IN FULL: Roosevelt Skerrit's speech to DLP rally

Prime Minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit, gave this speech at the Dominica Labour Party national rally in Portsmouth on Sunday, 7 May.

Brothers and Sisters….the late, great Michael Jackson asked the question…Can you feel it?

“If you look around, the whole world is comin’ together now, baby Can you feel it? Can you feel it? Can you feel it?

Feel it in the air, the wind is taking it everywhere, yeah Can you feel it? Can you feel it? Can you feel it?”

My Brothers and Sisters of Labour, this evening I say to you, the Labour Train is on the road again!

Can you feel it? Can you feel the power of Labour?

Twenty years ago, the late, great Rosie Douglas stood on this spot and introduced to you the magic of Labour Power. He asked us then to believe in ourselves and to come together as one.

This evening, I say the time has come for us to ‘up de ting’!

We must ‘up de ting’ and let those who wish to frustrate progress in this country, know, feel and understand the true Power of Labour!

They went around this country, the region and even on CBS Television, telling the world the worst possible things about Roosevelt Skerrit and the Dominica Labour Party administration. I said, not a word!

On February 7th, they went into Roseau – six score and 10 strong – and almost destroyed the City. I said, not a word. This Labour Party remained quiet.

Now, Last Monday evening, the government had a little ‘stepping out party’ for the launch of the New West Bridge, and because half of Dominica was down there, they began to tremble.

Well I want to tell them this evening, if they thought the New West Bridge Launch was massive, this evening at Portsmouth is mammoth!

If they sensed last week that we are fed up of them, let them understand this evening, that we have drawn the line….in the sand of time!

This Dominica Labour Party was elected to fast forward the social and economic development of Dominica, and…..this we shall do!

The enemies of this movement would wish for it to be said, come 2019, that Labour did nothing in its fourth term of office.

They would wish for the answer to the question ‘are you better off today, than you were five years ago?’, to be a resounding, No!

That is what their protests are all about. That is what the systematic undermining of the CBI Program is all about.

That is what their downplaying the impact of the progress that is taking place in this country, is all about.

They wish for it to be said, that Skerrit is tired and that Skerrit did nothing in his fourth term.

Well I have news for them, Ladies and Gentlemen… Skerrit is tonight…..fit as a fiddle! More energized and determined than he has ever been.

When you do not see me in the office or I am not at home attending to family matters, I am on the farm planting my sweet potatoes and dasheens and harvesting my vegetables. Skerrit is fit, my brothers and sisters, and Skerrit is determined to accomplish more in this fourth term of office, than he did in the third, the second or even the first.

We said after Erika, we would build back better…and that is the mission that I have embarked upon, and which I intend to accomplish. My Ministers can tell you, that I am pushing them harder now than ever before. We work six days a week and sometimes seven…because, as far as I am concerned, with the damage wrought by Tropical Storm Erika, our donkey was in the well.

So my dear Brothers and Sisters, have no fear. The days of our remaining meek and mild are over. The days of our turning the other cheek are over. The days of our saying ‘leave them alone, the people will deal with them’ are over.

Henceforth, in this beautiful land of ours, when it comes to taking on the propaganda of the enemies of progress, and the haters of Labour, we shall go toe to toe…and it shall be tit for tat and butter for fat!

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, I welcome you to the heartland of Labour!

The belly of the movement started sixty two (62) years ago by the likes of Phyllis Shand Allfrey, Emmanuel Christopher Loblack and E.O. Leblanc, and propelled at the turn of the last century by Brothers Michael and Rosie Douglas.

I welcome you to the area of Dominica that the United Workers party hates the most. I welcome you to the north….where Labour reigns supreme!

This evening I am particularly happy and honoured to have in our presence, the distinguished jurist and former minister in Trinidad, Herbert Volney, a Caribbean man who entered politics clean and left politics even cleaner. I knew we had a good man speaking to us today, when all last week, the haters of Labour could not find a bad word to say about him.

They mumbled and grumbled but not a coherent statement of objection could they make.

Herbert Volney, I am sure you would agree, is a man, who still has a significant contribution to make to the social development of our Caribbean, and I for one, intend to lean very heavily on his vast knowledge and experience in the shaping and emergence of the new Dominica.

Mr. Volney, Sir, I thank you very much for coming this evening and I can assure you that your message to the leadership, membership and supporters of the Dominica Labour Party, will be studied and acted upon, as we seek to improve our method and structure of governance in this beautiful land of ours.