secret, all the while publicly pontificating about her devotion to the goal of eradicating corruption throughout the Commonwealth. It can ill-afford another embarrassing revelation that features an individual who sells herself as an advocate for the protection of children while simultaneously coddling her friends who themselves have been suspected of, accused, arrested and charged with child molestation.

June 15th, 2015, 11:25 GMT: This piece has been updated to include additional information.

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