Saving face is one game but distorting facts is another. The 10,500 free tickets issued to the ruling Dominica Labor Party supporters for the World Creole Music Festival (WCMF) may have boosted the image of the event, but this free ticket blitz tells us one thing and one thing only- Without the free ticket blitz the people on island could not afford to attend the events; local patronage of the world creole music festival would have been disastrous and a major embarrassment or indictment of the current government administration. The free ticket blitz is an indication of an economy in trouble

In as much as we would like to keep talking about the impact of the free ticket blitz on the future of the WCMF and the management thereof there is something about the ongoing fuel shortage on island that the people of Dominica should know about before they come lying to you.

“All deception in the course of life is indeed nothing else but a lie reduced to practice, and falsehood passing from words into things.” 

A few weeks ago, the vessel delivering the fuel for the former Petro Caribe operation arrived with a consignment of fuel, but the fuel supplier demanded cash transfer as opposed to a check. According to our reliable sources the government checks have not been reliable. In other words, the government who is responsible for the operation has not been good with paying the fuel supplier.

The story with the fuel vessel does not end there though. We can also confirm that a Petro Caribe employee had been suspended without pay after allegedly telling the vessel operator that they can leave port because the government cannot meet the demand for a cash transfer. Mag wais Ca. 

So how it is then that the former Petro Caribe operation supplying fuel to island cannot pay their bills? Well, we can confirm that there is widespread racketeering taking place at the former Petro Caribe operation. First of all, the government ministers and other members of cabinet are able to fill-up their tanks free of charge. But we know how these hungry hyenas operate. Some fuel dispensing logs at the Petro Caribe site show that ministers of government receiving full tanks of fuel up to 7and 8 times a day. According to sources close to the Former Petro Caribe operation, when a minister’s name is logged in 8 times in one day it’s because Parl Reps have been sending people to fill up their tanks free of charge all day long- we are talking buses, trucks, cars, rentals included, motorbikes and fisher folks showing up with tanks for their outboard motors.

The week leading up to the creole festival saw an added spike in free fuel dispensation. Even diasporas with rented vehicles came in for free gasoline

For those who didn’t know, the managing director of the Petro Caribe fuel supply operation is the disgraced former minister of government Ian Pinard. According to people within the DLP circle Ian Pinard who was fired from the Skerrit cabinet for an alleged sexual interference with an underage girl is allegedly way to busy building his hotel with two swimming pools up in the heights of Point Mitchell.

Although we have not seen Ian Pinard’s name on the CBI website as a registered CBI agent, we cannot confirm whether or not Pinard’s hotel construction is being financed by revenues from the CBI program. If not almost hotels on island are now being financed by the CBI program

We were told that whenever Pinard is informed of the alarming number of My Parl Rep referrals showing up for free gas and diesel at the facility, his only reaction is -“ Boy them fellas there not easy eh” but then he has no choice but to capitulate.

A great deal of resources can be squandered in perpetuating ignorance when the need for illusion is deep. While the people of Dominica begged for a relief at the pump station, the hyenas refuse to budge. Now we know why- the Petro Caribe operation could not pay their bills.  

The WCMF free ticket blitz and the free gas scandal at Petro Caribe elicits salient questions on the state of the economy and the level of poverty. With that in mind there is one question that we have been waiting to ask the Prime Minister and his administration.

Prime Minister Skerrit is it true that in order to keep American Airline operating in Dominica an arrangement was made with the airline to subsidize the flight coming into Dominica?

Let it be known that we are asking in the interest of transparency not because we think it’s a bad idea. The people of Dominica need to know the truth.