Skerrit tries to discredit opposition

View Written by Wendell James

August 8, 2017 at 6:28 AM

Roseau, Dominica (TDN)
In a last desperate attempt to save the Dominican opposition’s face, Roosevelt Skerrit ordered his police men to serve subpoenas to UWP leader Lennox Linton, former deputy leader Joshua Francis and communications director Nicholas George, requiring them to appear in court in September.

This alone is outrageous, but even worse is the charge they were ordered to appear on. The summons reads in part: “Inspector Theophille G of the CDPF has filed a complaint alleging that you, on February 7, 2017 in Roseau, refused to end a public meeting as directed by members of the CDPF… at the agreed time of 3:00 p.m. and intentionally obstructed the police in the execution of their duties.” These summonses are a gross abuse of due process and a threat to the Dominican justice system. It is incredible that we assume a judge who has any knowledge of the Constitution would sign such a ridiculous document. One cannot help but wonder what Judge Asquith Riviere was doing in Antigua before he was offered a seat on the Dominican bench. Riviere must have known that a permit is not required to hold a public meeting, so if you decide to hold such a meeting, you will not be breaking any laws. Furthermore, he must have known that the police cannot order you to end a peaceful public assembly if there is no violence and no loss of life or property. In other words, this order by the police is akin to a police officer ordering me not to walk down Kennedy Avenue at certain times, even if there is no threat or other obstruction to the law and public safety. As far as I know, we live in a Dominican democracy and we will sacrifice our lives to defend it if need be. Under the Dominican Constitution, a political party or individual wishing to hold a public meeting does not need a permit from the police. The only stipulation is that the meeting must end by 11pm in order to comply with the Noise Abatement Act. The fact that the UWP signed an agreement with the police for the February 7 meeting is meaningless. People holding public meetings usually notify the police so that they can provide traffic assistance if needed. So how can the police demand that a public meeting end eight hours early and then turn around and charge you for holding the meeting? The law is clear and any attempt by Skerrit, Police Chief Carbone or Magistrate Rivière to usurp the laws of the land must be condemned and treated with the highest degree of contempt and ridicule. In my opinion, this is a clear indication that Skerrit has lost the moral authority to govern. His repeated attempts to tarnish the reputation of honest members of the opposition by sending armed police to raid their homes in the early hours of the morning to arrest them speaks volumes. The misleading psychology is simple. Make them look or appear criminals and the public will shy away from voting for them. In reality, this simply won’t work. The court hearings will turn into massive public protests as the loyal opposition unites around its leader. Clearly, Skerrit is not happy with what almost happened when certain business premises in Roseau were attacked on 7 February 2017, and he is fanning the flames of discontent and public anger in the hope of finding some excuse to further suppress the opposition.

While we will allow Dominican voters to deal appropriately with Skerrit’s actions, I will ask the EU’s high court to review the sheriff’s actions and determine whether this person is fit and proper to enforce the laws of this country.