Dominica government delays amendments to banking law

by Paul Charles

Tuesday, November 18, 2003

ROSEAU, Dominica: The Pierre Charles administration in Dominica today bowed to pressure from the Dominica Cooperative Societies League and the credit unions by delaying amendments to the Banking Act.

The league and its credit union affiliates told the government they have been betrayed by not being informed on proposed changes that will see the Ministry of Finance taking over responsibility for their operations from the Ministry of Community Development. 

The opposing side claimed they found out about the amendments to the Act after MP for Soufriere Frederick Baron received his papers to attend parliament on Monday. Baron works with the Cooperative Societies as an examiner.

Then acting Prime Minister Charles Savarin conceded last weekend that Cabinet failed to engineer public discussion or appraise the 17 credit unions here on the move to discontinue the supervision of the Cooperative Division on that body. 

The credit union's bosses said they want to analyse the amendments so parliament proceeded with only the first reading today. The government's change of heart came over the weekend when Prime Minister Pierre Charles, Community Development Minister Matthew Walter and Ministry of Finance officials held an emergency meeting on the matter.

In other news from Dominica: IMG gives government a passing grade

The International Monitoring Group (IMG) has given the ruling coalition administration in Dominica a passing grade for their performance in the first quarter of the Economic Stabilisation and Adjustment Programme this year.

Chairman of the IMG, Albert Matthew, said last weekend the government has been meeting its benchmarks for the July to September period after examining documents from the Ministry of Finance last week. 

Matthew, an appeals court judge in the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), said two officials of the seven-member body had some concerns about the performance of the government but the overall rating is very good. 

The IMG was born out of a demand from private organisation to be included as a watchdog over government's finances following Dominica's failure to meet the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) benchmarks for the 2002-3 assessment period. 

Dominica's economy is ailing and the government has entered into an arrangement with the IMF to assist in rescuing it from the brink of disaster. 

Dominica's attorney general comes under fire

Dominica's Attorney General Henry Dyer came in for serious questioning from opposition Members of Parliament over the hiring of his wife Zena Dyer, who has been a prominent feature in several government cases.

Dyer told the House today his wife is well qualified with over twenty years' experience and she had been contracted to assist other law firms working on behalf of the state.

Dyer added that he saw nothing wrong with the current arrangement involving Dyer and the government of Dominica. Both belong to the law firm Dyer and Dyer.

The government's legal adviser has also been under fire for leasing one of his wife's properties in Roseau to the Attorney General's office headed by him. The building is being used as a Magistrate Court and Legal Aid Clinic. 

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