Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lennox Linton says that “by unreasonably challenging America’s right to determine if, when and by whom its national security is being threatened, Mr. Skerrit is threatening the security of our own US based Dominican brothers and sisters who are dependent on the US government for their protection and the enhancement of their quality of life”.

The UWP is therefore calling on Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit to stop compromising the public interest of Dominica by thoughtlessly poking his nose and selfishly taking a side in yet another diplomatic flare up between the United States and Venezuela.

Earlier this month, US President Barack Obama issued an executive order declaring Venezuela a threat to US national security. The White House said the order targets Venezuelan government officials who:

• undermine democratic processes or institutions;

• commit acts of violence or abuse of human rights;

• are involved in prohibiting or penalizing freedom of expression; or

• are involved in public corruption.

Mr. Skerrit who is systematically undermining democratic processes and institutions in Dominica and who has done nothing about his own December 2014 accusations of organized crime taking place with the issue of visas and work permits by the Labour Division of Dominica, is bitterly criticizing the US decision in an irrational show of support for the Venezuelan leader.

Speaking at a specially convened Caracas meeting of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA), which was called to show solidarity for Venezuela, Skerrit said the US action was “unfair and inexplicable.” But he made no mention of the US concerns of undemocratic governance, criminalization of legitimate protest action, violation of human rights, public corruption and provocative anti-US diplomatic posturing by Caracas.

Mr. Skerrit is attempting to insert his greed driven, personal agenda into a dispute between two sovereign countries by advocating for America to be deprived of the very same privilege of self interest independent action that he claims for Venezuela.