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By Caribbean News Global
ROSEAU, Dominica – The dilemma of ignorance to electoral reform, law and order and the art of politics in Dominica is not suitable for political ‘virtuous electoral virgins’ as advertised, less than 100 days to general elections; albeit, electoral advancement is much superior to the understanding of persons with a doctorate, and depending on which institution issued it – is appropriate in a shredder.
The commentary by Dr Emanuel Finn: The general election results may not be business as usual: outperforms any scientific outlook, ventures much to the assumption of reality and the illusion of facts, relative to research, law and common sense. Therefore, the attempt of electoral reform by ‘virtuous electoral virgins’ are not as advertised, require reorientation of the neuron of brain matter, hereon.
At the onset, let’s extract the Pythonic as painful as it may be.
“According to international organizations, the elections were filled with irregularities. In spite of this fact, the country moved on peacefully.
“So why in 2019-2020 do so many informed and unbiased Dominicans at home and abroad believe that if the opposition loses the upcoming elections it can only be because the election was rigged and filled with even larger irregularities?
“The peaceful call to action on the streets on Roseau Monday, September 30th which was led by UWP leader Linton to force the hands of PM Skerrit to account for the alleged missing $1.2 Billion was highly successful. The massive turnout also sent a strong, loud and clear message that Dominicans will not allow Skerrit and DLP to call the elections without electoral reform and cleaning of the voter list. If the election is called without reform then what?
“It is clear to a blind man that if the ruling DLP government does not implement the recommendations for electoral reform by the Joint CARICOM-Commonwealth and OAS Special Mission, then if anything occurs on the streets, then any international tribunal will mostly likely hold Skerrit, Police Chief Carbon, AG Levi Peter and other MPs responsible.
“This matter needs to be pondered on for a minute by the powers that be and by Skerrit’s foreign and domestic ambassadors, financers, collaborators, enablers, and advisers for it is a very serious matter and order. As one of my friends said to me: The government and its supporters must understand that if it thinks that the price of democracy is high, then think again about cost and the price of dictatorship and repressive regimes. Just look at some hell holes like Haiti, The Congo, Libya, North Korea, Central Africa Republic, Venezuela, and others.
“Today ‘Dr’. Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit with his alleged wads of cash, fuzzy accounting, complicated budgets, the politically intoxicated Red brigade, and clinic and Protective Police Service Special Unit, is probably making the same mistake as Mr. John. He is listening to his Attorney General Levi Peter and getting ill advice regarding electoral reform from his personal attorneys.
“Skerrit might be riding the same tiger that devoured Mr. John and Dominica in 1979. Maybe Mr. Skerrit should read about the downfall of larger-than-life characters with superegos like Colonel Gaddafi, Mobuto, Saddam, Hitler, Duvalier and others who have been reduced to the dust bins of history.
“Diaspora voters who don’t qualify to vote should stay away absolutely from the voting booths in La Plaine, Roseau Valley, St. Joseph and elsewhere. Diasporans should think long and hard that they should not gamble with the future of our country in exchange for a plane ‘vep’ for a vote and a hot meal. Let domicile Dominicans decide who should govern our land. Do what you do best- taking care of your families with remittances, fueling the barrel economy, ‘coming down’ for Creole Festival and Carnival to ‘free-up’.
“The partisan divide heading into the elections will get worse and the growing partisan divide will surely further escalate tensions if electoral reform is not implemented. The stakes could not be higher. Also, the alienation around Skerrit and the fear of losing to his party in 2020 unfairly and illegally, will surely motivate Mr. Linton and the UWP base,” Dr Emanuel Finn.
Decoding idiomatic Python requires the strata of astute brain matter, realism of thought and the practical application of law to which Anthony W Astaphan, SC, has researched and authored eloquently: Electoral Reform Booklet and his Response to the report on the electoral reform effort.
“Conclusion (12) For the reasons set out above, it is my respectful view that any reliance on this report would be manifestly unfair, contrary to genuine reform based of fact and the law, and the public interest.”
Instructional facts
In furtherance of the observer mission alluded to above, the government of Dominica has made progress to implement some recommendations and pursued to remove persons on the electoral list who may not have visited Dominica at least once, and for the provision of identification cards.
The government of Dominica also went through a process of drafting legislation in consultation with the electoral commission. There was an expert sent by the Commonwealth to review the legislation and give the legislation the green light.
When the matter first came to parliament, there was violence because the United Workers Party (UWP) and opposition leader Lennox Linton said the government was seeking to legitimize bribery and treating.
However, what the provisions said was that the unconditional transportation of supporters would not constitute bribery which is the existing law as it stands today. Nevertheless, violence ensued the parliament was adjourned.
Then, the attorney general and the government decided to remove the elements of bribery and treating from the legislation and submitted only the proposals for confirmation, “cleansing” and identification cards.
On August 31, 2018, Linton applauded the amendments and said that it was in order and would lead to the implementation of identification cards. But since then, Linton had multiple changes of heart and he has not supported the bills. And, there has been the constant threat of violence if there was no reform.
