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Volume No. 1 Issue No. 68 - Tuesday April 19, 2005 |
So what is so crucial about this election?
 by Dr. Maureen Paul
The fundamental and perhaps overarching (perennial) aim of most Dominicans is the socio-economic development of Dominica.
It is to facilitate this ambition that we fought and continue to fight for self-determination and it is to this end that we cast our votes.
Therefore, the decision to vote one party rather than another should be predicated upon an assessment of which party is best able to realise the full potential of the country or indeed expand the boundaries of its potential.
On a deep level, this aim undoubtedly transcends party politics. It calls for loyalty to country and not to party. It calls for a concern for the common good and not for egoism.
When loyalty to country is secondary to party loyalty, the conduct of politics is nearly always unsophisticated (a euphemism for uncivilised) and the ability of the people to make informed decisions is thwarted.
The obvious danger is that, instead of making decisions that best serve the country, we unwittingly make decisions that hinder its progress or at best, make decisions that are sub-optimal. Indeed, when loyalty to party takes precedence, we allow misuses and abuses of our laws and other sacred institutions to creep in and take root.
It would not be unfair to say that, at present, loyalty to party and the accompanying dirty politics are commonplace while loyalty to the country with the associated aspiration to scrutinise the deeper issues that affect the country are now lamenting ghosts of the independence era.
This is why we notice the trend in voting against a party rather than voting for a party. This is why non-elected members and foreign government personnel have unwarranted influence over policies. Often the degree of influence goes beyond that exercised by elected members.
This is why not a single politician has been brought before the court to answer charges of corruption. This is why we fail to reign in politicians who encourage the ridicule of the disadvantaged. This is why we observe a mass migration every time a new party assumes power. One could go on and on and on!
It is also important that we assess what comes from the horse�s mouth rather than rely on Chinese whispers. The further away information is from the horses� mouth the more distorted it becomes.
Interestingly, a gentleman remarked that the reason he would not like to see a change of government is because he fears that a new government (i.e. the United Workers Party) would impede the progress of the economic reforms adopted by the incumbent (i.e. the coalition government).
This remark is very telling. On the one hand, it shows how conclusions are based, not on what a party says but rather on unsound rumours.
To think of it, how many of us would advocate the imprisonment of an individual simply because it is rumoured that he might commit a crime? On the other hand, it reveals the concern that, given the way we �do politics� in Dominica, parties have a propensity to disrupt or halt, without discretion, policies put in place by a previous administration.
Further, I am inclined to believe that it is never a good idea to pigeonhole the performance of parties. Doing so misses the bigger picture. No decision on the future of the country should be based solely on economic performance.
Dominica is not one-dimensional. We should judge a party�s ability to advance our ultimate goal by also looking at, among other things, how well it has addressed or is able to address social issues, whether it has improved or is capable of improving the functioning and integrity of our institutions and whether it has ameliorated or can ameliorate the political process.
By neglecting the other dimensions we indubitably abandon the overarching goal of socio-economic development.
In short, partisanship has become the norm and is the Achilles heel of Dominica. While this phenomenon is not unique to Dominica, Dominica is arguably in a unique position of being too small to handle the level of politicisation witness today.
So, if we are to forge ahead and build a prosperous nation, shall we continue doing politics the way we do? The answer is a resounding no and it is for that reason the upcoming election is crucial.
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