Lennard Eltucio Clarendon for the Union of Dominica

On or in small island states especially, democracy or the party system is inbred with a huge negative that inhibits and retards development. A basic of that negative is that the duty of the opposition it seems, is to oppose regardless. It is to the benefit of said opposition to deny good and expound bad so that the party in power looks incompetent, hoping that, that will get them in the next time. Thereby, too many people of a small population do not work properly, not allowed to work to the best of their ability or not work at all towards positive development . The party in power in its turn denies or rejects ideas of the opposition to inflate themselves. A joke is, because of stupid partisan politics out of the four smart people on island only one is attempting to work. They say more hands make lighter work, more and different heads create bigger and better ideas that can work. Hmmmmmm the advantages of a one party state.

Regardless of what party you are, one cannot say that nothing has happened in the country over the past fifteen years. People who have been out of state during that time drive from the airport to Roseau and then to Portsmouth and even just from Canefield to Roseau and feel there is a difference, a change.

One can comment on what was not done, what was done improperly and what should have been done: like leaving popular tourist sites without toilet facilities even after promises from the prime minister which are more than two years old, or of the chastising of bus drivers on their attitudes because of the new boat on ash Wednesday but not having the foresight to wash down the streets of the city after the carnival, some of which were impassable because of the high stench of urine.

Here's the joke: It is obvious that there is a major problem in the area of Antrim where the road is constantly sinking. It must be a technical and financial headache for the government seeing how long the situation has existed. It seems beyond them to keep the area reasonably motorable; one guesses recurring costs. What if all of us drivers who pass thru that area almost every day, times a day, put a dollar in a toll box in passing one week in every month. Enough money will be collected for a couple of loads of tarrish, and pay for a backhoe and operator to smooth out that section of road if not every fortnight but once a month.

Doh laugh, we can do it. We go to the States and pay tolls. Its not the party in power that will look good but we travellers that will be happy and Dominica will seem better. Let's give it a try. If anyone agrees to unionize call the radio stations and let them help promote it and even collect the money.