Subject to the view of idiomatic Pythons and the opposition leader inability to sensible application of brain matter, assuming there is any, a reasonable person would argue otherwise. But as visibly portrayed recently by the actions of the electoral office, the government of Dominica is doing its best to implement sensible amendments to electoral reform for confirmation and issuance of identification cards.
Campaign issue
The literary mind of Astaphan summation is that, the UWP and various partisan NGO’s who are clamouring for electoral reform and saying “no reform – no election plenty violence and civil disobedience, is a hoax, amounting to fraud.”
“It’s an attempt to scratch from the back of nothing, to manufacture a campaign issue. We have never had fraudulent, voting or elections. The only issue that the UWP has is the idea that the people in the diaspora should not come back to vote, and Linton has had multiple positions on that.”
Linton position on this matter is twisted as usual
- Vote where you live. If you’re paying taxes in the United States, you have no right to vote here [Dominica].
- Then Linton says: You have a right to vote if you buy your ticket and if you come on your own.
- Linton’s supplementary illusion is that the prime minister is stealing taxpayers’ money to buy tickets for voters, therefore it’s your money, so take the ticket and if you vote for him its bribery, but if in good conscience you vote for us it’s not bribery.
From binge to bust, Astaphan proffered that this is the sort of dishonest machinations taking place relevant to electoral reform.
Instructional facts
The government of Dominica invited a collection of observers to Dominica to listen to the debate. But to the astonishment of many, the mission’s reports completely ignored and made no mention to the bills that were before parliament.
The previous recommendations made by experts who came to Dominica to assist with the bills and the amendments it made were not referenced in any of the propositions put forward by representatives of the government or Astaphan – in his capacity, as a senior counsel, with perhaps more experienced than most on election matters.
Astaphan’s booklet on the issue of electoral reform and proposed bills including a paper in reply to the NGO’s position – eludes the nomenclature of supposed astute minds.
“There are zero references to his documentation and information by the mission. Instead, the mission came forward with a compromise position which could never lead to the cleansing of the electoral list which is what everybody wanted in the first place.
So for cheap political reasons, the partisan NGO’s infiltrated by members of the UWP, now want the government to implement a process that would not lead to electoral reform, and if guided blindfully, would keep the register in substantially the same position, especially as it concerns voters from the diaspora – voters who could not be located by the registration/verification process suggested.
“Therefore, the attorney general rightly, absolute and accurately, indicated that it made no sense legally, electorally, financially, prudently; and neither was in the public interest to implement recommendations that will not lead to the cleansing of the list.
“Thus, there is the clamouring for violence because people have not read the recommendations made by the observers. They have not read the recommendations made by the experts on the legislation being contemplated by parliament. They have not read the book that I’ve read. They have not read the position papers of the government or that of myself. Instead, they’re taking a strictly partisan position to create mayhem confusion and violence.”
Disenfranchisement: An election scam
Systemic voter disenfranchisement decides elections, exemplified in several elections around the world, and as is presumably being contemplated in St Kitts and Nevis, someone may have whispered in Linton’s head: “Monkey see, Monkey do”.
Elections have consequences to personal finances, business, livelihood and everything the new normal “prescribes in a new world order”.
Absent the need to persuade supposed astute minds and the inability of Linton and partisan NGO’s that have infiltrated the UWP, it is left to the voters and people of Dominica to exclude fake news and fake personas that obviously cannot be trusted; let alone, to mandate the government of Dominica into obscure compliance, contrary to normal decency and the rule of law.
It requires little neurons to convince otherwise, that any government should implement a recommendation, and it’s only a recommendation, from an observer mission that does not and will not lead to the cleansing of the electoral list.
Guided by experience, the observer mission will lead to chaos and uncertainty and the same suspicions, fake or otherwise that exist concerning the existing electoral register would permit people to vote otherwise done by identification cards. Because, if you’re not found, if there is a dispute about your identification or not sufficient information about you: you cannot be removed from the list. In these circumstances, you can get an identification card but you’ll be permitted to vote by passport, none of which is supported by the legislation or the amended legislation.
It is encumbrance that local and foreign mercenaries are attempting to place Dominica in a very difficult situation by these recommendations that make no sense. Much like the fake news of $1.2 million, the fake BBC news broadcast that was engineered by the UWP and its supporters.
Linton and his enablers are no more and no less than elections scammers. It’s election time — as if you didn’t know — which means that it’s also UWP election scam time. It’s a mess.
It’s a campaign for violence disguised as reform. Because, if you are to reference history and judge for yourself, who are the greatest perpetrates of fraud in an election – its the UWP. In 2005, the UWP sold-out Dominica and made promises to at least two financiers for the provision of diplomatic passports and postings in exchange for campaign funding. The UWP got over $3 million. And in 2009, the UWP had SCL/ Cambridge Analytical managing their campaign. This is documented and factual.
Yet, suddenly, the UWP and their enablers want to pretend that they are ‘virtuous electoral virgins’ even though, ostensibly, these professed virgins are not as advertised.
