Electoral Reforms: UWP to knock doors of court, demands to strip right to vote from diaspora

Following the primary issue of electoral reforms in Commonwealth of Dominica, Leader of Opposition, Lennox Linton announced to knock the doors of court after he was disappointed with the meeting of Dominican President Charles Savarin and other political party officials.

According to Lennox Linton, United Workers Party has already filed court papers seeking the intervention of judiciary in upcoming general elections scheduled to be held on December 6. The meeting was held in the wake of public disobedience called by the opposition party which ended up in blocked roads and resorted to violence because UWP wants the diaspora exclusion from the upcoming elections.

The opposition believes that the diaspora contradicts them, so the more diaspora takes part in the election, the less chance they have of winning. This is quite strange that the opposition which just managed to win only 6 out of 21 seats in the Parliament and is out of government since past two decades are now blaming the electoral reforms for excluding diaspora.

Usually, in the era of globalization, citizens from the third world or developing countries flee abroad in search of better future, generally resenting their government for failing to offer them the perspective they search by bad governance and mostly support the opposition. It is evident that governments usually make efforts to sabotage the vote of the diaspora who have balanced access to the information and more intellectual approach towards their country in a matter of government workings.

Whereas, these things in Dominica are completely different as its opposition that is advocating for exclusion of diaspora of their constitutional right to vote in general elections. This is the sign of bizarrely the current government somehow managed to remain in the government for a very long time and still retain the sympathy of the diaspora. On the contrary, the opposition is doing its best to undermine the voting of diaspora.

Encouraging any citizen to vote, regardless of their choice is part of building a true democracy. Whereas, discouraging that, as the opposition violently advocates against the diaspora as second class citizens can only be a threat to democracy and its future.

The more shocking fact is that the Organisation of American States (OAS), recently blamed for the Bolivia destabilization is making highly undiplomatic remarks for any US mission. Deputy US Permanent Representative to OAS, Alexis F. Ludwig expressed during the November 21st OAS permanent council, his disappointment that the government did not accept the following recommendation before the election.

A paper from Center for Economic and Policy Research illustrates that the OAS’s stand on Bolivia’s elections result was “unusual” and “had a significant impression on media coverage and therefore on opinion of public.” The author commented that the OAS’s position “raises awful questions about the outfit’s commitment to impartial, professional, electoral spectation.” Usually, the bastion for democracy, the US seems to be overseeing the OAS’s bizarre chain of destabilizing statements, posing a threat to democracy in countries that need it most. Certainly, this begs for an internal investigation, as democracy NGOs suggest.

It is also significant to note that many inhabitants left the country after Hurricane Maria and Tropical Storm Erika in 2017 and 2015, respectively, in search for better life. So to bring them back, the government has been committed on “building back better” and investing higher amounts of money into durable infrastructure and climate-resilient houses, given out for free of charge to entire country displaced after the 2 weather calamities. A team from the Financial Times visited Dominica in September to shoot a documentary and met with members of the diaspora who returned home lately. Young and full of fruitful ideas, the Dominican diaspora returning home can only mean good news for the country’s economy, bringing with them start-ups, jobs, spending money and, importantly, skilled workforce – the backbone of any strong economy.

The small island of Dominica, it is understood why Dominica does not have the sufficent money to open number of polling stations all around the globe to make the diaspora vote more easier. Encouraging them to participate in their country’s future is not only welcome but a duty any responsible government has before its citizens.

Here in western countries, parties in the board may disagree at everything under the sky, except for one thing: the more people come to vote, the better for the country it is. Wierdly, the UWP in Dominica strongly contradicts. If not insulting and against the interests of the country, is the only way to describe this.