COUNTDOWN TO ELECTIONS 2014: Day five of my visit.....Douglas Charles at the crosshairs. Monday was back to work for folks on the island, but for the political parties it was just the start of another day of politicking. Coming on the heels of two major rallies on Sunday, both parties seemed to have lost no voice in the new round of the ongoing verbal slug fest. The overseas vote seemed to dominate the conversation no matter where you ventured on this island. To put the overseas vote in context for some of you who have been under a rock for the past few months; it is being alleged and in one instance confirmed via a taped conversation that the incumbent was literally paying the tickets of overseas nationals who were interested in coming to vote. The recording made mention that the voter had to vote specifically for the ruling party without condition. This particular incident took place in the Florida area, but there is report of similar occurrences through out where ever Dominicans are located. It is said that the overseas vote played a huge role in swinging some battle ground constituencies in the last election and as such, the fear is a repeat of a similar out come. On the other hand, the United Workers Party has been screaming to everybody who would listen about the unfairness of the practice and the fact that it contravenes certain provisions of our sacred constitution. The issue of the overseas vote is largely split along political lines, with the incumbent seeing it as a way of preserving their re-election legacy while the opposition sees it as a poisonous activity that tantamount s to theft. The sad part of this equation is the absence of independent voices in the impasse. The church is silent. The civic organizations on the island have remained silent and the judiciary has remained virtually none existent. And so, the UWP stands alone on this most important issue that currently could sway the election. The main happening of the day however, was talk of a possible protest at the Douglas/Charles airport. There had been talks in not so quiet circles that the airport should become ground zero in the first to show displeasure at the practice. For days the task force, the military like wing of the police had set up camp on the grounds of the airport to squash or be at the ready for any level of instability. The police commissioner did little to ease tensions, when he intimated in a gestapo style obtained recording with his forces that they had the option of using deadly force (not quoting). The communications minister was also on radio pointing out that the police had a job to do and no one would blame the prime minister should it come to the worst (paraphrasing). The rhetoric by both camps was high on the radio stations as caller after caller pointed out that if losing their life was what was needed they would be prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice. By late this evening, it was announced and confirmed in a conversation with the leader of the UWP, that the proposed activity had been cancelled, for what i assumed would be in the interest of the safety of his followers. The UWP leader was lauded in some circles for his leadership and for placing the safety of his group over any gains that may have been attained. Now for my own sentiments......I believe that the police commissioner lost an opportunity to bring both factions together to some common ground. I sometimes get the impression that persons who should be safeguarding the citizens see their role only as the protector of the leaders wishes and fancies. It is hurtful that persons who take an oath to protect the public is sometimes so reluctant to do that even when the circumstances scream for their help. My last comment in this piece involves the breeding of what i see as two Dominicas. One for the ruling party and its supporters and the other for everybody else. This in my mind is a dangerous breeding ground for extremism and disenfranchisement and could only end in something horrible happening down the road. Dominica we can do better!
Posted on: Tue, 02 Dec 2014 01:20:32 +0000
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